This book explores theoretical questions about the ideological, artistic, emotional, and financial investments inhering in cinematic renditions of the medieval period. What does it mean to create and watch a "medieval film"? What is a medieval film and why are they successful?
This is the first work that attempts to answer these questions, drawing, for instance, on film theory, postcolonial theory, cultural studies, and the growing body of work on medievalism. Contributors investigate British, German, Italian, Australian, French, Swedish, and American film, exploring topics such translation, temporality, film noir, framing, and period film, and find the medieval lurking in unexpected corners. In addition, it provides in-depth studies of individual films from different countries including The Birth of a Nation to Nosferatu, and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
Medieval Film will be of interest to medievalists working in disciplines including literature, history, and art history, and to scholars working on film and in cultural studies. It will also be of interest to undergraduates, postgraduates, and to an informed enthusiast in film and/or medieval culture.