Your favorite armored movie? -- myArmoury.com

Dan Dickinson · Industry Professional

I'm going to have to cast a vote for the Arn films. Sure it's mostly in Swedish so I have to use subtitles, it could have used a few more action sequences, there were period inaccuracies etc. etc. However, i thought it did a good job of capturing the overall feel....plus what other movie can you watch with Albions in it?
Dan

Ushio Kawana · Posted: Sat 18 Apr, 2009 11:01 am Post subject:

Marcos Cantu · Posted: Sat 18 Apr, 2009 12:05 pm Post subject:

Sabine Benning · Posted: Sat 18 Apr, 2009 12:09 pm Post subject:

Hello all together,

Years ago, I joined a lot of interesting films. So there a many of different favourites:

Henry V, Kenneth Branagh, although Henry V was glamorized also
Elizabeth – the first movie, not the second. Battle on see was a joke!
Queen Margot (a french movie)!
Excalibur – see Roger Hooper! Laughing Out Loud

And great soundtrack!
Robin and Marian
The Three/Four Musketeers (Richard Lester. Great director!)

to be an also-ran:
“Alatriste” – What a pity, only the beginning and the end was thrilling.
“Flesh and blood” – Nearly felicitous, but a little bit plump.

The funny section:
Of course: Monty Pythons Search for the Holy Grail – poor cow!
“A knight’s tale” – a modern eye-winking (correct English?) version
"The 13th Warrior"? After all a great assortment of amours from different times.

I don’t know “The Warlord”, or is it the movie with great Nicolas Cage?

Entirely unkown to me: “I cavalieri che fecero l'impresa and “"De leeuw van Vlaanderen (1985)" - seems to be interesting.

-The Crusades:
When Richard and Saladin compare swords, not at all historical but great non the less: could the scene be inspired by the novel “The talisman” from Sir Walter Scott??

Mr. Kawana, I am surprised and impressed! "Lancelot du Lac (1974, director: Robert Bresson)". In Germany we say “Schwere Kost”. In this coherence it means: ambitious in the artistic way. Remember the last scence!

kind regards

Malcolm A · Posted: Sat 18 Apr, 2009 2:18 pm Post subject:

For my part, two of the best films ever are:

The War Lord; starring Charlton Heston
El Cid; starring Charlton Heston

They created my interest as a young lad in the subject of swords, knights etc

Awesome films and great acting too

David Wilson · Posted: Sat 18 Apr, 2009 2:35 pm Post subject:

Some of my arms and armor/sword and sandal faves:

1. El Cid
2. The Warlord
3. Ben Hur (funny how Chuck Heston shows up in a lot of these...)
4. Braveheart
5. Lester's Musketeer movies
6. The Prince and the Pauper, also known as Crossed Swords, also a Richard Lester film from the '70's, with an awesome cast (a lot of the same folks from the Musketeer movies. Including... Chuck Heston!)
7. Spartacus
8. The Vikings (Tony Curtis and Kirk Douglas and Ernest Borginine shouting "OOOOOOOODINNNNN!"
9. The Lord of the Rings series
10. Conan the Barbarian
11. Excalibur
12. Gladiator
13. Fall of the Roman Empire
14. Rob Roy
15. The 13th Warrior (I didn't like this movie when it first came out, but it grew on me, like mold, I guess. Anyway, I find it a great guilty pleasure, and a lot of fun, with some occasional brilliant moments)
16. The Viking Queen (Another guilty pleasure. A silly, contrived Roman-era Hammer films romp, based on the rebellion of Boudicca, with the names changed to protect the innocent. The acting is horrible, the costumes are ludicrous, but God help me, I love this terrible movie....)

Colt Reeves · Posted: Sat 18 Apr, 2009 9:22 pm Post subject:

Well geez, I'm pretty easy as far as movies go, it might be easier to ask what movies involving armor do I not like. I have most of the American/English movies (LOTR, Conan, Narnia, The Last Samurai, Merlin, etc) mentioned above, though I still haven't seen Prince Caspian, Kingdom of Heaven, and the 13th Warrior.

To throw something new out there: Legend of the Black Scorpion. I don't know if it was at all historically accurate, but I thought the armor worn by the army was cool.

Does anyone have any opinions on First Knight? I thought it had a lousy plot (yes, yes, I know it had to loosely follow the stories of old, but they could have done it better) and the horrible armor worn by the good guys was enough to put it on my Never-Watch-Again List. I mean, I know historically accurate or believeable armor is rare in popular media, but still....

Douglas G. · Posted: Sun 19 Apr, 2009 12:06 am Post subject:

I think David Wilson's list pretty much has all of my favorites excepting one, The Long Ships with Richard Widmark,
Sydney Poitier and (wait for it) OSCAR HOMOLKE! Vikings looking for a huge golden bell waylayed by Moors, a fiendish
torture device and a gratuitous feasting hall scene. What more could you want?

Doug Gentner

Jean Thibodeau · Posted: Sun 19 Apr, 2009 12:17 am Post subject:

M. Eversberg II · Posted: Sun 19 Apr, 2009 12:41 am Post subject:

I attempted to watch Flesh and Blood today. About an hour in I realized this is probably one of the worst "Medieval" movies I had ever seen, including 13th warrior. I think it might have given me liver failure...

It's quite difficult to think of an "Armor" movie; Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King is a good fantasy flick, and it DOES have armor, but it's rather "fantastic" armor.

If you want to see some really BAD armor though, check out "First Knight" -- you get to see them dent from rather unforceful taps Wink

M.

Mikko Kuusirati · Posted: Sun 19 Apr, 2009 8:30 am Post subject:

A Knight's Tale has the advantage that the makers actually did know better - the anachronisms are entirely deliberate gags, rather than mere ignorance. For a particularily hilarious one, pay close attention to the painstakingly recreated skyline of medieval London at the beginning of the "Boys Are Back In Town" sequence. Big Grin

As for The 13th Warrior, it may be completely out of whack in regard to the arms and armour, but otherwise it's really a great movie - and at the very least it has its heart in the right place, damnit! "Lo, there do I see my father..."

Excuse me, I got something in my eye... *snif*

Lafayette C Curtis · Posted: Sun 19 Apr, 2009 8:59 am Post subject:

I agree that many of the anachronisms in A Knight's Tale seem quite deliberate. I wish they had gone even further with it and made an out-and-out rock-and-roll romp, though; as it were, the movie seems like it couldn't entirely decide between anachronizing or going really medieval.

But when it comes to my favorite armored movie, it has to be Dragonheart. Not for the armor--it's horrible--but for the plot and dialogue as well as much of the costuming. I was entirely (and pleasantly) surprised when the evil king appeared in his shirtsleeves (so to say) and he turned out to be wearing braies and hose rather than modern trousers; the men's tunics also have some resemblance to identifiably Anglo-Saxon and Norman tunics, which is more than I can say for the vast majority of movies with medieval setting. I was so pleased that I felt nothing wrong about ignoring the fact that the clothing mostly looked like stuff from one or two whole centuries after the date claimed for the movie's story (9th or 10th century England).

Andrew Pribor · Posted: Sun 19 Apr, 2009 11:02 am Post subject: Your favorite armored movie?

Well, since it hasn't been mentioned yet, Beowulf & Grendel. (the live action, Gerard Butler version) I thought the costumes/leather work were well done & the scenery was amazing.

http://www.beowulfandgrendel.com/

M. Eversberg II · Posted: Sun 19 Apr, 2009 11:31 am Post subject:

I second Beowulf and Grendel. I'm not a Gerard Butler fan, but it's not a bad movie, and the "leather armor" is at least interesting looking.

Sadly, it suffers from the "Two handed sword" syndrome, and their shields are ever abandoned :/

M.

Roger Hooper · Posted: Sun 19 Apr, 2009 11:40 am Post subject:

Speaking of dragons, remember the 1981 movie, Dragonslayer? It was the best dragon movie ever made.

It is set in Dark Ages Wales and Ireland, and arms and armor does appear. It has been some time since I've seen it, so I couldn't say how accurate they are.

But it is a great movie, with Peter MacNicol, and Ralph Richardson giving a wonderful performance (his last, I think). The plot is miles above the typical sword and sorcerer fare - complex, with some genuine humor in it, but very dark in places.

The dragon is well designed, looks real, and holds up well, considering the movie was made almost 30 years ago.

Colt Reeves · Posted: Sun 19 Apr, 2009 1:09 pm Post subject:

Hey, my Dad has Dragonslayer on DVD. If I remember correctly, the weapons/armor aren't so bad historically, though used somewhat inexpertly.

As you mention, the dragon was rather well done. More believeable as a giant bat-like thing than the four-legged modern dragon (which supposedly can't get into a take-off position according to some studies).

Shoot, I'll have to dig that out some time and watch it again...

Douglas G. · Posted: Sun 19 Apr, 2009 8:53 pm Post subject:

How can we have overlooked "Army of Darkness"? Armor, swords, undead warriors and a weaponised Oldsmobile
Station Wagon. It gets better with each passing year.

Doug Gentner

Peter Fuller · Industry Professional

Definitely Joan of Arc with Ingrid Bergman. At least they tried to get the armour and weapons right for the period. I love Dunois' axe, and La Hire's grand bascinet! Most of the clothing is later than the 1420s, but at least all the guys are wearing hose, not pants, and they have the proper miltary bowl hair-cut. And the storming of the Turrell is probably the best seige scene ever filmed.

"By the black bull of Bashan! It's a girl! And in harness!"

"It's the witch! It's the witch!"
"Die there, coward!"

James Arlen Gillaspie · Industry Professional

One of the saddest stories I ever heard was from someone who had worked on that film. It seems that it was a MUCH longer movie originally, with many more big battle scenes that were cut before release. Of the three full length copies of the film, at least one was lost to fire (his copy) awhile back, and one has disappeared. I still have a fantasy that the third will someday wind up on Blueray or dvd.

But my favorite armoured movie was also a 'Joan of Arc' movie - the one I worked on back in '97. It was being done by the same fellow that did 'Gettysburg', and had the best damned battle scenes that you will never see. My armour was a prototype I made for that film.