Don't get me wrong, I loved the soundtrack it has some of my all time favorite songs, it just seemed kind of out of place in a medieval film.
"I really wish Gia and Claire had became Tanner" - Honeybeefine
It's fun? This is not exactly a realistic medieval film!
I think the idea was to get the feel of the excitement, the crowd rush, the popularity of the knights, like modern rock stars or sporting heroes. The whole thing is full of crazy anachronisms, of course, that's all part of the fun.
I nearly stopped the movie when Queen started playing in the first scene. Alright movie, horrendously out of place score
shareDo you guys have trouble with the concept of fun?
I think the intention was to give a feel for the excitement of the joust, the participation of the crowd, rooting for their favourites like a football crowd (insert sport of choice, if you're not from a footballing nation) . I didn't think the music was out of place at all, it went with all the other joyous anachronisms and jokes. You didn't think this was going to be a po-faced medieval drama, did you? Heheh.
What if one of the characters was a cartoon of Fred Flintstone and he had a cell phone and was also a Jedi? That is fun too right? You aren't against fun, are you?
shareThe reason for the soundtrack is to draw a parallel between the hero's group as rebels, of sorts, and the role rock played as a rebellious form of music.
shareI watched behind the scenes and they said they wanted to make it a modern medieval movie. Just to make people more interested :)
shareI used to think it was dumb to have modern tracks set in a medieval movie. First time I watched this I didn't like it at all because of the soundtrack. Then some 10 years later I watched it again and loved it. I realized the modern songs were put in there to make it more fun. Now I own a copy of the movie, go figure.
shareYes, it is fun, and that was the whole point!
Would viewers prefer a stereotypical orchestral soundtrack? That music would also be out of place, since it is really a product of the 18th-19th centuries, hundreds of years later than the setting of this movie.
The director had a great reason for using this music. You'll see it explained under trivia for this movie. The anachronistic feel of this movie is what makes it so entertaining. The clothes Jocelyn wears, the dance William and her do at the ball, are not at all what you would find when this movie is set.
This film is about as medieval as a Bill & Ted movie. The OP should have paid some interest in history class and he'd see the soundtrack is the least out of place thing in this movie...
Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived. -Isaac Asimov
The soundtrack is what made the film unique , and quite fun.
shareI've never actually watched this movie because of the soundtrack. I saw the trailer and I just thought the idea was moronically dumb, like something they would watch in the world of "Idiocracy". Why they made an anachronistic movie like this when they could have made a historically accurate movie about the fascinating middle ages is beyond me.
shareSo what kind of music would you have preferred in this movie? The typical "epic" orchestral soundtrack reminiscent of neo-classical music? Historically speaking, that would also be quite out of place, since it is really a product of the 18th-20th centuries, hundreds of years later than the setting of this movie.
shareLivingMCM said: "So what kind of music would you have preferred in this movie? The typical "epic" orchestral soundtrack reminiscent of neo-classical music? Historically speaking, that would also be quite out of place, since it is really a product of the 18th-20th centuries, hundreds of years later than the setting of this movie."
No. My idea for a perfect medieval movie soundtrack would be composed of music like these songs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJwiaMmnWXc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lw8nH6dQIo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=686y37AogEA
although there was silliness, jokes but also real stakes at times. I could see a knights tale being elevated if it was a more serious epic with a more realistic score. someone should do that. remove all the silly shit and recut it with a more appropriate score
shareThe whole joy of the movie is that it's a sports film set in medieval England with anachronistic fun. That's kinda the point.
shareohhh for sure. I could just see it being good either way. the way it was or told more seriously
shareSure, a commoner masquerading as a knight could be a great thriller/drama film, too.
shareI do wonder what the penalty would have been for impersonating a Knight in the middle-ages. Beheading maybe? Or perhaps some medieval torture then burned at the stake?
lol...
The score didn't bother me that much but the overall film is just okay. Paul Bettany was definitely the star of the show. His speeches were so good in this that it kinda made me forget about the poor script, weak casting and the fanciful feel of modern dance/music in a period piece.
AKT is far from being my favorite medieval movie but it has it's moments. However, in defense of using modern music in a period piece, I did like Moulin Rouge a lot. In fact, I would have to say it's better than AKT.
Penalty would be bad. I don't think they made "Oh, that's not too worrisome," punishments in the middle ages. No expert, but I'm guessing "death". It might depend on what exactly came of it, though.
Just to spitball... not having made any real political moves, spoiled any wars, or interrupted any lines of succession, the nobles probably wouldn't be too hurt by William's gambit. Some of them might be amused by him. He did have the bad guy knight who would push for harsh punishment, but he also had a literal prince in his corner.
Under those exact circumstances, whatever his condemnation, I'm guessing the Black Prince could slip him out of it.
I personally think the movie is better than okay, but that's my taste. I do enjoy Moulin Rouge, but I think I prefer A Knight's Tale. I don't find the script poor. I think it's following formula (it's a sports movie to a T), but how it goes about following formula is clever. By changing the setting and the context, it makes the stale feel fresh again, and it becomes fun to watch. The winking tone makes the whole thing fun. Although I think The Mummy is a better film, I'm tempted to draw a comparison in terms of being formulaic, yet charming with its humour and insofar as each film knows what it is and has no pretension.
The casting...mm...I don't see this as weak, either. I'll agree that Bettany is standout, but Alan Tudyk and Mark Addy are funny and endearing (particularly Tudyk). Ledger works as the romantic lead, although he isn't being challenged as much as he would be at the end of his career. I do think the lead actress wasn't great, and could have been cast better.
And I do believe the modern dance/music in the period piece was part of the point and the fun.
Fair enough, Ace.
I suppose on the surface, the script seems ridiculous if you consider that getting caught impersonating a Knight would probably result in death. But yeah, it's somewhat fun but a more serious approach would probably make for an interesting movie.
My favorite medieval film is still Excalibur, have you seen it? I think its a great film.
Lately I've been watching Game of Thrones for the first time. I've never seen an episode of Game of Thrones until last month and I've really enjoyed watching it. It's glorious in many ways, great characters and terrific storylines. Have you seen it? If so, what did you think of it?
I just started season 5. Depending on how things go from here on out, Game of Thrones could be my favorite show of all time, when all is said and done. It's good stuff...
I'd probably watch the serious version, depending on the trailer.
I have seen Excalibur, and it is a great film. I usually think of it as "fantasy" more than "medieval", but yeah, it certainly is medieval. If you're including other continents, I'd say my favourite medieval film is Seven Samurai, but if I am to confine myself to Europe, I'd be pulled more towards The Seventh Seal, or Kingdom of Heaven (the director's cut, anyway).
Valhalla Rising is a fascinating film set in the era (or a little before). It's kinda the "thinking man's swords and brutes movie".
And while it's almost purse fantasy, I really, really like Conan the Barbarian and think it's deeper than it receives credit for.
I haven't seen Game of Thrones, yet, but maybe some day. For TV series, I'd recommend The Last Kingdom, which is on Netflix, and Knightfall - about the last days of the Knights Templar. Neither are super-historically accurate, but they are both gripping dramas with plenty of bonks on the head.
Thanks for the recommendations, Ace. I think I will watch Valhalla Rising. Last Kingdom and Knightfall look pretty good too.
If I had to compare GoT to anything it would be Excalibur. There are some similarities between the two. However, the fantasy part of GoT takes a back-seat to the realistic stuff. So far, I would say like 95% is realistic then they throw in the fantasy stuff as kind of like an add-on. Of course, this could all change over the next 4 seasons (8 seasons total). I'm not sure.
Perhaps one of the best things about GoT is the dialogue, it's also kind of "thinky" in this regards. Here's the season 1 trailer...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YinJaXzgzqI
It really is a great show, at least, I think it is and I suppose I'm not alone on this. According to the internet, at one time, GoT was averaging 44 million viewers per season. For a cable show, that's quite impressive. One thing about GoT though, it is set in a made up world. Everything is fantasy in this regards. They even have GoT maps you can look at online. It's quite detailed too.
I've seen Kingdom Of Heaven, it's good. I liked it. My second favorite medieval/middle ages movie is Braveheart. I really like this one too...
In regards to Seventh Seal, Ingmar Bergman films just haven't impressed me that much so far, but I've only seen Through A Glass Darkly and Fanny And Alexander. Didn't really care that much for either film. Is the entire film just two guys playing chess? lol... hmmm...
I'm going to watch The Last Duel (staring Matt Damon and Adam Driver) sometime this month, it came out last year or whenever, it looks pretty good actually. I might post in here again to let you know if I thought it was good. Have you seen it yet?
Now I do remember seeing your post on the Conan board and also the Excalibur board.
I plan to watch GoT at some point. Part of my problem is that I'm a book person, too, and I'd prefer read the novels first, but it's a LOT of material to get through. But I'll get there some day.
Braveheart is a great film, yeah.
Haha. No, Seventh Seal isn't just a chess game. If Bergman isn't your bag, that's cool. I tend to go for that kinda arty stuff, but I know it's not everybody's cup o' tea. It is a very dark, sombre film, and slow-paced, and I get why it wouldn't be for all.
I thought about going to see The Last Duel, but I have to be choosy about my theatregoing these days, so I wound up staying home, but making a note to watch it when I could. I haven't seen it yet, but as with GoT, I plan to. I'll probably get to this one quicker, though, since there aren't five thick novels between me and it.
True about GoT. It's a lot to absorb. If I had one complaint about it, it's the fact that it has too many story-lines in it but thankfully, they're all interesting. But it is a little hard to follow in the beginning.
I don't mind the artsy stuff as long as its still intriguing. So far, for me at least, Bergman has fallen short in this regards. I think I will watch SS eventually though. I am going to watch Wild Strawberries sometime this month since it's on HBO, and so is Seventh Seal. HBO has quite a few Bergman films.
And I recently signed up for HBOMAX to watch a few movies I was interested in. Last Duel is on this app too, otherwise, I probably wouldn't have made any effort to watch it. lol..
Adam Driver is a mixed bag for me. He's alright I guess... I did like him in that film called Tracks. It's a true story about a woman that walks across the Australian desert by herself. Driver plays a National Geographic photographer that follows this woman. It's similar to that Reese Witherspoon movie, Wild. However, I think Tracks is a better movie.
And GoT is also on HBO... I'm going to sign up for Netflix sometime this year to watch some of the movies I want to see and I will most likely check out your recs at that time.
Ace,
I watched The Last Duel. I thought it was a good movie. I didn't like it as much as Excalibur or Game of Thrones but I do think it is better than AKT.
For the most part, it's based on a true story surrounding a legal case that takes place in the middle ages. It's not about big battle scenes and whatnot, but it has a few battle scenes but they're not big and epic, more like bits and pieces of large scale battles.
But still an interesting story...
I wrote a really short review of it (with no spoilers) on the Last Duel board. Here's the link..
https://moviechat.org/tt4244994/The-Last-Duel/61f2baecd0dfbf5131c2a05f/The-74-Imdb-rating-is-a-joke
It's a pretty long film though, about 2.5 hours, but let me know if you decide to watch it. At the end of my review I said I was going to check out Henry V next but I decided against it, because it's more like play rather than a movie.
Thanks for the review - great spoiler avoidance - I'll check it out sometime!
shareI just noticed that I made a mistake on Henry V.
There's two versions of this movie, one was released in 1944 and one that is an actual movie that was released in 1989. The '44 version was the one I watched and had to turn it off after 20 mins or so, it's laughable at best.
I'm going to check out the '89 version soon, it's free on TubiTV and PlutoTV right now. Guess I'll just have to live with the ads. lol...
Anyhow, just wanted to clarify this.
Really? I looked it up and the '44 has Olivier in it. I've never seen him bunk up Shakespeare.
Thanks for the clarification!
LO was a great actor and I might have to watch both versions just to compare but the first 20 mins of '44 looks a little silly. In fact, at the very beginning of '44, they show a panoramic view of London during the middle ages and you can tell it's just a model, I was waiting for a Lionel train to pass by. It looks that bad.
Now, I know movie sets have come a long way since then but really, it just looks cheap.
And then it proceeds to a stage presentation, as if a play is going on rather than a movie. But after watching the '44 trailer, it looks like they finally get away from this and move into something that appears to be a movie.
So, idk... maybe it's not that bad. '89 versions looks a little more polished judging by the trailer.