The 13th Warrior

After the introductory powerpoint you will see the USA film "The Thirteenh Warrior" , which is based on Michael Crichton's pseudo-historical novel Eaters of the Dead. In order to revise the different topics you have learned about in class for the last weeks you are asked to answer the following questions while watching the film.

-Where and when is the action set?

-Can you see any social hierarchy in the groups depicted in this film?

-Compare the Arab and the Viking government system.

-Which evidence have you found in the film to prove that Vikings were superstitious?

-How does Ahmed learn the language spoken by the Norsemen? Which language is this?

 -Can the Norsemen in this film read or write? Why do you know?

-Which enemy does the group of Vikings have to fight against?

-Do you think that this film is entirely historical? Why?

Voluntary task.

Do a portfolio about the historical background and the legend of Beowulf to hand in on the last day before Easter holiday.

Extra sources about Napoleon

Napoleon (2002)

French-German-British mini-series about Napoleon's figure.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)

Film based on author Patrick O'Brian's series of naval books whose action is set during the Napoleonic Wars, at the beginning of the 19th century. A good adventure film as well as a historical drama which was nominated to 10 Oscars.

War and Peace (1956)

Classical drama film based on Leo Tolstoy famous novel which illustrates the war between the French and the Russian Empires.

Barry Lyndon (1975)

Film which tell us about the adventures and misadventures of a member of the minor, landed aristocracy of Ireland who wants to climb the social ladder and reach a higher position by means of enrolling in the British army. Subsequently this fact will lead him to participate in the Napoleonic Wars. 

The film was produced, written and directed by famous director Stanley Kubrick and it is considered one of his finest works.

The Duellists (1977)

Historical drama film which is set during the Napoleonic Wars and whose plot is about two French Hussar officers's feud, whose cause is a misundertanding between both duellists, is  over fifteen(!) years. It was the first film Ridley Scott directed. As an anecdote I'd say that this film contains real fencing scenes, something which is not usual in most later films.

Rowing with the Wind (Remando al viento), by Gonzalo Suárez (1987)

Mary Shelley, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, John Polidori and, of course, "the Monster", in a dramatic film by Gonzalo Suárez which won seven Goya Awards and is representative of the spirit of Romanticism.

(Sorry but there is no English trailer in Youtube...)

Pack of extra resources about the Ancient Age

If you are still curious about the Ancient Age, try some of the following resources: 

Films:

Gladiator

An interesting film which is set during the Empire. It is not considered really 100% accurate in historical terms, but it 's truly exciting.

Agora

The film takes place in Egypt at the end of the Empire and tell us about the conflict among believers of three different religions -Paganism, Christianity and Judaism, as well as its consequences on the scientific work of a woman, Hypatia. It also depicts the destruction of the most famous library of the Ancient Age, which was located in Alexandria. 

Centurion

Adventure film which is set in Caledonia (Roman name for Scotland). Tons of action and light humour for a simple plot about a centurion and some legionaries under his command who have to face the terrible picts (Scots) in order to rescue their general, who is taken prisoner by the locals at the beginning of the film.

Series: 

Rome

HBO series with two seasons. First season has twelve episodes, while the second one has ten. It was cancelled as it resulted to be very expensive. Although it is not really accurate historically you can watch it as an entertaining introduction to Ancient Rome.The whole series is set between the end of the Republic and the beginning of the Empire.

Books:

The Last Legion, by Valerio Massimo Manfredi

A novel whose action is set during the last days of the Western Roman Empire: A band of legionaries are ready to fight against the barbarians in order to rescue young emperor Romulus Augustus. It is also a recent film.

Marco Didio Falco's novels by Lindsey Davis

 

Set of novels whose main character is a private eye (detective) who lives in Ancient Rome.

 

 

Modern Times (1936), by Charles Chaplin

Quality of these clips from Youtube is low, so I'd try to watch the film online or, simply, download it.

Don't forget to make a list of those topics from the Industrial Revolution you have learned in class which appear in the film. 

Finally, write a composition (only 250 words) about the comparison which can be made between those topics and the situation resulting from the Depression Chaplin lived . Some ideas you can use are: What did Chaplin think about industrialisation? Which social class is Chaplin's favourite one according to the film? Can you conceive of an ideological reason for Chaplin to defend this social class? Is the situation in the post-Depression USA similar to the one you have studied for England in the 18th century? What's your opinion about the film? Give arguments.

You'll have to hand in this composition on the first Friday after Christmas holidays.

The Roman Circus

Ben Hur (1959) is one of the most famous films ever shot about Ancient Rome. This clip presents a chariot race which takes place in a circus, one of the buildings you have in your working sheet.

Something curious about this scene is that one of the stuntmen who was stamped on by a set of horses actually died, but the director of the film dind't cut his death as he thought that the whole scene was excellent.