The Medieval Hero on Screen: Representations from Beowulf to Buffy

by Martha W. Driver, Sid Ray (Editor), Jonathan Rosenbaum (Foreword)

Few figures have captured Hollywood's and the public's imagination as completely as have medieval heroes. Cast as chivalric knight, warrior princess, "alpha male in tights," or an amalgamation, and as likely to appear in Hong Kong action flicks and spaghetti westerns as films set in the Middle Ages, the medieval hero on film serves many purposes. This collection of essays about the medieval hero on screen, contributed by scholars from a variety of disciplines, draws upon a wide range of movies and medieval texts. The essays are grouped into five sections, each with an introduction by the an exploration of historic authenticity; heroic children and the lessons they convey to young viewers; medieval female heroes; the place of the hero's weapon in pop culture; and teaching the medieval movie in the classroom. Thirty-two film stills illustrate the work, and each essay includes notes, a filmography, and a bibliography. There is a foreword by Jonathan Rosenbaum, and an index is included. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may .

Genres: Nonfiction, Medieval

268 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Amy Perry]

Cannot believe I'm reading about Lord of the Rings and Torchwood for my dissertation!

[Melora · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was disappointing. Some of the essays were pretty good, but the collection was not what I expected it to be. What I expected was a series of essays comparing medieval ideas about heroes and heroism, as depicted in various works of medieval literature, with modern views of heroism as presented in movies set in the medieval period. That seemed like an intriguing topic. That's mostly not what this is. The Preface was very promising, suggesting just the collection I was hoping for, and the next piece, “Heroism and Alienation”, on the languages in Lord of the Rings, was interesting, if not at all related to the Medieval Hero. The next essay, “Authenticating Realism” should have been good, but instead went in circles, promising much but never really saying anything. Things went downhill from there. The piece on Shirley Temple was only tangentially related to the middle ages; the one on Star Wars and E.T. fixated on the ways these movies promoted the oppression of women; and the next one, “Girls on Film” focused on modern issues relating to virginity and the politics of “abstinence only” programs. This last essay was the most bizarre in the collection. “Not Your Typical Knight” was closer to what I had in mind, discussing Shrek and Buffy the Vampire Slayer as heroes, but unfortunately it devolved into a plot summary of Buffy (which I haven't seen, but maybe I'll give it a look now!). “The Hagiography of Steel” was mildly interesting, and really did compare medieval and modern ways of ways of viewing the hero's weapon. The rest were just a dull blurr. As I said, disappointing.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

A couple essays in here were excellent. But many of them seemed to have no business in this collection. Thus as a whole it was merely okay and I would recommend finding it at a library instead of purchasing it...

[Heather Domin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't get to read all the essays before I had to turn it in, but the ones I read were interesting, scholarly, and well-written with an eye toward entertainment. Will check this out again in the future.

[Jacqueline]

Het hoofdstuk over de talen van Tolkien is interessant!