films
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Well, my first introduction to Richard the Lionheart was in the 1950s…one of the many Robin Hood movies of that period, He was noble and chivalrous (George Sanders, as I recall, see below), while Prince John was a Blue Meanie of the highest order. Nothing much has changed since then. My opinion of both men…
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Oh, good grief…. This article proves what a dire black mark must be given to the teaching (or lack of it) in our schools! What are we to do when even the teachers don’t know what they’re teaching about? Nor does the writer of the article know anything, mentioning the battles of Bosworth Hill and…
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On the BBC news channel recently there was an item about Pete Waterman (of Stock Aitkin and Waterman fame) and his beloved model railway, which is spectacular and will feature in an upcoming showing of Timeshift on BBC 4. The episode in question is in Series 12, episode 7 of 10, entitled “The…
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Trial by combat was a last-ditch method of proving one’s case. Of course, it didn’t prove innocence or guilt, just that one or other of the combatants was luckier/stronger on the day. Nor did trial by water prove a woman innocent of witchcraft, because it killed her no matter what the outcome. If…
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So, has the case of “The Man in the Iron Mask” been solved at last? The 1998 film suggested that, in accordance with Voltaire’s theory (via Dumas), he was Louis XIV‘s unknown elder twin, imprisoned since birth – in the same way that James II had a twin, Alexander, who died after a few hours.…
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Gawain and the Green Knight has been given “the Hollywood treatment”! See this article. You can also read about the film here and here It’s directed by David Lowery and stars Dev Patel and Alicia Vikander. Well, having now seen it, I fear that if the anonymous author had too, he’d be taking serious steps…
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When I watched the movie The King about Henry V of England, I was bemused by the mud bath that was Agincourt. It seems this one aspect of the movie’s depiction was accurate, even if liberties had been taken with much of the rest of the film. Which I enjoyed very much, albeit taking…
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Well, it’s interesting to see the top 33 “historically accurate” movies , as voted for in 2017 by IMDb readers. I confess to being disappointed that only three of the medieval period made it to the list (which is in number-of-votes order). Well, three if Elizabeth actually counts as medieval. This last of the Tudor…
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There are numerous theories about what happened to the boys in the Tower…and exactly who may have done it. Well, one points the finger at the omnipresent Dr Argentine, under whose dubious care no fewer than three royal patients passed away: the boys in the Tower, and after that Prince Arthur, the Tudor heir. In…