Knight movies?

[2D8HP]

Over at the "Roleplaying" Forum is this post:

Contact with people was almost always just two conversations with quest-givers and occasional questioning of local guards about the villains of the current adventure. Is that because everyday culture of the NPCs really doesn't matter in a campaign, or is it a result of everyone just assuming the default faux-medieval culture of generic knight movies?
Are those movies that common?
Off the top of my head the only "knight movies" I've seen at all have been:

The Adventures of Robin Hood (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Robin_Hood),

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Python_and_the_Holy_Grail),

Excalibur (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excalibur_(film)),
and
A Knights Tale (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Knight%27s_Tale)

Each of which I loved. I"d like to see more like them. Please tell me more of these "generic knight movies"
(I guess I should ask this at the "Media Discussions" sub-forum)So yeah um...
I can think of a lot of "Western", "Spy", "Crime", and "Romance" movies, but as far as "Knight" that's it.
Are they any more?
Good?
Bad?

[comicshorse]

First Knight- So so
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113071/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Robin and Marian- Excellent (particularly Robert Shaw as a tough-as-nails Sheriff)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075147/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_1

Ivanhoe- It's of its time but I've got a fondness for this
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044760/?ref_=nv_sr_2

Robin Hood- Not bad but I still have no idea where Russel Crowe's accent is meant to be from
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0955308/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Kingdom of Heaven - Okay
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0320661/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Sword of the Valiant- Seriously weird as I remember
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084750/?ref_=tt_rec_tt

These are just the ones I remember, and aren't appalling, but I'd bet if you go back to the 50's and 60's you'd get dozens of movies, its just a genre that has fallen out of favour

[Dienekes]

Well I know of a bunch of Robin Hood and King Arthur variant movies. But I'll skip past those.

Kingdom of Heaven is great if and only if you watch the director's cut.

The Lion in Winter may count, it's more of a political family squabble movie that happens to have some knights in it though.

The Seventh Seal is an absolute classic though again it's more an existential explorative piece that just so happens to be about a knight.

Army of Darkness has a bunch of knights in it. Of course, they're about as stereotypical as you can get. The movie is about a badass idiot named Ash who gets sent back in time to fight demons.

El Cid is another classic that I haven't seen since I was a kid. But I remember enjoying.

The Court Jester is a fun movie if you enjoy old time comedy.

Then there is the In the Name of the King series. Don't watch them.

[Hopeless]

Does Willow (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzn2izehkno) count?

Mad Martigan played by Val Kilmer I believe was supposed to have been one.

How about the tv series of Ivanhoe (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BO0jhKqPIiU)?

[comicshorse]

If we're going for TV shows then we can add dozens more. Robin of Sherwood, Merlin, etc

[Brother Oni]

Ladyhawke, with Rutger Hauer as a former knight and captain of the guard (more of a fantasy romance story though).

Dragonheart; the protagonist is again a former knight, although more a fantasy story despite a major plot element being his finding his way back to being a knight again.

Black Knight: Utterly forgettable Martin Lawrence film.

Prince Valiant: mediocre children's movie based on the comics, although it features Ron Perlman.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail kinda counts. :smalltongue:

I suppose Joan of Arc features knights, although it doesn't really involved itself with the Knight genre themes.

Some google searching gives me Arn: The Knight Templar, which is basically what you want.

[Dorath]

Galavant is worth a watch, if you don't mind musicals.

[Velaryon]

You mean Monty Python and the Holy Grail (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071853/?ref_=nv_sr_1) is not an accurate depiction of medieval life?

[2D8HP]

You mean Monty Python and the Holy Grail (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071853/?ref_=nv_sr_1) is not an accurate depiction of medieval life?Heh.
I actually saw MPATHG in the 1970's at the theater with my parents as a little kid. It was double billed along with
The Ruling Class (http://m.imdb.com/title/tt0069198/).
No I did not laugh. I didn't get it all, I was just completely bewildered.
:confused:
It wasn't till I saw it again as an adolescent in the 80's that I appreciated it.
:biggrin:

[Wardog]

Black Death. A monk and verious kings/mercenaries lead by Sean Bean hunt witches at the time of the Black Death, and investigate a village that is (miraculously? diabolically? or just luckily?) plague-free. One of the witches (is she really a witch?) is played by the same actress that plays Melisandre.
Sean Bean dies..


More knights vs. witches:
Season of the Witch, staring Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman as disolusioned Crusaders who have to escort an alleged witch to the monastory where she is to be exorcised.

[comicshorse]

And just to prove the genre isn't dead yet, Guy Ritchie is having a play with it with ; 'King Arthur : Legend of the Sword'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rbPTQIdjmY

[SiSoo]

Braveheart (1995) forever!!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112573/

[Ceiling_Squid]

More knights vs. witches:
Season of the Witch, staring Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman as disolusioned Crusaders who have to escort an alleged witch to the monastory where she is to be exorcised.

Saw that, it was okay at best, veering on meh. I'm always willing to give something with Perlman a shot.

Ultimately, it's a film that sounds like it'd be fun to watch in concept, but turns out to be less than the sum of its parts.

[Dienekes]

And just to prove the genre isn't dead yet, Guy Ritchie is having a play with it with ; 'King Arthur : Legend of the Sword'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rbPTQIdjmY

Here I was hoping the popularity of Thrones would lead to a lot more new medieval shows and here's the first. And it's King Arthur. It's always King Arthur. Alright let's get that story we've all heard 100 times out of the way so we can get others.

And for the record I hope it's good. Great even, so we can get some bigger risks take in the future.

[Legato Endless]

Here I was hoping the popularity of Thrones would lead to a lot more new medieval shows and here's the first. And it's King Arthur. It's always King Arthur. Alright let's get that story we've all heard 100 times out of the way so we can get others.

And for the record I hope it's good. Great even, so we can get some bigger risks take in the future.

I feel this, but I'd also like to see more King Arthur. My problem is how it's always the same mythos. The Greil, the love triangle, the founding. With Morgan/Mordred as clean up maybe. Tonally adjusted between gritty faux historical and romantic fantasy.

There are hundreds of Arthurian legends, dozens of Knights with whole weird associated legends to say nothing of the variety of the tellings in different cultures. There's this wealth of material but the industry mines the same tiny plot over and over. You could easily do a dozen Arthurian films with the same stylistic conventions and have the plots be extremely divergent from each other.

[Dienekes]

I feel this, but I'd also like to see more King Arthur. My problem is how it's always the same mythos. The Greil, the love triangle, the founding. With Morgan/Mordred as clean up maybe. Tonally adjusted between gritty faux historical and romantic fantasy.

There are hundreds of Arthurian legends, dozens of Knights with whole weird associated legends to say nothing of the variety of the tellings in different cultures. There's this wealth of material but the industry mines the same tiny plot over and over. You could easily do a dozen Arthurian films with the same stylistic conventions and have the plots be extremely divergent from each other.

Man, trust me if we got a movie about the roaming adventures of Kay and Bedievere or Gawain or Percical being a noble idiot. Or maybe the horrors of The Brown Knight. But we never see them. Or at least never see their coolest stories.

I'm just tired of seeing the sword in a stone and maybe the last battle.

[Zigwat]

Man, trust me if we got a movie about the roaming adventures of Kay and Bedievere or Gawain or Percical being a noble idiot. Or maybe the horrors of The Brown Knight. But we never see them. Or at least never see their coolest stories.

I'm just tired of seeing the sword in a stone and maybe the last battle.

To piggy back on that point, I was not the biggest fan of the BBC TV Series, Merlin. When it's all said and done, that show was flawed to the very core. To be safe, I'm going to put this up before I continue.

******MERLIN SPOILERS********

Alright, so when we first get into Merlin, we see a young lad leaving home and going to Camelot to learn the art of Magic. Here in-lies the flaw, because as soon as he gets to Camelot, he finds a magic-user being beheaded BECAUSE HE USES MAGIC. [!!?] I mean, really, was this the best place for Merlin to go? Seems like he's shooting himself in the foot from the very start. Uther Pendragon hates magic, and now anyone who uses it is executed. For a starting arc, this could have been very interesting, but the law goes on through out the whole series. This is absolute nonsense, and it's unbelievable as a whole. The only reason he does this is because his wife died giving birth to Arthur. The baby was going to die, but thanks to a sorceress, she saved the baby, but at the cost of the mother's life. She pleads with the king, telling him that it was an honest mistake, and she didn't mean to cause her death. But no, hell no! MAGIC IS BANNED FOREVAARRRR!!!!

Okay, this is where the show takes a turn for the goofy. The mere fact that he bans magic calls upon all kinds of problems. Not only do magic users get killed, but their friends/families who are also magic users just waltz right in and start wreaking absolute havoc! Then, because no one in Camelot are allowed to use magic, they are all but defenseless. Now, I understand that this gives Merlin an opening to shine as a wizard, and he can counteract the magic, but he has to do so in hiding! He has to, not only defeat the ne'er-do-wells, but also do so without Uther or Arthur knowing about it. He's using his magic to help Camelot, but because Uther is a pig-headed nitwit, we have to keep seeing these MIRACLES come out of nowhere and save Merlin from getting caught. The plotlines get needlessly complicated and downright stupid as a result.

Even in season 4 when Uther dies (note, I said spoilers in the beginning), Arthur thinks it's evil magic that kills him, so SURPRISE SURPRISE, magic is still illegal when Arthur takes the throne. So, while some of the plotlines that work around magic's illegality can be amusing, it is a constant nuisance that never goes away throughout the whole series. Then, of course, it ends up biting Arthur in the bum to no one's great surprise. Arthur ends up killing Mordrid's love-interest (granted, it was her own stupid fault for the most part) and Mordrid ends up killing Arthur in the last episode. Before he dies, he learns that Merlin has been using magic since the beginning, and LO AND BEHOLD it was not evil magic, and ended up saving everyone, except for Arthur, who dies and dies and dies.

I'm sorry, but the show had SO MUCH potential, but it decided to take its quirks to the next level and screw everything up. It was obviously created to ride on Smallville's popularity, but it took up too many of Smallville's flaws and shot itself in the foot multiple times. One of the seasons could have been devoted to the Quest for the Holy Grail, but it never gets found. Then they had the GALL to make Excalibur a side-note. I mean, really! The show had its bright points, but overall, it was underwhelming and disappointing at many turns.

WOW! I do apologize for the long rant. I guess I just needed to let off some steam about it. I mean, even with its short-comings, I did watch it all the way through, and found myself enjoying some of the episodes (especially the first episode Merlin makes himself look old, that was hysterical) and it really is not a terrible series by any means. It just backs itself into corners entirely too often, and sometimes the small budget is quite obvious. It's good if you can get over its palpable flaws, but only good when it could have been great!

[Janus]

I really enjoyed Merlin, but I agree that some of its choices were just... stupid.
[spoiler]I hated how the sword in the stone had nothing to do with Arthur's rightful place as King, but was all BS Merlin made up and influenced.

My biggest problem with Merlin, though, was all of season 5. Guinevere's character had developed throughout the whole show, and we got to see her grow from a servant girl to a queen. Then season 5 starts off with her being possessed, and just like Morgana, we get to see her look away and smirk every time something bad happens.
Then the last episodes rushed everything into the climax, and I honestly wonder if the writers found out the show was being canceled after they had already produced the Evil Gwen arc.
I really wish that we'd gotten a full season of Merlin being able to use magic in the open.[/quote]

[Stewzors]

I watched Arn : The knight templar on netflix while struggling with not being able to sleep a while back and was pleasantly surprised. It felt a bit disjointed, apparently it was originally 2 films they edited into 1 for a larger worldwide release.

Tbh tho, most Knightly films tend to fall soundly into either "Templars" or "Arthurian". There are a few others around the "Roman Legions" theme such as The Eagle, The Last Legion and Centurion which arent anything special but theyre not awful - obvs may not be what you're after tho

[Caesar]

I watched Arn : The knight templar on netflix while struggling with not being able to sleep a while back and was pleasantly surprised. It felt a bit disjointed, apparently it was originally 2 films they edited into 1 for a larger worldwide release.

Tbh tho, most Knightly films tend to fall soundly into either "Templars" or "Arthurian". There are a few others around the "Roman Legions" theme such as The Eagle, The Last Legion and Centurion which arent anything special but theyre not awful - obvs may not be what you're after tho

Arn (two movies) is excellent and I came here to recommend it, though you have to be ok with subtitles and lots of them. Half of it happens in feudal Sweden, the other half in and around Jerusalem at the height of the Crusades.. The scandinavian netflix serves it up as the tv-miniseries, which is just the two movies cut into six pieces. If the american version is edited into one film, then you DEFINITELY want to get the two originals instead (god how awful).

HBO did a mini-series called Rome. Its not knights so much as centurions, but it is also worth mentioning. Same producer I believe as Game of Thrones. Almost the same quality, almost.

[thorgrim29]

Rome got 2 seasons so it's not really a miniseries. It is absolutely excellent though, everybody should watch it. Better than post season 2 GoT IMO.

If you want to have a different take on Arthur (and you speak french) give Kaamelot a try. It starts as a light-hearted comedy about how everyone in Arthur's court is a bumbling idiot except him, his father-in-law (who is constantly trying to depose him), a few of Arthur's mistresses and Lancelot (a lot of it feels like they filmed a goofy LARP) and grows from that to a dark and frankly a bit harrowing but still hilariously funny series about destiny, duty and the nature of heroism.