Michelle in AL Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 I'm teaching Great Books of the Middle Ages next yr. Many of the kids may not know the King Arthur stories. We'll be reading The Once and Future King (I know this is modern) and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Since they may have little knowledge of King Arthur would you show a movie first or would this make the book boring, since they would already know the outcome? Which movie would you show (it would have to appeal to teens, meaning nothing too PBS). So far, I've found The First Knight and King Arthur (2004). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonesloonybin Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 :bigear: I too am looking for a movie about King Arthur. I have King Arthur (2004) and am waiting for First Knight. What about Excalibur? One of the moms recommended this but I am finding mixed reviews. Would this be appropiate for a co-ed class ages 10-17?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 I am conservative, so I would hold off on Excalibur -- the "begetting" of Arthur is shot almost like a brutal rape; more thematic than graphic, but Morgana (half sister to Arthur) seduces Arthur by pretending to be Guenivere and has son Mordred; in the shot in which Guenivere and Lancelot's adulterous betrayal of King Arthur is discovered they are shot laying side by side naked with no covering; and buckets o' blood in the finale fight scenes. Haven't seen the 2004 "King Arthur", but from the reviews and previews, it was a very Roman gladiator take on King Arthur -- Arthur as the last of the Roman rulers over Britannia. Lots of battle scenes, in which Keira Knightly participates as a sword-wielding Guenivere wearing very little other than an "Amazon" style bikini and tattooing. Haven't see "First Knight" either, but Richard Gere makes me shudder, he's such a wooden actor... What about: - "Knights of the Round Table" (1953) A straight up retelling of the King Arthur legends, new enough film to be in color, but old enough film not to have gratuitous sex/gore/blood. - "Camelot" (1967) Film version of the award winning broadway musical. Again, tells the traditional King Arthur story, but with singing. - "The Sword in the Stone" (1963) Animated version of the King Arthur's boyhood -- a retelling of the White's book "The Sword in the Stone." It's uneven in quality, but interesting because it tackles the King's boyhood, rather than his reign. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 My favorite by far is still Excalibur, but in a group setting it might not be appropriate. I would vote for Camelot. You still will have to deal with the adultery issue and of course "The lusty month of May" but it is more tame than Excalibur. ETA: Then there is always the classically silly Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kate in seattle Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 how many swallows does it take . . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaT Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 I like King Arthur and so does my 15yo son. His favorite is Monty Python, though. Go figure. I hear quotes from this one all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 The animated Sword in the Stone is fun. I like it evn as an adult. And it's taken from The Once and Future King, so that could tie in well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caitilin Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 I like King Arthur and so does my 15yo son. His favorite is Monty Python, though. Go figure. I hear quotes from this one all the time. :iagree: My college adviser, who was he ultimate king Arthur buff, says the best version truly is the Monty Python one. Go figure is right.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 I think I'd have to go with Monty Python too. I showed ds Camelot and Monty Python when he did King Arthur, and really didn't like anything about Camelot but the music. I had vague memories of liking it in high school, but it didn't live up to expectations. Monty Python is a bit of a spoof and everyone knows that, so the expectations are different. It's also very memorable - lots of great lines. Camelot was so 1970, ds was distracted from the story by the hair, costumes, etc. (and I really didn't like the burning at the stake scene.) For some reason, it seemed more of a "girly" movie - maybe because there was so much focus on the love triangle. It didn't inspire at all. We didn't even consider Excalibur. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calliope84 Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 I like the Mists of Avalon. It gives more power to the women. Though I am not too sure what age group it would be appropriate for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 (edited) That's a tough one! You definitely have some mature themes to deal with, especially in the last three sections of the book of The Once and Future King -- not graphic or sensually done, but it's up front that the adultery and continued longing of Lancelot and Guinevere for one another bring down Arthur's envisioned perfect kingdom of Camelot... And while I know there's not so much for girls in King Arthur mythology, I'd be very careful about Mists of Avalon (the book -- don't know anything about the film). A fairly explicit sex scene between Arthur and Morgana, mixed with Celtic pagan fertility rituals. And a much later scene in which Morgana expresses disgust at her (much older) husband's intimacies in favor of her younger lover, and ultimately she takes herbs to induce a miscarriage. Also, there is a lot of Wiccan practice throughout the entire book. As for the movies, I already expressed scenes to look out for in Excalibur. And while funny, there are some real crudities in Monty Python, including a man's bare bum, and later, the nuns who explicitly want to be "spanked" by the knights and then they want "oral s*x". I wonder if the 1972 Arthur of the Britons TV series was any good, or appropriate? BEST of luck in navigating through this tricky area! Warmest regards, Lori D. Edited April 9, 2011 by Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zee Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 (edited) Excalibur is my favorite, but I wouldn't show it to kids. I believe it is rated R. Lori listed some good reasons why. First Knight was pretty clean from my recollection (PG-13), but I think you'd have to be cautious with that movie, also. The movie is done in a way that draws you into Lancelot and Guinevere's longing for one another, and you can find yourself rooting for the climactic kiss. It easy to get carried away in the emotion of it, so I definitely would not show this to hormonal adolescents. When we studied King Arthur, I wanted to get a movie for my son that was "modern," but not too explicit. I ended up passing on them all. I think the adult themes in the story make for adult movies. We did find the book good for discussion and development of discernment. Edited April 10, 2011 by Zee spelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle My Bell Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 Not accurate to the legend, but a wonderful story nonetheless is the BBC TV show "Merlin" which you can see the first two seasons on Netflix or Hulu. LOVE IT!!! OH and I would say it is very good for kids as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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