Epic Sword/Medieval Movie List

[Sir Brian]

Ivanhoe...a childhood favorite of mine...it wasn't until I saw it recently that I realized their helms were more football-inspired than I'd originally thought.

I know what you mean.  The A&E version that came out about ten years ago was really good.  Probably my favorite version of the tale.

I have the 1982 version on DVD, which is probably my favorite version. It was surprisingly accurate with the armor and helms which was actually one of the primary inspirations for developing the crest on my great helm. This version also was loaded with some potent stars of the past and future.  James Mason, Sam Neil, Olivia Hussey and John Rhys-Davies. The sword fighting was a bit weak as was the siege but still a great remake. 
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084157/

[Sir William]

Sir Brian, that's the one I saw first, the '82 version.  Did you notice that their coifs (and generally speaking, their mail) were shiny cloth rather than steel?

[Sir Brian]

Well of course it was cloth or "Hollywood Maille" as I like to think of it, which isn’t really all that bad IMO since we can't expect actors to spend 12 + hours in armor. I hardly hold it against Hollywood for what they actually make the maille out of as long as it is cut and worn appropriately for the time period they are going for and not embellished with fantasy or blatant out of period pieces like paulderons during the late 12th century. BTW, the vendor at the MDRF that made John's Raven helm has a nice harness of Knitted Maille that looks excellent from 5 feet away. 

The LOTR movies was one of the first I believe to use actual PVC maille which was certainly a step up, although the one scene during the Two Towers at the siege of Helms Deep the maille that Gimli put on certainly made a good solid metallic thump sound when he dropped it so maybe that was a prop just for that scene. 

[Sir Edward]

Well of course it was cloth or "Hollywood Maille" as I like to think of it, which isn’t really all that bad IMO since we can’t expect actors to spend 12 + hours in armor. BTW, the vendor at the MDRF that made John’s Raven helm has a nice harness of Knitted Maille that looks excellent from 5 feet away.  

Oh yeah, Chuck from Highland Anvil. He does have a set of that, I had nearly forgotten. That's true, it's hard to imagine a long filming shoot where you'd have to be in armor for 12 to 16 hours at a time, for weeks.

The LOTR movies was one of the first I believe to use actual PVC maille which was certainly a step up, although the one scene during the Two Towers at the siege of Helms Deep the maille that Gimli put on certainly made a good solid metallic thump sound when he dropped it so maybe that was a prop just for that scene.  

I don't think you can trust the sounds at all. Most of them are edited in. It's amazing to see what lengths go to for the "foley" sounds, where they create custom sounds just for characters walking and so forth that are so subtle you're not consciously aware of them when you're watching the film. But without them, the scene would seem fake. Sounds like the rustling of clothes, rubbing up against furniture, footsteps, and so on. All faked.

[Sir William]

I suppose...I usually rail at others who look for historicity in a Hollywood project so I should keep that in mind.  Still...in LOTR it looked good and you're right, it sounded exactly like a heavy hauberk hitting the ground.  Sir Edward does make a point tho- they can dub in anything and make it seem like it belonged.

But if I ever had the pleasure of being in a movie, I think I'd opt for real armor.  It is stated in the LOTR production notes that Viggo (Aragorn) actually went out into the woods and slept in his armor and gear, so he could get used to the feel of it.  I'd do just that. 

[Sir Edward]

But if I ever had the pleasure of being in a movie, I think I'd opt for real armor.  It is stated in the LOTR production notes that Viggo (Aragorn) actually went out into the woods and slept in his armor and gear, so he could get used to the feel of it.  I'd do just that. 

Wow, if that's true, he just earned a lot of respect from me.

[Sir William]

But if I ever had the pleasure of being in a movie, I think I'd opt for real armor.  It is stated in the LOTR production notes that Viggo (Aragorn) actually went out into the woods and slept in his armor and gear, so he could get used to the feel of it.  I'd do just that. 

Wow, if that's true, he just earned a lot of respect from me.

Oh yea.  http://www.viggo-works.com/index.php?page=112

I like that a lot.

[Sir Brian]

It is stated in the LOTR production notes that Viggo (Aragorn) actually went out into the woods and slept in his armor and gear, so he could get used to the feel of it.  I'd do just that. 

This part of your post reminds me of the time at MDRF during the 2009 season when a patron informed me that he and his kids had started playing D&D and they wanted to know if I could sleep in my armor. I got a chuckle out of their look of surprise when I replied with an emphatic “yes” and assured them that I had on more than one occasion slept in my armor at the renfaire, sure they were only catnaps but I could have easily slept longer. I explained further that if you are tired enough you can pretty much sleep in some of the most appalling conditions as numerous members of our military can substantiate! ~ I love it when I can contribute to the busting of a myth! 

[Sir William]

I can attest to that (being able to sleep despite less than stellar conditions) - and I do intend to sleep in my armor; if I ever make it to PENNSIC that's exactly what'll happen.  Most likely...it'd be easier than changing clothes, no?  Might not be the most appealing in terms of personal aroma but hey, if they could ignore it for months (in some cases years) at a time, I can ignore it for a few days, right?  lol

[Sir Edward]

and I do intend to sleep in my armor; if I ever make it to PENNSIC that's exactly what'll happen.  Most likely...it'd be easier than changing clothes, no?  Might not be the most appealing in terms of personal aroma but hey, if they could ignore it for months (in some cases years) at a time, I can ignore it for a few days, right?  lol

There's always the opportunity to go to any one of many late-night parties and drink yourself into passing out. I doubt it would be the first time someone did that in armor there.

[Sir William]

It would be for me!  LOL  I haven't drank like that in...wow, I don't even want to say!  I didn't know there were that many late-night parties where people wore armor...you're gonna have to tell me more about that, Sir Edward. 

[Sir Edward]

To be fair, most of the Pennsic folks don't wear their armor outside of the actual combat events. SCAdians wear some pretty heavy stuff for the rattan combat, so it's not entirely practical to treat it as garb off the field. That and the fact that a lot of the armor is meant to be functional but not pretty. It's actually amusing to see one of their processions/parades down the streets, with all of the heraldry and pageantry, but half the armor looks like it's made out of propane canisters.

[Sir Patrick]

The armour is to keep you from injuring yourself when you pass out!

[Sir Edward]

It's actually amusing to see one of their processions/parades down the streets, with all of the heraldry and pageantry, but half the armor looks like it's made out of propane canisters.

I'm being a little harsh, of course, but you do see a wide spectrum.

I have a lot of pennsic photos in these two galleries:

http://ed.toton.org/cgi-bin/gallery.pl?g=2006.pennsic
http://ed.toton.org/cgi-bin/gallery.pl?g=2008.pennsic

   

[Sir William]

Y'know, in imagining what a field army would look like after months on campaign- it might not look much better than this.  My experience has been that armor is great, but hardly indestructible and things like straps and rivets tend to break and pop so if you're not a blacksmith and may not have the funds to pay one for repairs, you cobble together what you can.  Not to mention the dirt- except for the incongruous presence of automobiles, this could easily have passed for such an event.  Looks like a lot of fun!