Best Movie

[Martok]

I know you will probably laugh, but I would have to say 'The Princes Bride', 'The Mission' and 'Braveheart' are the best films.

I've never seen The Mission, and so I can't comment on it.

The Princess Bride, however -- I presume that's what you meant -- is another story! A good number of people here at the Org are quite fond of that movie, myself included. (Indeed, my best buddy and I can quote the entire Wesley-Inigo fight scene at will.)

The book is excellent too, if you've not already read it.

[Caeser The III]

alexander was the worst movies ever man

i like 300, and gladiator.

[The Wandering Scholar]

alexander was the worst movies ever man

i like 300, and gladiator.

I agree with you although Good Luck Chuck could be THE worst movie of all time.

A list of good topical films:

300
Gladiator
King Arthur
Braveheart
Kingdom of Heaven


I also like the American war films like We were soldiers/ Letters fro IWO Jima. Albeit they are a little out of the date restrictions.

[Gaivs]

I dunno if this can be included as such, but Dances With Wolves, with Kevin Costner in it. Easily the single best film ever made imo, and i say it can be a historical movie in that it deals with the Native American Sioux tribe and how White man is coming. I know the events may not have taken place, but the feel of the movie and the themes it portrays are very much akin to the real thing. The loss of the habitat, and the eroding of their culture and whatnot, it is a very powerful film, and i recommend it to anyone whole heartedly.

[macsen rufus]

One of my favourite films of all time has to be "Excalibur" by John Borman - anything Arthurian has to be dubious, historically speaking, but I like his take on the mythology, and also the humour (especially where it comes to Merlin). The arms and armour seemed more mediaeval than dark age, though. Some very stirring scenes, I loved the band of knights in gleaming armour cantering through huge orchards full of apple blossom to a rousing Carl Orff soundtrack.

I haven't seen any of the more recent ones like 300, Troy or Alexander though.... maybe I should

what really is the style of combat during the Trojan War?

Not easily answered, and the archaeology is still a little confused. There's a good case to be made that most Bronze Age palace/city powers relied primarily upon archer chariotry, with infantry being very uncommon or providing nothing more than a spear wall + foot-archer "refuge" for the chariotry. What we do know with say Kadesh, that though infantry was present, the action was entirely chariots (at least on the Hittite side). Troy was likely a satellite or vassal state to the Hittite empire and the general military approach would have been similar (debate still rages over whether the Hittite references to 'Taruwa' or similar were the same as Troy...)

As for the Achaeans, the orthodox view is that their chariots were basically "battle taxis" for foot soldiers, yet the Dendra panoply would be unusable for anyone fighting on foot, and really only a largely immobile archer would be able to use it. Though Homer admits that his generation did not know how the "ancients" used chariots, and that little evidence of Helladic archery exists, there are many references to Achilles as a bowman for instance. SO IMHO, the Trojan wars would have been fought pretty much along those lines -- archer chariots in the field, possibly with the Achaeans fielding more heavy infantry, using swords influenced by the Haltstatt sword from north of the Balkans. This period is notable for marking the end of widespread chariot use and the rise of mass infantry formations, mostly due to new technology and tactics (cut & thrust swords, iron, light skirmishers/chariot runners) and contributed to by economic collapse across the region.

Ooops sorry - a quick comment turned into full scale derailment

[cmacq]

best period
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Black Peal-------------------Empire
A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum----------Europa Barbarorum
Amadeus--------------------------------------------------European Wars
The Black Robe--------------------------------------------The New World-1550 to 1800
The Searchers---------------------------------------------TBA
The War Lord----------------------------------------------Medieval Total Realism


best all round ever
The Hot Chick
The New Guy
Old School
A Guy Thing
Joe Dirt
Fight Club

[Quintus.JC]

Sword and Sandal/Historical/War

1. Gladiator
2. Untergang, Der
3. Schindler's List
4. Saving Private Ryan
5. Troy


Everything else

1. Godfather
2. Raging Bull
3. Goodfellas
4. Fight Club
5. Indian Jones and the Last Crusade.