15 great films set at the Middle Ages
by f. baez | created - 03 Mar 2017 | updated - 23 Jul 2020 | PublicHistorical Middle Ages. This means not Fantasy Middle Ages, not Tudor England, not Edo Japan, not Peplum films.
In other words, Europe 450-1450; Japan 1100-1600.
Of course it does not include several great films I have not seen.
- Instant Watch Options
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. The Seventh Seal (1957)
Not Rated | 96 min | Drama, Fantasy
A knight returning to Sweden after the Crusades seeks answers about life, death, and the existence of God as he plays chess against the Grim Reaper during the Black Plague.
Director: Ingmar Bergman | Stars: Max von Sydow, Gunnar Björnstrand, Bengt Ekerot, Nils Poppe
Votes: 198,511
A knight, Death, the Plague, philosophical meandering, Ingmar Bergman. How more Medieval can you get?
2. The Return of Martin Guerre (1982)
Not Rated | 112 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
In medieval France, some villagers challenge a man's claim of identity when he (as he says) returns home from some time in the army.
Director: Daniel Vigne | Stars: Gérard Depardieu, Nathalie Baye, Maurice Barrier, Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu
Votes: 4,824 | Gross: $0.02M
A tale of love, deception, sacrifice and the importance of the village life. Whoever thought a remake set in XIX USA was a good idea was boujnd for failure..
3. Ivan the Terrible, Part I (1944)
Not Rated | 95 min | Biography, Drama, History
During the early part of his reign, Ivan the Terrible faces betrayal from the aristocracy and even his closest friends as he seeks to unite the Russian people.
Director: Sergei Eisenstein | Stars: Nikolay Cherkasov, Lyudmila Tselikovskaya, Serafima Birman, Mikhail Nazvanov
Votes: 10,865
The end of an era, and the beginning of another one, masterfully told by Eisenstein. I'd include Ivan Groznyy II (1958) as a second part of a long film.
4. Witchhammer (1970)
107 min | Drama, History, Horror
In the 1600s, an overzealous clergy hauls innocent women in front of tribunals, forces them to confess to imaginary witchery, and engages in brutal torture and persecution of their subjects.
Director: Otakar Vávra | Stars: Vladimír Smeral, Elo Romancik, Josef Kemr, Sona Valentová
Votes: 2,839
A gripping tale of how, with very Medieval methods of terror, a new ruling class can take power. Also, a brave allegory of Stalinism in occupied Czechoslovakia.
5. Andrei Rublev (1966)
R | 189 min | Biography, Drama, History
The life, times and afflictions of the fifteenth-century Russian iconographer St. Andrei Rublev.
Director: Andrei Tarkovsky | Stars: Anatoliy Solonitsyn, Ivan Lapikov, Nikolay Grinko, Nikolay Sergeev
Votes: 57,068 | Gross: $0.10M
God and pain and redemption in an incredible tour de force, set in early XV Century Russia.
6. Ran (1985)
R | 160 min | Action, Drama, War
In Medieval Japan, an elderly warlord retires, handing over his empire to his three sons. However, he vastly underestimates how the new-found power will corrupt them and cause them to turn on each other...and him.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu, Daisuke Ryû
Votes: 136,238 | Gross: $4.14M
The darkest King Lear, set in medieval Japan. The ending scene is the most hopeless one ever put on film.
7. The Canterbury Tales (1972)
NC-17 | 111 min | Comedy, Drama, History
Pasolini's artistic, sometimes violent, always vividly cinematic retelling of some of Chaucer's most erotic tales.
Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini | Stars: Hugh Griffith, Laura Betti, Ninetto Davoli, Franco Citti
Votes: 8,231
Passolini as Chaucer. Fun to watch Middle Ages. Yes, people strived for life, sex, fun. They were vulgar, and shrewd, and naive.
8. Robin and Marian (1976)
PG | 106 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance
Robin Hood, aging none too gracefully, returns exhausted from the Crusades to woo and win Maid Marian one last time.
Director: Richard Lester | Stars: Sean Connery, Audrey Hepburn, Robert Shaw, Richard Harris
Votes: 13,977 | Gross: $8.72M
Love trascends all ages. We gotta agree on that. Great acting, also.
9. Chinmoku (1971)
129 min | Drama, History
Two Jesuit priests encounter persecution when they travel to Japan in the 17th century to spread Christianity and to locate their mentor.
Director: Masahiro Shinoda | Stars: David Lampson, Don Kenny, Tetsurô Tanba, Mako
Votes: 1,183
A political, religious and existential drama unveils in XVI Century Japan. Another unforgettable ending (I saw the film 45 years ago, and haven't seen the Scorsese remake).
10. Alexander Nevsky (1938)
Not Rated | 112 min | Action, Biography, Drama
The story of how a great Russian prince led a ragtag army to battle an invading force of Teutonic Knights.
Directors: Sergei Eisenstein, Dmitriy Vasilev | Stars: Nikolay Cherkasov, Nikolai Okhlopkov, Andrei Abrikosov, Dmitriy Orlov
Votes: 12,262
The Battle in the Ice. That must be the best battle sequence ever filmed. Not to speak about the political power of the film.
11. Timeline (2003)
PG-13 | 116 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A group of archaeologists get embroiled in an adventure where they must travel back in time to 14th Century France, to save their professor before the French battle the English at Castlegard. If they fail, they won't be able to return.
Director: Richard Donner | Stars: Paul Walker, Gerard Butler, Billy Connolly, Frances O'Connor
Votes: 65,892 | Gross: $19.48M
An underrated movie, in my opinion. The dream of a historian becomes a nightmare... or truly a dream come true. There is actually good historical research behind this film.
12. The Hidden Fortress (1958)
Not Rated | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Lured by gold, two greedy peasants unknowingly escort a princess and her general across enemy lines.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Misa Uehara, Minoru Chiaki, Kamatari Fujiwara
Votes: 42,256
Much, much more that the inspiration for the R2D2 and C3PO characters.
13. Braveheart (1995)
R | 178 min | Biography, Drama, War
Scottish warrior William Wallace leads his countrymen in a rebellion to free his homeland from the tyranny of King Edward I of England.
Director: Mel Gibson | Stars: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan, Angus Macfadyen
Votes: 1,091,612 | Gross: $75.60M
A good and honest action film.
14. The Lion in Winter (1968)
PG | 134 min | Biography, Drama, History
1183 A.D.: King Henry II's three sons all want to inherit the throne, but he won't commit to a choice. When he allows his imprisoned wife Eleanor of Aquitaine out for a Christmas visit, they all variously plot to force him into a decision.
Director: Anthony Harvey | Stars: Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins, John Castle
Votes: 34,223 | Gross: $22.28M
Very medieval court politics in XII Century England. Great performances all around.
15. A Knight's Tale (2001)
PG-13 | 132 min | Action, Adventure, Romance
After his master dies, a peasant squire, fueled by his desire for food and glory, creates a new identity for himself as a knight.
Director: Brian Helgeland | Stars: Heath Ledger, Mark Addy, Rufus Sewell, Shannyn Sossamon
Votes: 201,794 | Gross: $56.57M
OK, the film starts with Queen, the music group, and it doesn't even pretend to be historically accurate. But it works, with some Medieval charm and way of seeing things included.
Tell Your Friends