Best Movie

[I of the Storm]

Gladiator of course, and "Kingdom of Heaven" although I'd have to stick to the extended version here. The cinema version is crap compared to this.

Edit: slightly out of timeframe, but "Alatriste" with a surprisingly not bad at all Viggo Mortensen was pretty good too. 16th century warfare with some action in the bogs of Flanders and an interesting depiction of a pitched battle of pike formations against each other in the end.

[Guildenstern]

My Top Seven historical movies:

1) Ben-Hur (1959), featuring a great performance by Charlton Heston;
2) The Ten Commandments (1956), another stunning interpretation by Heston playing the powerful role of Moses;
3) Quo Vadis (1951), I particularly like Peter Ustinov's crazy Nero;
4) Spartacus (1960), wonderful military scenes, probably the most historically accurate among Hollywood movies about ancient Rome;
5) Braveheart, the acting is amazing, the direction is glorious, the landscape of Scotland is really charming, and Wallace's speech at the battle of Stirling is definitely inspirational;
6) Alatriste, a very nice surprise, an entertaining painting about the economic and political decline of Spain in the 17th century, and Mortensen's performance deserves a special mention;
7) Gladiator, the special effects make this film spectacular, but it's the barbaric and cruel fights that make it an epic.

Off topic: let me say farewell to Australian actor Heath Ledger, who was found dead in a New York apartment.

[mrdun]

I'm glad nobody said Alexander. They could have made that a lot better.

[Good Ship Chuckle]

Kingdom of Heaven is awesome.
Saladin besieges Jerusalem complete with siegetowers, tribuchets, ladders, and siege rams. I think that the siege scene creator took some hints from TW.

[puklo]

Anybody saw "Knights of the Black Cross"? I don't think many did; after all, it wasn't a Hollywood movie. European-made movie about Teutonic Knights vs. King of Poland. Story line is...well, nice enough within the confines of the historical events. But the battle scenes, baby, were really a sight to see. Battalions of peasants marching to the beat of kettle drums...a knight handling his halberd skillfully...massed knights pacing their horses, then trotting and canter, finally the charge!! The very one thing that amused me (but it was historically true) was one side shouting "God is on our side!" while the other side also screamed "God is on our side!" The scenes really stirred my heart, like it was one major influence why I bought MTW.
"Alexander" was not good at all; I mean, would you believe it? The only redeeming factor was the main actor: I kinda have a crush on him, usually plays the bad-guy role. But there was one scene I liked in the movie: Alexander's Companion cavalry making a wide left sweep to outflank the enemy and the right wing of his infantry (they looked like armored peltasts or Hypaspists to me) running to keep apace with the horses. Made me think, "Girl, this kind of running during combat is what the skills used in the ancient Olympics was all about."
"300" was a complete distortion of history. Well, what do you expect from a movie based on a popular book of paintings? It evoked a lot of admiration of Spartan courage and militaristicism (?) from people who didn't know the difference anyway, but most parts were totally wrong! The ephors were represented as a sinister syndicate of political manipulators only out for sex and gold, the Boeotians readily proposing to run back home at the slightest odor of Persians outflanking them (truth was, the Thespians stuck it out beside the Spartans and died beside them at Thermopylae), etc. (The Spartans in truth were a little politically naive, but were an OK people, really.) Only 2 things I liked in "300": the warriors authentically had long hair (but hey, why were there some baldies there?) and Leonidas's beard looked authentically ancient Greek.
Nuff for now, people. Bye.

[mrdun]

Nice post, goodbye yourself.

[Barbarian]

Make her a member, please!

[Puzz3D]

Anybody saw "Knights of the Black Cross"?

No, but I'll have it by Friday. Thanks for the recommendation.

"Alexander" was not good at all;

I've seen Alexander (2004) the theatrical release (175 min), the director's cut (168 min) and the revisited version (220 min). I agree that the theatrical release was not well done, but I think the director's cut is very good with the flashbacks properly placed within the narrative. The revisited version is too long and includes the dubious private scenes from the theatrical release which were removed from the director's cut, and also some additional but gratuitous close up gore during the battles. Within the limitations of a movie, the director's cut conveys the essence of Alexander's character as best we will ever know it using tertiary sources such as Putarch of Chaeronea and Arrian of Nicomedia. The authors lived more than three centuries after the events they described, but they used older, nearly contemporary sources, that are now lost. The film only portrays two battles due to the cost of staging these battles, and it's unfortunate that the filmmaker didn't include the additional battle in which Alexander was actually wounded because how it happened is even more dramatic than the silly confrontation with the elephant. However, the essential elements that his men hesitated to attack and that Alexander was fearless in battle was portrayed as the cause of him being wounded which is accurate.

[Molonthegreat]

Well i think that Gladiator is a brilliant movie it has nice action scenes and great dramatic scene i just love the opening scene against the germanic tribes its great.

[puklo]

Hi again, people.
@ Puzz3D: Well, my friend, thank you for telling that there were actually THREE versions of Alexander. I'm sorry to say that I'm not that extensively informed about the life of ancient heroes. Now that you said it, I know better. As Bushi 144 had implied, western historical movies usually aren't as faithful to history as Japanese (and quite a few Chinese) movies are. At least, a few western movies, like Braveheart for example, are truer to the original story of the real guy than some others are. Another example was "The Lion in Winter" which was truer to the spirit of Shakespeare's play than for the moviemakers to get out of their way to obtain the exact minutiae of Henry's (II) life. Or "Joan of Arc" (both of them) the miniseries TV versions which told their own versions of their story than to present a true historical Jeanne d'Arc.
Very informative discussions we have here--I like it. A lot. Ba-bye, you-all.

[cegorach]

Anybody saw "Knights of the Black Cross"? I don't think many did; after all, it wasn't a Hollywood movie. European-made movie about Teutonic Knights vs. King of Poland. Story line is...well, nice enough within the confines of the historical events. But the battle scenes, baby, were really a sight to see. Battalions of peasants marching to the beat of kettle drums...a knight handling his halberd skillfully...massed knights pacing their horses, then trotting and canter, finally the charge!! The very one thing that amused me (but it was historically true) was one side shouting "God is on our side!" while the other side also screamed "God is on our side!" The scenes really stirred my heart, like it was one major influence why I bought MTW.

It is known as "Krzyzacy" - the first Polish epic movie.

Of course it is from the late 1950s so the communist censorship made some cuts here and there. There is obviously too much pan-slavic stuff about friendship between Slavs as the Party ordered + anti-German notions were enhanced a bit compared to late XIXth century novel of Henryk Sienkiewicz (written at the time of brutal Germanisation policy imposed in so called 'Prussian Poland' ).

Still it is a nice movie

for example the battle here

http://pl.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSZu81xVxfE

http://pl.youtube.com/watch?v=M-AbBT...eature=related

and actually this week it has been released on DVD - obviously upgraded to up to date standards.


It shouldn't be too expensive if you are interested Madam.



Still to me NOTHING beats "Potop" (the Deluge) - even if those remarks to the Polish-Russian war fought at that time were removed by the censorship it has ALL THE FEATURES of a great historical movie.

a duel between two strong characters with quotes which became famous

http://pl.youtube.com/watch?v=_tFXZn9qNhg

in this case 'End this, spare me more shame' (Koncz Wasc, wstydu oszczedz)

a siege

http://pl.youtube.com/watch?v=faU2CRHMX2w

and other remarkable features

this VIDEO shows many of those in one, decent clip

http://pl.youtube.com/watch?v=7GihwyldGGM


with the excellent battlescenes, just like this Husaria charge (should be in dense formation, but you can't have everything...).

http://pl.youtube.com/watch?v=t1dD53...eature=related


And all that in a 3+ HOUR LONG movie.


I love the XVIIth cnetury - the mixture of technology and tradition, science and magic, knowledge and superstition.

[Galapagos]

Well gladiator for me and Der Untergang-Downfall (it's about WW2)

[puklo]

[QUOTE=cegorach]It is known as "Krzyzacy" - the first Polish epic movie.

Thank you so much for telling me, noble cegorach. Of COURSE, I'll definitely buy the DVD--if and when it comes within my reach. Problem is, we're in the hinterlands here, and I don't know when, or even IF it comes around at all. eBay or something of the sort is out of the question, unfortunately. The disks have to be physically there in the store for me to buy it.
And, oh, hey, Guilderstern--take heed. You liked "Quo Vadis". I've seen the movie--twice--and have the book, somewhere in my dusty bins. Henryk Sienkiewicz is the author of this book, same as the author of what the "Black Cross" was based on. I'm also surprised to learn this. Thanks again, cegorach. I liked "Quo Vadis" too (both movie and bood), but in the movie that fight between the (red-garbed) legionaries and what seemed to be (black-garbed) praetorians would be, IMO, quite unlikely--not the combat itself, but the thought that Nero (or Neron?) was deposed as the consequence of the fight, and replaced by Galba, is unlikely.
Well, bye-bye folks--hasta la vista.

[puklo]

[QUOTE=cegorach]It is known as "Krzyzacy" - the first Polish epic movie.

Thank you so much for telling me, noble cegorach. Of COURSE, I'll definitely buy the DVD--if and when it comes within my reach. Problem is, we're in the hinterlands here, and I don't know when, or even IF it comes around at all. eBay or something of the sort is out of the question, unfortunately. The disks have to be physically there in the store for me to buy it.
And, oh, hey, Guilderstern--take heed. You liked "Quo Vadis". I've seen the movie--twice--and have the book, somewhere in my dusty bins. Henryk Sienkiewicz is the author of this book, same as the author of what the "Black Cross" was based on. I'm also surprised to learn this. Thanks again, cegorach. I liked "Quo Vadis" too (both movie and book), but in the movie that fight between the (red-garbed) legionaries and what seemed to be (black-garbed) praetorians would be, IMO, quite unlikely--not the combat itself, but the thought that Nero (or Neron?) was deposed as the consequence of the fight, and replaced by Galba, is unlikely.
Well, bye-bye folks--hasta la vista.

[King Jan III Sobieski]

Anybody saw "Knights of the Black Cross"? I don't think many did; after all, it wasn't a Hollywood movie. European-made movie about Teutonic Knights vs. King of Poland. Story line is...well, nice enough within the confines of the historical events. But the battle scenes, baby, were really a sight to see. Battalions of peasants marching to the beat of kettle drums...a knight handling his halberd skillfully...massed knights pacing their horses, then trotting and canter, finally the charge!! The very one thing that amused me (but it was historically true) was one side shouting "God is on our side!" while the other side also screamed "God is on our side!" The scenes really stirred my heart, like it was one major influence why I bought MTW.
"Alexander" was not good at all; I mean, would you believe it? The only redeeming factor was the main actor: I kinda have a crush on him, usually plays the bad-guy role. But there was one scene I liked in the movie: Alexander's Companion cavalry making a wide left sweep to outflank the enemy and the right wing of his infantry (they looked like armored peltasts or Hypaspists to me) running to keep apace with the horses. Made me think, "Girl, this kind of running during combat is what the skills used in the ancient Olympics was all about."
"300" was a complete distortion of history. Well, what do you expect from a movie based on a popular book of paintings? It evoked a lot of admiration of Spartan courage and militaristicism (?) from people who didn't know the difference anyway, but most parts were totally wrong! The ephors were represented as a sinister syndicate of political manipulators only out for sex and gold, the Boeotians readily proposing to run back home at the slightest odor of Persians outflanking them (truth was, the Thespians stuck it out beside the Spartans and died beside them at Thermopylae), etc. (The Spartans in truth were a little politically naive, but were an OK people, really.) Only 2 things I liked in "300": the warriors authentically had long hair (but hey, why were there some baldies there?) and Leonidas's beard looked authentically ancient Greek.
Nuff for now, people. Bye.

"Knights of the Black Cross" Hmm...I'll have to look that up!