Sunday, December 14, 2014
Re-Posted: The Middle Ages on Television
Coming Soon: The Holy Grail on Film
It's been a while since I last posted, but there are some exciting new developments in the field. The first is an interesting new collection edited by Kevin J. Harty, the most active proponent of Arthurian film/television studies. The book is due out this spring just in time for Kalamazoo. Details as follows:
Edited by Kevin J. Harty
Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-7785-2
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-4766-2053-4
ca. 15 photos, notes, bibliography, index
softcover (7 x 10) 2015
Price: $45.00
Not Yet Published, Available Spring/Summer 2015
About the Book
This collection of new essays is the first to study film depictions of the quest for the Holy Grail—the Christian holy relic of legend supposedly used by Jesus at the Last Supper. Scholars and critics from a range of disciplines discuss American and European films that offer fresh perspectives on this enduring myth of the Arthurian world and Western culture, including The Silver Chalice (1954), Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Excalibur (1981), The Road Warrior (1981), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), The Fisher King (1991), The Da Vinci Code (2006), The Waterboy (1998), and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead (2009).
Complete contents will be posted separately once they are made available.
About the Editor
Kevin J. Harty is professor and chair of English, and Coordinator of the Undergraduate General Education Core, at La Salle University in Philadelphia and associate editor of Arthuriana, the official journal of the North American Branch of the International Arthurian Society, of which he is the former president. He is the author or editor of fourteen books, seven of which are on film and medieval studies.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Tristana Returns to Video
Luis Buñuel's 1970 film Tristana, a modern-day recasting of the Tristan story, has recently been released to home and on-demand video as part of the Cohen Film Collection (details, trailer, and images at http://www.cohenfilmcollection.net/Details.aspx?id=00d78a14-db09-e311-9060-d4ae527c3b65) with a number of features, as noted on the Amazon.com product pages (DVD; Blu-Ray), unique to the physical media versions.
Synopsis (from Cohen Film Collection)
Tristana stars Catherine Deneuve as an orphaned young woman who becomes the ward of a nobleman (Fernando Rey) who seduces her. She then leaves him for an artist (Franco Nero), but returns to her aging benefactor and calculatingly hastens his demise.
Filmed in Toledo, Spain, it was released in 1970 after protracted skirmishes with censors in Generalissimo Franco’s government.
Restored by Cohen Film Collection in conjunction with Filmoteca Española, Madrid to its original glory not seen since its original release in 1970.
DVD/Blu-Ray Extras: (from Amazon)
- Feature Length audio commentary with Catherine Deneuve and critic Kent Jones
- 30 minute featurette with Bunuel scholar Peter William Evans
- Alternate ending
- Catherine Deneuve's diary entries written during production
- New essay by Cineaste editor Richard Porton
- Chapter excerpt from scholar Raymond Durgnat from his now out of print book on Bunuel
- English and Spanish dub tracks
- New restoration trailer
Synopsis (from Cohen Film Collection)
Tristana stars Catherine Deneuve as an orphaned young woman who becomes the ward of a nobleman (Fernando Rey) who seduces her. She then leaves him for an artist (Franco Nero), but returns to her aging benefactor and calculatingly hastens his demise.
Filmed in Toledo, Spain, it was released in 1970 after protracted skirmishes with censors in Generalissimo Franco’s government.
Restored by Cohen Film Collection in conjunction with Filmoteca Española, Madrid to its original glory not seen since its original release in 1970.
DVD/Blu-Ray Extras: (from Amazon)
- Feature Length audio commentary with Catherine Deneuve and critic Kent Jones
- 30 minute featurette with Bunuel scholar Peter William Evans
- Alternate ending
- Catherine Deneuve's diary entries written during production
- New essay by Cineaste editor Richard Porton
- Chapter excerpt from scholar Raymond Durgnat from his now out of print book on Bunuel
- English and Spanish dub tracks
- New restoration trailer
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Camelot on the Small Screen (2014 CFP)
Another belated CFP:
Call for Submissions: Camelot on the Small Screen (Edited Collection)
Publication Date: 2014-02-28 (Archive)
Date Submitted: 2014-01-21
Announcement ID: 210619
Call for Submissions: Camelot on the Small Screen (Edited Collection)
In the past five years, there have been three television series based on the Arthurian legends: the French Kaamelott, the BBC’s Merlin, and Starz’s Camelot. Previous decades have seen dozens of series, miniseries, made-for-television movies, and animated incarnations of the legends, from The Adventures of Sir Lancelot in the 1950s to Australia’s Arthur! and the Square Knights of the Round Table or the 2001 miniseries The Mists of Avalon. The proliferation of these productions testifies to the enduring power of the myth and its continued relevance to modern audiences. Until now, most Arthurian scholarship has focused on the medieval literary corpus, modern literary adaptations, and cinematic treatments of the tales, and relatively little attention has been paid to television portrayals of Arthur and his court. We therefore plan to propose an edited collection that addresses this imbalance. Essays might analyze contemporary issues and themes (gender, marginalization, or religious intolerance, for example), compare TV series to literary texts, focus on a particular character within a single series or across several series, etc. We are particularly interested in essays that examine the following programs: --The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (British series from the 1950s) --The Legend of Prince Valiant (American animated series from the 1990s) --Arthur of the Britons/ Arthur, the Young Warlord (British series from the 1970s) --Mr. Merlin (American series from the 1980s) --Merlin of the Crystal Cave (British miniseries from the 1990s) --adaptations of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (many have been made over the years) --Japanese anime (King Arthur, King Arthur: Prince on a White Horse, Tears for Tiara, etc.) --The Mists of Avalon (American miniseries from 2001) --Merlin (American miniseries starring Sam Neill) --The Legend of King Arthur (British series from the 1970s) --Guinevere (American made-for-television movie from the 1990s) --King Arthur and the Knights of Justice (American animated series from the 1990s) --Sir Gadabout: The Worst Knight in the Land (British series from 2002) --extended Arthurian subplots in otherwise non-Arthurian programs The preceding list is not exhaustive, and we would be interested in essays that cover any number of Arthurian shows; however, we are not seeking essays on the three most recent series (the French Kaamelott, the BBC’s Merlin, and Starz’s Camelot).
Articles should be 7,000-8,000 words in length including references. Please send abstracts of approximately 500 words and a short biography to Drs. Tara Foster (tafoster@nmu.edu) and Jon Sherman (jsherman@nmu.edu) at Northern Michigan University; any queries can also be sent by e-mail.
The deadline for abstract submission is February 28, 2014. We will respond to submissions by mid-March, and first drafts should be submitted by the end of August 2014.
Tara Foster
Modern Languages and Literatures
Northern Michigan University
906-227-1814
Email: tafoster@nmu.edu
Call for Submissions: Camelot on the Small Screen (Edited Collection)
Publication Date: 2014-02-28 (Archive)
Date Submitted: 2014-01-21
Announcement ID: 210619
Call for Submissions: Camelot on the Small Screen (Edited Collection)
In the past five years, there have been three television series based on the Arthurian legends: the French Kaamelott, the BBC’s Merlin, and Starz’s Camelot. Previous decades have seen dozens of series, miniseries, made-for-television movies, and animated incarnations of the legends, from The Adventures of Sir Lancelot in the 1950s to Australia’s Arthur! and the Square Knights of the Round Table or the 2001 miniseries The Mists of Avalon. The proliferation of these productions testifies to the enduring power of the myth and its continued relevance to modern audiences. Until now, most Arthurian scholarship has focused on the medieval literary corpus, modern literary adaptations, and cinematic treatments of the tales, and relatively little attention has been paid to television portrayals of Arthur and his court. We therefore plan to propose an edited collection that addresses this imbalance. Essays might analyze contemporary issues and themes (gender, marginalization, or religious intolerance, for example), compare TV series to literary texts, focus on a particular character within a single series or across several series, etc. We are particularly interested in essays that examine the following programs: --The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (British series from the 1950s) --The Legend of Prince Valiant (American animated series from the 1990s) --Arthur of the Britons/ Arthur, the Young Warlord (British series from the 1970s) --Mr. Merlin (American series from the 1980s) --Merlin of the Crystal Cave (British miniseries from the 1990s) --adaptations of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (many have been made over the years) --Japanese anime (King Arthur, King Arthur: Prince on a White Horse, Tears for Tiara, etc.) --The Mists of Avalon (American miniseries from 2001) --Merlin (American miniseries starring Sam Neill) --The Legend of King Arthur (British series from the 1970s) --Guinevere (American made-for-television movie from the 1990s) --King Arthur and the Knights of Justice (American animated series from the 1990s) --Sir Gadabout: The Worst Knight in the Land (British series from 2002) --extended Arthurian subplots in otherwise non-Arthurian programs The preceding list is not exhaustive, and we would be interested in essays that cover any number of Arthurian shows; however, we are not seeking essays on the three most recent series (the French Kaamelott, the BBC’s Merlin, and Starz’s Camelot).
Articles should be 7,000-8,000 words in length including references. Please send abstracts of approximately 500 words and a short biography to Drs. Tara Foster (tafoster@nmu.edu) and Jon Sherman (jsherman@nmu.edu) at Northern Michigan University; any queries can also be sent by e-mail.
The deadline for abstract submission is February 28, 2014. We will respond to submissions by mid-March, and first drafts should be submitted by the end of August 2014.
Tara Foster
Modern Languages and Literatures
Northern Michigan University
906-227-1814
Email: tafoster@nmu.edu
Saturday, April 26, 2014
TF1's Merlin Mini-Series
The French television network TF1 aired a two-part miniseries called Merlin in 2012 . There is sparse information online about the series (see the sidebar under 2010-2019 productions), but the film, a comedic retelling of the Arthurian legend, offers yet another Merlin-centered version of the story.
Part one opens with a very Gandalf-looking Merlin (played by Gérard Jugnot) at the court of Uther Pendragon, where he helped raise and educate the young Arthur and (sometimes) Guenièvre. Ten years later, a less hirsute Merlin retires to Brocéliande after Arthur has grown up and begins to live with Viviane and her son Lancelot. However, Merlin is called back when Camelot is threatened by Arthur's cousin, Morgane, (herself a powerful magic-wielder, trained by her aged aunt) and her ally the barbarian king Vortigern (!) on the eve (?) of Arthur and Guenièvre's wedding. (Morgane had, apparently, expected to marry Arthur and become queen.) Merlin, Viviane, and Lancelot spend some time at court here, and (I think) the two mages are instrumental in stopping Morgane and Vortigern at this time. However, the villains return in part two, and Merlin is ill-prepared because the title of part one, "L'Enchanteur Désenchanté," refers to the fact that Merlin loses his powers as the years pass and he falls in love with Viviane and becomes a surrogate parent for Lancelot.
Taking place seven years later, part two, "Le Secret de Brocéliande," centers on Merlin's struggles to regain his magic in order to save the realm and restore Guenièvre to flesh after she has been turned, by the returned Morgane, into stone. This section also focuses on a quest for the Grail undertaken by Merlin and a teenaged Lancelot--the prophesied Grail-winner--to save Viviane, who is held by Morgane.
Part one opens with a very Gandalf-looking Merlin (played by Gérard Jugnot) at the court of Uther Pendragon, where he helped raise and educate the young Arthur and (sometimes) Guenièvre. Ten years later, a less hirsute Merlin retires to Brocéliande after Arthur has grown up and begins to live with Viviane and her son Lancelot. However, Merlin is called back when Camelot is threatened by Arthur's cousin, Morgane, (herself a powerful magic-wielder, trained by her aged aunt) and her ally the barbarian king Vortigern (!) on the eve (?) of Arthur and Guenièvre's wedding. (Morgane had, apparently, expected to marry Arthur and become queen.) Merlin, Viviane, and Lancelot spend some time at court here, and (I think) the two mages are instrumental in stopping Morgane and Vortigern at this time. However, the villains return in part two, and Merlin is ill-prepared because the title of part one, "L'Enchanteur Désenchanté," refers to the fact that Merlin loses his powers as the years pass and he falls in love with Viviane and becomes a surrogate parent for Lancelot.
Taking place seven years later, part two, "Le Secret de Brocéliande," centers on Merlin's struggles to regain his magic in order to save the realm and restore Guenièvre to flesh after she has been turned, by the returned Morgane, into stone. This section also focuses on a quest for the Grail undertaken by Merlin and a teenaged Lancelot--the prophesied Grail-winner--to save Viviane, who is held by Morgane.
There are lots of images and some plot summary at the series official site (http://www.tf1.fr/merlin/) but no video. The following trailer comes from YouTube:
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
New Scholarship by Zaradona
Zarandona, Juan Miguel. “The Arthurian Opera by Isaac Albéniz and Francis Money-Coutts (1852–1923): Libretto Translation Theories Applied to Merlin.” Arthuriana 23.2 (Summer 2013): 1-19.
Offers a comparison between various versions of the operatic text, including Teatro Real of Madrid’s 2003 performance released on DVD in 2004.
Offers a comparison between various versions of the operatic text, including Teatro Real of Madrid’s 2003 performance released on DVD in 2004.
More Arthuriana on Screen in Bucharest
Sorry to have missed this:
Monday, 21 July
Panel 2 : 10.30-12.50
King Arthur and the Modern Imagination
Paper 3 (of 4): Łukasz NEUBAUER (Koszalin University of Technology), Arthurian Themes in Lech Majewski’s Knight
Monday, 21 July
Panel 2 : 10.30-12.50
King Arthur and the Modern Imagination
Paper 3 (of 4): Łukasz NEUBAUER (Koszalin University of Technology), Arthurian Themes in Lech Majewski’s Knight
Arthuriana on Screen at Arthurian Congress 2014
Of interest if you're in Romania this summer:
XXIV Triennial Congress of the International Arthurian Society - University of Bucharest
(full program at http://arthuriancongress.unibuc.ro/programme/)
Friday, July 25th
Panel 1: 15.20-17.20
Thematic Pannel : Children of the (K)night: Arthurian Bad Boys and Mean Girls
Organizer : Kevin J. HARTY (La Salle University, Philadelphia)
Participants:
Christine NEUFELD (Eastern Michigan University), Bloodlines: The Sanguine Semiotics of Dracula vs. King Arthur
Susan ARONSTEIN (University of Wyoming), Thoroughly Modern Morgan?: Starz’ Camelot’s Arthurian Bad Girl
Martin B. SHICHTMAN (Eastern Michigan University), Subversive Sorority: The Naughty Nuns of Starz’
Camelot
Elizabeth S. SKLAR (Wayne State University), Queering Mordred
Donald L. HOFFMAN (Northeastern Illinois University), The Queering of Mordred Revisited
Kevin J. HARTY (La Salle University), Using the Arthurian Legend to Turn Bad Boys into Good Boys: The Boy Scouts and Thomas Edison Make an Arthurian Film, The Knights of the Square Table
Laurie A. FINKE (Kenyon College), Ghosts of Chivalry: King Arthur and the Ku Klux Klan
Saturday, July 26th
Section 2 : 14h30-16h10
Influence of Arthurian Myths and the Contemporary World
Dragos MANEA (University of Bucharest), The Magic of Merlin: Strategies of Legitimation in Camelot (Starz 2011) and Merlin (BBC, 2008-2010)
Nicoleta NEAGOE (Université de Bucarest), Le mythe du Graal à l’aube du IIIe millénaire. Étude de cas – The Da Vinci Code de Dan Brown
David JOHNSON (Florida State University), Reading Couperus Reading Walewein: Arthur’s world reimagined at the close of WWI.
Anca MANOLESCU (Université de Bucarest), Un symbolisme sans rivages : René Guénon et Heinrich Zimmer, décrypteurs de la matière arthurienne
Geert VAN IERSEL (Fontys University of Applied Sciences), Robots and Jets as Knights and Warhorses: The Transformers does Arthurian Britain
Eliana Ionoaia – Arthurian Heroism in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of
Narnia
XXIV Triennial Congress of the International Arthurian Society - University of Bucharest
(full program at http://arthuriancongress.unibuc.ro/programme/)
Friday, July 25th
Panel 1: 15.20-17.20
Thematic Pannel : Children of the (K)night: Arthurian Bad Boys and Mean Girls
Organizer : Kevin J. HARTY (La Salle University, Philadelphia)
Participants:
Christine NEUFELD (Eastern Michigan University), Bloodlines: The Sanguine Semiotics of Dracula vs. King Arthur
Susan ARONSTEIN (University of Wyoming), Thoroughly Modern Morgan?: Starz’ Camelot’s Arthurian Bad Girl
Martin B. SHICHTMAN (Eastern Michigan University), Subversive Sorority: The Naughty Nuns of Starz’
Camelot
Elizabeth S. SKLAR (Wayne State University), Queering Mordred
Donald L. HOFFMAN (Northeastern Illinois University), The Queering of Mordred Revisited
Kevin J. HARTY (La Salle University), Using the Arthurian Legend to Turn Bad Boys into Good Boys: The Boy Scouts and Thomas Edison Make an Arthurian Film, The Knights of the Square Table
Laurie A. FINKE (Kenyon College), Ghosts of Chivalry: King Arthur and the Ku Klux Klan
Saturday, July 26th
Section 2 : 14h30-16h10
Influence of Arthurian Myths and the Contemporary World
Dragos MANEA (University of Bucharest), The Magic of Merlin: Strategies of Legitimation in Camelot (Starz 2011) and Merlin (BBC, 2008-2010)
Nicoleta NEAGOE (Université de Bucarest), Le mythe du Graal à l’aube du IIIe millénaire. Étude de cas – The Da Vinci Code de Dan Brown
David JOHNSON (Florida State University), Reading Couperus Reading Walewein: Arthur’s world reimagined at the close of WWI.
Anca MANOLESCU (Université de Bucarest), Un symbolisme sans rivages : René Guénon et Heinrich Zimmer, décrypteurs de la matière arthurienne
Geert VAN IERSEL (Fontys University of Applied Sciences), Robots and Jets as Knights and Warhorses: The Transformers does Arthurian Britain
Eliana Ionoaia – Arthurian Heroism in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of
Narnia
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Lancelot in Night at the Museum 3
A bearded and long-haired, Dan Stevens (of Downton Abbey fame) is set to play Lancelot in the upcoming film Night at Museum 3, which takes place at the British Museum. Some fuzzy images of Stevens have been posted on the Daily Mail website at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2548648/Dan-Stevens-gallops-London-set-Sir-Lancelot-installment-action-franchise-Ben-Stiller.html and the first trailer is promised to be released soon.
Friday, April 18, 2014
Bosko's Knight-Mare
According to Salda's research, "Bosko's Knight-Mare," a 1933 animated short, is the earliest example of Arthurian animation. Here is one version of the film (Salda suggests there was originally a longer version) from Dailymotion. (There was also a video on YouTube, but it has been removed for copyright infringement.)
The film offers an interesting adaptation of the Connecticut Yankee story, and Salda's discussion offer much insight into its contexts and relationship with the Arthurian tradition.
Bosko s Knight-Mare (1933) (High) by andythebeagle
The film offers an interesting adaptation of the Connecticut Yankee story, and Salda's discussion offer much insight into its contexts and relationship with the Arthurian tradition.
Bosko s Knight-Mare (1933) (High) by andythebeagle
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Update on Salda's Arthurian Animation
More to follow soon....
Monday, April 14, 2014
CFP Arthurian-Themed Electronic Games (6/1/14)
CFP Essays on Arthurian-Themed Electronic Games (6/1/14)
The Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Matter of Britain seeks essay proposals devoted to surveying or studying video and computer games based on and/or inspired by the Arthurian tradition.
Essays will appear in a collection devoted to surveying the complete Matter of Britain on screen (as defined on our web site: http://matter-of-britain-on-screen.blogspot.com/) .
Proposals of 250 to 500 words or completed essays by 1 June 2014.
Final versions of essays will be expected by June 2015.
Please address submissions, inquiries, and suggested topics to the editors at
Popular.Culture.and.the.Middle.Ages@gmail.com
Please use “Arthurian EGs” as your subject line.
Or submit material via post addressed to
Michael A. Torregrossa
Founder, The Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Matter of Britain
34 Second Street
Smithfield, RI 02917-3627
United States
In addition to proposals, we would also appreciate your help in compiling a list of productions and bibliography of works discussing this material.
The Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Matter of Britain seeks essay proposals devoted to surveying or studying video and computer games based on and/or inspired by the Arthurian tradition.
Essays will appear in a collection devoted to surveying the complete Matter of Britain on screen (as defined on our web site: http://matter-of-britain-on-screen.blogspot.com/) .
Proposals of 250 to 500 words or completed essays by 1 June 2014.
Final versions of essays will be expected by June 2015.
Please address submissions, inquiries, and suggested topics to the editors at
Popular.Culture.and.the.Middle.Ages@gmail.com
Please use “Arthurian EGs” as your subject line.
Or submit material via post addressed to
Michael A. Torregrossa
Founder, The Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Matter of Britain
34 Second Street
Smithfield, RI 02917-3627
United States
In addition to proposals, we would also appreciate your help in compiling a list of productions and bibliography of works discussing this material.
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