Reel Middle Ages: American, Western and Eastern European, Middle Eastern and Asian Films about Medieval Europe Book

Those tales of old-King Arthur, Robin Hood, The Crusades, Marco Polo, Joan of Arc-have been told and retold, and the tradition of their telling has been gloriously upheld by filmmaking from its very inception. From the earliest of Georges Méliès's films in 1897, to a 1996 animated Hunchback of Notre Dame, film has offered not just fantasy but exploration of these roles so vital to the modern psyche. St. Joan has undergone the transition from peasant girl to self-assured saint, and Camelot has transcended the soundstage to evoke the Kennedys in the White House.

Here is the first comprehensive survey of over 900 cinematic depictions of the European Middle Ages-date of production, country of origin, director, production company, cast, and a synopsis and commentary. A bibliography, index, and over 100 stills complete this remarkable work.

Booknews

Harty (English, La Salle U.) surveys some 600 films with dates of production, country of origin, director, production company, and cast. He also provides a synopsis and commentary and includes 100-plus stills. The films range from the first of Georges Melies's several films about Joan of Arc in 1897 to Rob Cohen's Dragonheart, Sean McNamara's Galgameth, and Gary Trousdale's animated The Hunchback of Notre Dame--all released in 1996. Productions based directly on the plays of Shakespeare have been excluded. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.