The best Ancient and Medieval movies that have never been made

Rex Romanum

Banned
So we already have the movies about the course of Trojan War, the events during Battle of Thermopylae, the life of Alexander the Great, Roman Empire during the reigns of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus, the events surrounding the Third Crusade, and the life of Genghis Khan...

But if you may choose, what Ancient or Medieval historical events that you want to see as movies or films...?

As for me, I'd like to see the films about:
-the full life of Augustus, from his early life and adoption as a heir to Julius Caesar, until his struggle to find a successor and his ultimate death in 14 AD
-the conquests of Dacia, Armenia, and Mesopotamia by Trajan
-Belisarius' reconquests of North Africa and Italy, as well as the war against the Sassanids
-the Fourth Crusade
-Siege of Constantinople in 1453
 

RGB

I'd like to see the following (somewhat-high-budget, non-nationalist-wingnut) films:

1. Life of Svyatoslav and the war with Tzimisces. Great freaking epic stuff. Could be a good 4-5 part series with major battles in each.
2. The last days of Vandal Carthage. Somehow I think it could be a great setting drama and a morality play in one. With a battle at the end, Belisarius in the wings.
3. The wars with Viriathus; sort of a Spanish Braveheart but with a sadder ending. Get Benicio del Toro to direct.
4. Life of Mstislav the Bold; or him and Yaroslav as paired narratives. Stuff in as much controversy as possible, and it's golden.
5. Snorri Sturluson, as a thematic counterpoint to Andrei Rublev; the artist as a political animal.
6. Life of Elagabalus, or maybe him as part of a movie about the Severians.
7. Not technically a historical thing, but the Theban Cycle - Seven against Thebes and thence. Maybe allow the director to break the fourth wall a lot, since it is about perception of myth as much as the myth itself.
 
SavoyTruffle

SavoyTruffle

A movie about Philip Augustus. You see everyone talking about his contemporaries Frederick Barbarossa and Richard Lion-Heart, but not him.
 

RGB

SavoyTruffle said:
A movie about Philip Augustus. You see everyone talking about his contemporaries Frederick Barbarossa and Richard Lion-Heart, but not him.
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He was successul because he was sensible and careful and judicious and....zzzzzzzz.

Where be the drama? :D
 
9 Fanged Hummingbird

9 Fanged Hummingbird

Wait, do I really have to be the first to say the Anabasis? *sigh* And I don't even give a fig for Classical European history. More to my own area of expertise, the story of Hunac Ceel and the Sacking of Chichen Itza would make a good movie. Kinda was already done in Kings of The Sun, but that was in the era where they didn't give a fig for any hint of accuracy or hiring non-white actors for that matter. The wars of Tikal and Calakmul (Mutul and Kan, really) would make a great story, especially the part about the brother of Tikal's king betraying him for a chance at power with Calakmul. More recently, there is the story of Gonzalo Guerrero. Hollywood's made at the very least dozens of movies where the conquering Westerner ends up alone in a very foreign land, learns their ways, falls in love with the chief's/king's daughter, and then fights his own people to defend to ones who adopted him. But they haven't done a movie about the time that that actually happened, which is really lame. Probably done because it was in Mexico with an advanced civilization that shoves their retarded faux-environmental messages out the window.
 
Cuāuhtemōc

Cuāuhtemōc

Banned
The Hapsburg Trilogy (2013, 2015, 2018): A BBC series of movies based on the Hapsburg family during the time of Charles V, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and King of Spain and his successors. It is critically acclaimed by critics and viewers alike, calling it the successor to the Tudors and the Borgias and perfect for the big screen.
 

RGB

SavoyTruffle said:
Have it center on Bouvines, and show that the French are most definitely noy Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys. :p
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Hm. There's that, certainly.

I suppose it helps to play up the drama. Have him as this diabolical frienemy of the Angevins, switching his attentions from Richard to Geoffrey to John to Arthur, playing them off against each other to gobble up their Empire. Show how he's a greater man than any of them, kinda sorta.
 
SavoyTruffle

SavoyTruffle

Ringo Starr said:
The Hapsburg Trilogy (2013, 2015, 2018): A BBC series of movies based on the Hapsburg family during the time of Charles V, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and King of Spain and his successors. It is critically acclaimed by critics and viewers alike, calling it the successor to the Tudors and the Borgias and perfect for the big screen.
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Oh, the Charles II segment is gonna be interesting. The hard part would be the make-up required to make anyone as disfigured as him. ;)

RGB said:
Hm. There's that, certainly.

I suppose it helps to play up the drama. Have him as this diabolical frienemy of the Angevins, switching his attentions from Richard to Geoffrey to John to Arthur, playing them off against each other to gobble up their Empire. Show how he's a greater man than any of them, kinda sorta.
Click to expand...

Oh, true, true; Philip Augustus was overall better than any of the sons of Henry II. ;)
 
Cuāuhtemōc

Cuāuhtemōc

Banned
SavoyTruffle said:
Oh, the Charles II segment is gonna be interesting. The hard part would be the make-up required to make anyone as disfigured as him. ;)
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They need to find a lot of ugly people to be honest. Anyone got Jay Leno's number! :p

I'm thinking it should be divided into three parts: Part 1 (Charles V) Part 2 (Philip II) Part 3 (Charles II)
 

AmericanCataphract

The Siege of Jerusalem, 70 AD (drawn from Josephus)
Something on the Peloponnesian War
A biopic of Basil II

These are just off the top of my head. And I second the suggestions for something about Belisarius and Hannibal.
 
Beedok

Beedok

Wasn't there a battle were three guys held the last bridge to Rome against an attacking army until the bridge could be raised? Seems like an action movie to me.
 
SavoyTruffle

SavoyTruffle

A film about the life and times of Richard II. Everyone likes to focus on the Lion-Heart, or Richard the Probably Nephew-Killer (unless it's Blackadder!Richard of Gloucester, who's a pretty nice fellow).

Richard II was popular in his youth but became a total dick later on.
 

Ganesha

That was Horatius and two of his buddies defending a bridge across the Tiber from the Etruscan King Lars Porsenna while the Romans destroyed the bridge behind him. Eventually he swam back across the river in full armor.

There's another story from that war. A young Roman was sent to assassinate Lars Porsenna. So he snuck into the camp, and saw two well dressed men standing on a platform speaking to the men. Not knowing which was the king (I know, he's not the best assassin ever :)), he drew his sword and killed the Kings scribe, and was then captured and brought before the King. The King asked him if we was brave. So the roman stuck his right hand in the fire till it burned up. Lars Porsenna, impressed, released him and sent him back to Rome.
 
Beedok

Beedok

Ganesha said:
That was Horatius and two of his buddies defending a bridge across the Tiber from the Etruscan King Lars Porsenna while the Romans destroyed the bridge behind him. Eventually he swam back across the river in full armor.

There's another story from that war. A young Roman was sent to assassinate Lars Porsenna. So he snuck into the camp, and saw two well dressed men standing on a platform speaking to the men. Not knowing which was the king (I know, he's not the best assassin ever :)), he drew his sword and killed the Kings scribe, and was then captured and brought before the King. The King asked him if we was brave. So the roman stuck his right hand in the fire till it burned up. Lars Porsenna, impressed, released him and sent him back to Rome.
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Thanks, I've only ever heard it in the detail I had presented.:)
 

AmericanCataphract

commandant spangler said:
Peloponnesian War is a good one too, but it's kind of long and tedious, so mostly only history geeks like us would really get into it.
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Well, you'd have to limit it - probably just show the Sicilian Expedition. That one's got some real potential for drama.

Showing the entire Peloponnesian War would be impossible.

But really, the Siege of Jerusalem is something I've wanted to see on film since about tenth grade.
 
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