The best Ancient and Medieval movies that have never been made

[Rex Romanum]

As for 300, they left out the Spartans slaves/hairdressers (not making this up) who stayed and died with their masters. Of course, it's based on a Frank Miller comic which is based on on 60s movie which is based on Herodotus, so inaccuracies are forgiven in my book.

Ah, yes...the helots, I forget about them...
So basically the Spartans didn't want the Greeks enslaved by the Persians, but instead they want to enslaved the other Greeks by themselves...
Ironically enough, people who watching the movie but never read the actual history won't believe that...

 

[SavageDays]

The Epic of Gilgamesh...lots of great stuff there.

Something on Cyrus the Great, perhaps?

Are there any current movies on Qin Shi Huangdi or Queen Boudicca of the Icenii?

 

[Don Grey]

Ah, yes...the helots, I forget about them...
So basically the Spartans didn't want the Greeks enslaved by the Persians, but instead they want to enslaved the other Greeks by themselves...
Ironically enough, people who watching the movie but never read the actual history won't believe that...

There was also part the where the persians werent mutant monsters and the spartans didnt fight half naked. Oh and i dont think there was a million persians. At persians troops in battle were probably 60.000 to 120.000 at most there 175.000 to 200.000. Even the last figures makes it hard as water starts to become a problam and there is only so many troops you can have live of the land.

 

[Ryan the Rebel]

Hmm... a movie about Pyrrhus would be interesting. Or a movie that shows the Romans fight in a formation (testudo not included).

 

[Tenhigh]

I'd like to see Sertorius -The Rise and Fall of the Hispanic Republic.

A Roman general fighting "for the people" and holding off an evil, despotic empire for years? That's Hollywood gold!

It'd be even better if they made it relatively historically accurate, but I'll take what I can get.

 

[Mr Qwerty]

There was also part the where the persians werent mutant monsters and the spartans didnt fight half naked. Oh and i dont think there was a million persians. At persians troops in battle were probably 60.000 to 120.000 at most there 175.000 to 200.000. Even the last figures makes it hard as water starts to become a problam and there is only so many troops you can have live of the land.

I think some ancient kings did have "freak shows" of people with birth defects, though I doubt Xerxes did. Some people did fight underdressed-not Greeks though! The army size does come from an ancient source, Herodotus... of course we all know just how reliable he is. As you point out, an army that size, especially in a rather dry climate, is very hard to support without modern logistics.

The breaking point of the movie for me was the appearance of Xerxes. Somehow I would expect the Persian Shah to look, well, Persian.

 

[RGB]

The breaking point of the movie for me was the appearance of Xerxes. Somehow I would expect the Persian Shah to look, well, Persian.

The royal robes and beard would distract from Miller's attempt at creating sympathy through gay panic. An underdressed, oversized drag persona was a much better choice for that goal.

 

[Claudius]

Hmm... a movie about Pyrrhus would be interesting. Or a movie that shows the Romans fight in a formation (testudo not included).

Check out final battle scene in Spartacus It was as good a movie version of the Roman Square formation as I've ever seen. I saw it as a kid in CinimaScope (that dates me, I know ) In the original cut, there was no background music. All you heard was marching boots, the jingle of armor and trumpet calls. Fantastic at giving a feeling of what it must have been like to face the legions.

 

[Ryan the Rebel]

Oops, forgot about that one. Too bad modern movie makers have a problem with historical accuracy *shudders at the memory of watching 300*

 

[Rex Romanum]

Btw is there any movie that centered around Byzantine Empire? The movie "Kingdom of Heaven" was about Third Crusade, but IIRC it didn't even potrayed Constantinople or Isaac II Angelos (whose reign was during the Third Crusade)...

And how about movie that centered around Muslim conquests? That would be cool...especially if the opening battle is Heraclius' counter-invasion to Persia...

And the movie "The Great Khan", which is a second installment for the trilogy of Genghis Khan, was planned to be released in this year...I hope it will featuring Mongol invasions to Jin Dynasty and Khwarezmia...

 

[Shogun]

Queen Boudicca's rebellion against Rome, beginning with the rape of her daughters, continuing through the annhilation of an entire Roman legion, the takeover and burning of Londinium, to her final defeat at the battle of Watling Street (undoubtably the Romans would have had a different name though it is now lost to us) at the hands of Gov. Gaius Suetonius Paulinus-it would be an excellent tragedy in the best Greek tradition and one much easier to follow for the general audience than many of the ideas put forth in this thread so far.

And I want Ridley Scott to direct this film. It surprises me it hasn't been done yet.