Historically Accurate or Highly Romanticized? Ironclad (2011)

The 2011 film, ironclad (meaning covered, or protected with iron), takes place in the early thirteenth century after the writing of the Magna Carta, which limits the power of the king and grants rights to the freemen under the king. This film is based off of a battle that took place after King John signed Magna Carta. The film shows that John felt forced to agree with the ideas in Magna Carta and wanted to revoke his "signature", which is the beginning of a plethora or gruesome scene after gruesome scene which seem to play out very close to one another almost like you're playing a very bloody video game.

While the idea of this movie is historically accurate, there are many aspects of the film that seemed to be out of place completely or slightly off. The battle that took place in order to protect Rochester Castle did in fact happen, however nearly everything portrayed in this film was incredibly romanticized, but how can you blame it? The film initially plays very heavy on the dirty, miserable peasant. It depicts many of them in a castle square, huddled up against a wall, shivering and soaking wet, covered in mud and filth. Obviously, from what we have learned about myths of the middle ages, hygiene was much more commonly practiced than typically thought and the common depiction of the dirty commoner is relatively inaccurate. Next, we had the representation of weaponry and armor. This seemed to be much more accurate, but there aren't typically any myths associated with this subject mostly because we have many artifacts to base our knowledge of medieval warfare off of. Knights and warriors wielded swords, halberds, bow and arrow, crossbow, shields, and wore armor we have discussed often in class like chain-mail hauberk.

Now on to some historical inaccuracies. After doing some research, the siege of Rochester Castle ended in a surrender by the rebels on November 30th, 1215, and only 6 months later did any backup come to aid the rebels in the form of Prince Louis. In the film, at the last second before the death of the last few rebels did Prince Louis swoop in and save the day, making the film much more exciting and suspenseful. Nobody likes a sad ending! Another bizarre factor of this movie was the random and pretty shallow romance. Within the few days this movie takes place, a Knights Templar who has broken his vow of silence in order to avenge his fallen abbot has also fallen in love with a woman named Isabel. There was basically no plot to the romantic aspect of this movie and it felt weird and forced, especially for the middle ages. Much of this movie, however, does feel very forced, or at least poorly supported by a thin plot. Yes it is loosely based on the siege of Rochester Castle but mainly the entire movie is fight scene after fight scene where blood spurts out of peoples bodies like a garden hose.

The movie Ironclad (2011) is yet another mediocre action movie loosely based on a historical event in the early thirteenth century and takes the love-making scenes more serious than the plot, and the fight scenes to a new level of gruesome. Many of the scenes depict common medieval myths discussed in class like the dirty, miserable peasant and very dark and colorless tone of the movie. I would not recommend this film as a means of learning historical events nor would I recommend this film as a good action movie unless you're willing to chalk up the $3.99 that YouTube asks of you to view this bloodbath of a movie.

Sources: Tunzelmann, Alex von. “Ironclad's Historical Credentials Are Made of Mulch.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 12 Apr. 2012, https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/apr/12/ironclad-credentials-mulch.

Ironclad:

Ironclad, a 2011 movie directed by Jonathan English is a Medieval film set in 1215 CE England.  The film, saturated with classic medieval violence and grime, is full of historical accuracies.  The key event sparking the Ironclad story is the signing of the Magna Carta by the oppressive King John in 1215, establishing that he was to give the people of England their deserved freedom.  From this historical account, the film takes off.  King John returns to his oppressive ways, seeking to take back his reign over Southern Europe.  The main character, Thomas Marshall, a Knights Templar and former crusader, along with the Baron d'Aubigny assemble a group of warriors with the aid of the Archbishop of Langston in order to resist King John's push.  Through this plot Ironclad attempts to create a medieval atmosphere of violence, violence, and historical events and traditions.

This film represents the Middle Ages through many historical references.  The first being the Magna Carta, which in the beginning of the movie sets the context for the film.  Magna Carta, meaning "Great Charter" was created in 1215 CE by the English barons who revolted and defeated against him.  Historian Judith Bennett describes the document stating that the "Magna Carta sought to keep the king within the bounds of popular and feudal custom" (Bennett 254).  King John, as detailed in the film, went on to challenge this document.  Beyond King John and the Magna Carta, this film also represents the Medieval Times through the Knights Templar, portraying the God-fearing main character as dedicated, yet conflicted.  Finally, Ironclad portrays the Lord society of the Middle Ages, as at the Castle of Rochester the local Lord has leadership over the peasant society living there.

Like nearly all Medieval films, Ironclad is a mixture of historical accuracy and social misrepresentation through the implementation of present day stereotypes.  The film accurately portrays the links between the relationship between King John, the English citizens, and conflict at the time, as well as making historical connections between the Knights Templar and the Crusades.  However, there is various common misconceptions throughout the film.  One would be the dark and "brown" settings, portraying the Medieval world as disease ridden and rotten. In 1215, when this film takes place, the Middle Ages were actually going through their greatest time period of innovation as the 12th Century Renaissance was blooming.  Another stereotype was that of the Rochester Castle setting, in which a greedy Lord ruled, however all the citizens were peasants in the midst of no farm land nor merchant trade.  By 1215, England was deeply ingrained in agriculture with new inventions like the heavy plow and horse collar, however the estate in Ironclad had no resources, and even demonstrated a food shortage, which would have been very unlikely for the time.  Despite these few inaccuracies the film is overall impressive in its representation of historical context and battle, including an array of medieval weapons, armor, and chivalry.

King John as depicted in Ironclad

The only historical inaccuracies observed in the film was King John's relationship with the papacy and the King John's views on the divine right.  In Ironclad, King John claims to have the support of the Pope, however Mark Cartwright of Ancient History Encyclopedia states that "the Pope ordered the closure of all churches in England and excommunicated John in 1209 CE" (Cartwright).  King John also decrees the "divine right" in this film, however the idea that the King was to rule because it was meant to be from God did not emerge until several centuries after the Middle Ages.  Despite this, the majority of the film accurately depicts history through a violently entertaining illustration.  Ironclad features many battle scenes filled with action and gore, demonstrating Medieval battle tactics and weaponry.  In this "David vs. Goliath" film the small ragtag revolution group sets the tone for a King against the people storyline.  Ironclad creates the common Medieval story of the people taking a stand against oppression.

Ironclad (2011) presents a story of oppression, revolt, and even romance involving a conflicted Templar.  Through this film a story is observable that brings historical context and popular culture to a fusion.  As one can get caught up in the seemingly endless action and battle, Ironclad presents a respectable Medieval portrayal that both entertains and teaches.

Sources:
Cartwright, Mark. Magna Carta. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 20 November 2018, https://www.ancient.eu/Magna_Carta/.
Bennett, Judith M.  Medieval Europe: A Short History.  New York, McGraw Hill, 2011.
Ironclad. Directed by Jonathan English, Warner Brothers and ARC Entertainment, 2011.

Robin Hood (2010) Film Review

Robin Hood (2010) Film Review

The story of Robin Hood is about an outlaw who steals from the rich and gives to the poor. More than just a common thief, Robin Hood was a fighter, lover, and nobleman. Robin of Lockstride fought in the third crusade in France. During which, King Richard the Lionhearted was struck by a fatal arrow. When trying to return to England, he discovered a plot against England. England was to be invaded by France and King Phillip. When he uncovered this plot, he promised a knight that he would return the sword to his father in Nottingham. Once he returned, he went to Nottingham to give back the sword. However, upon his return he spoke to the Lord. The Lord agreed that he would remain with the family, but he had to take another's name. He was married to Lady Marion. This is where the famous stories of Robin Hood begin.

The film is set in 1199, just after the Third Crusade. The film does a good job of representing the time period. During the film there are a few solid examples that relate to the Middle Ages. One theme that I noticed was how they used hygiene and cleansing. Relating to the medieval time period, baths were not an everyday chore and they were not accessible by everyone. Throughout the movie you can see that they weren't either. The only way they washed was by dipping their hands in a small bowl of water and rinsing it over their faces. Another example of how the movie represented the time period well was the armor and weapons that the knights used. The knights used chain mail and steal armor. Their armor was also accompanied by swords, crossbows, or bows and arrows, which was appropriate for the time period.

The main story line of the movie was regarding the sword that needed to be returned to Nottingham. The sword’s return was requested by the knight just before his death. The sword was a relic of the family and it needed to be returned to his father. This plot represents the Middle Ages well because swords were important, and this one was clearly a relic because of the engravings and whom it belonged to. Another story line dealt with King John. When King John was in charge, he wanted to make sure he knew everyone's business, how much each person was worth, and details of their lives. This was all factual, it was an example of the Domesday book that King William created in 1086 after his invasion.

However, there was one way I thought the movie didn't present the truth well. This was when King Richard the Lionhearted died. In real life he was struck by an arrow in the shoulder that killed him. It took four days for him to die and it was thought that the arrow may have been poisoned. But in the movie, when he was struck by the arrow, the arrow hit his neck and he died at the scene. The other inaccuracy that stood out to me was how the peasants were represented. They were always seen as dirty and poor. When in fact, most did have some money and quite often good living conditions.

Overall, I thought the movie was interesting. The movie did a fair job representing Robin Hood and much of England in the Medieval time period. It of course had some fantasy aspects, as Robin Hood or anyone will not be that good. Besides that, it had nothing that stood out us completely unrealistic to me. However I do think this movie is not the best for class. The movie focuses more on the story line rather than the story of Robin Hood.

Becket

Becket

The movie becket is an academy award winning film directed in 1964 by Peter Glenville. This award-winning film is based on the popular 1959 play. Becket takes place in England. The main characters are Thomas Becket and the King of England, King Henry. The movie takes place in England around the 12th Century. A big theme in this movie is religion. Religion is used all throughout the movie as it describes Beckets love for God. This movie displays an accurate representation of religion in medieval Europe. 

Since Religion is common, many of the scenes take place in cathedrals. After learning about gothic architecture, the movie accurately displayed cathedrals from the 12th century. You could see how large and tall some of the cathedrals were in this movie. This movie also shows how the voices in the cathedrals echoed because they were so large. These are a few was the movie portrayed the cathedral in the movie accurately. However, this is not the only characteristic of religion that has been accurately portrayed in the movie.

As I mentioned before, religion is a big theme in this movie and how it is represented is an important part of this story. In this movie Thomas Becket becomes a monk because he feels that he needs to serve god over the king. During this time in the movie Becket takes his new role as a monk very seriously because he accepts the seal of the monks as well as gives all of his belongings to the poor. This part of the movie is accurately represented because he lives the life of a poor man to devote all of his time and belongings to god. Thomas Becket makes his devotion to god clear when he insists that the friends of king henry be tried for killing a monk. This decision makes the king very angry and feel like he has been betrayed by Becket. Becket was not trying to betray his king in this scene, he was just trying to do what he thought was right by god.

After watching this movie, this movie is probably intended for an older and mature audience that will have an appreciation for it. This movie seems to portray life during this time pretty accurately from what it showed making it a more serious and in-depth film. I think to really appreciate this film, the viewer must have a liking for medieval history and or the previous play that this was made about. After watching this movie, I felt like I was accurately able to visualize how religion and or religious ideas may have been in medieval Europe.

Sources:

https://schoolworkhelper.net (2019). Cathedrals of the 12th Century: Medieval Gothic. [online] SchoolWorkHelper. Available at: https://schoolworkhelper.net/cathedrals-of-the-12th-century-medieval-gothic/ [Accessed 13 Nov. 2019].

iTunes. (1964). Becket. [online] Available at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/becket/id588317095 [Accessed 13 Nov. 2019].