I’ve been on a bit of a 12th-century kick lately, mainly because it’s one of those eras that is just jam-packed with interesting characters and history. When a friend of mine asked me to list my favorite films set in the 12th century, I had no problem coming up with a Top 5 list that anyone and everyone should check out!
The Lion in Winter (1968)
You haven’t been paying attention to this blog if you haven’t noticed by now what huge fangirls we are of this film. I swear, one of these days I will get around to watching the remake with Glenn Close and Patrick Stewart, but the OG Lion in Winter always lures me back every time I set my mind to watching the newer version. How can you argue with a cast like this? Katharine Hepburn is magnetic as Eleanor of Aquitaine and is the glue that holds back the entire ensemble from just rampant scene chewing. She is the GOAT and I will die on that hill.
Pillars of the Earth (2010)
I had a pretty fraught relationship with the source material for this series, the novel of the same name by Ken Follet. That said, I thought the miniseries improved on the novel considerably, even if there were some highly questionable costuming choices. This is one of those shows where I want to recommend watching it for the performances and try to tune out the weirdness with the clothes. Still, it’s one of my favorites for the 12th century, and I think it’s well worth a watch for anyone looking for a shortcut way of understanding the political upheaval in England during The Great Anarchy.
Cadfael (1994-98)
O, Brother, where art thou? My one true 12th-century crush is Brother Cadfael (Derek Jacobi). Honestly, if I could just go live in his shed and play with herbs all day, I’d die happy. Set during the reign of King Stephen, following the events of The Great Anarchy, Cadfael solves murders in and around his remote abbey in Shrewsbury, on the border of Wales and England, with his sidekick Sheriff Hugh Beringar (played by Sean Pertwee, Eoin McCarthy, and Anthony Green, respectively and with no comment on why there’s a different actor almost every season — ah, the vicissitudes of the BBC!).
Becket (1964)
Peter O’Toole as Henry II and Richard Burton as Thomas Becket… What could go wrong? Well, if you know the history, A LOT. But the film is a great exploration of the deep friendship between the two men, souring as their respective duties put them into direct opposition with one another, ultimately leading to tragedy.
Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
The only film I have yet to review… one of the biggest issues with this film is that the theatrical release cuts out a bunch of critical narrative and exposition, rendering the movie a kind of incomprehensible and confusing mess. If you’re going to watch it, grab the Director’s Cut. Either cut of the film is gorgeous, but the Director’s Cut actually develops the character of Sybilla (Eva Green) from a bog standard stand-in for Pretty Princess Who Needs Rescuing, to someone with quite a bit of grit and determination. Sybilla was a badass in real life, mind you, so the hack job that the theatrical release did with her character is the real tragedy.
Have you seen these films? Which one is your favorite? Tell us in the comments!
I’ve been trying to rewatch Kingdom of Heaven
Some great viewing from the 12th c!
I fell in love with The Lion in Winter when I was still at school, and love it still. “Every family has its ups and downs.”
Glad I’m not the only one who has a mad crush on Cadfael. :)
Oh, god, yes. The series isn’t up to the books but I, too, would like to follow Derek Jacobi around. (Am writing from Winchester, the prettiest small city in southern England, and a very Cadfaelish place.)
One of my great solaces during the deep COVID lockdown was finding about half of the Cadfael books in a Little Free Library down the street. I loved loved loved the TV series growing up!
I loved The Lion in Winter. I was not expecting much when I came across it while surfing the tv in the olden days before streaming.
PT had to really persuade KH to take the role. She was in mourning from the death of Spencer Tracy.
Adding more Eva Green to a film and giving her more to do is seldom a bad idea, except for any wispy lesser thespians she may proceed to act offscreen.
On an unrelated note, I’m very fond of Brother Cadfael myself and will only quibble with your remarks to note that his television adventures were filmed by ITV rather than the BBC.
I find Becket unwatchable. Burton is morose, as so often, but O’Toole is unbearably shouty. Needed a stronger director.
Viewed it last year after 30 years, and I agree: Henry II was an energetic, capable man, not this spoiled brat. (The film’s version of Eleanor is also ridiculous.)
“The Lion in Winter”. I will join you on that hill. I did watch Glenn Close and Patrick Stewart but ended up putting on the original and comparing the two………….Katharine and Peter won
Never try to remake Lion in Winter after Hepburn and O’Toole. If I could only have one DVD in my library, this would be it. An absolute masterclass in acting from all the major players.
Team Pertwee!!!
Ah, Cadfael, ever since it first aired. Derek Jacobi is just bliss..and really nails the character from the books which I read after being introduced to the series through the TV adaptation
Yet, watching any other actor than Sean Pertwee as Hugh Beringar just pains me, and I stopped trying.
Pertwee and Jacoby had chemistry together, both very alert and astute, as people as well as in their roles. Such joy. Both have presence.
Did I develope an actor crush on Pertwee?😂😇 You bet! I just love his intensity.
And I, too, for the longest time have wondered why break up this winning actor match…until I came across an obscure Pertwee interview in which he explained that he caught some bug (bacteria or so) in the murky waters they were always traipsing through and it took him a while to recover but not in time for series 2 shoting to begin. BBC wouldn’t wait, so he got replaced.
Mistake.
I’m surprised you liked the pillars of the earth series if you also like the book. I love the book and really struggled with the series. I cut all the bits I loved to do with cathedral building and added in all the royal court stuff instead. I wouldn’t mind that in another film but I didn’t feel this was the place for it.