Lifshitz on Excalibur

A new look at Morgana in Excalibur:

Lifshitz, Felice. “Destructive Dominae: Women and Vengeance in Medievalist Films.” Corporate Medievalism. Ed. Karl Fugelso. Studies in Medievalism 21. Cambridge, Eng.: D. S. Brewer-Boydell & Brewer, 2012. 161-190.

Valdés Miyares on the Grail

New overview of the representations of the Grail on film and television. Looks like essential reading on the subject.

Valdés Miyares, J. Rubén. “The Cinematic Sign of the Grail.” Corporate Medievalism. Ed. Karl Fugelso. Studies in Medievalism 21. Cambridge, Eng.: D. S. Brewer-Boydell & Brewer, 2012. 145-59.

Film in A Companion to Arthurian Literature

A Companion to Arthurian Literature
Helen Fulton (Editor)
ISBN: 978-0-470-67237-2
Paperback
592 pages
February 2012, Wiley-Blackwell
US $44.95


This Companion offers a chronological sweep of the canon of Arthurian literature - from its earliest beginnings to the contemporary manifestations of Arthur found in film and electronic media. Part of the popular series, Blackwell Companions to Literature and Culture, this expansive volume enables a fundamental understanding of Arthurian literature and explores why it is still integral to contemporary culture.

• Offers a comprehensive survey from the earliest to the most recent works
• Features an impressive range of well-known international contributors
• Examines contemporary additions to the Arthurian canon, including film and computer games
• Underscores an understanding of Arthurian literature as fundamental to western literary tradition

Part VII Arthur on Film 479

32 Remediating Arthur 481
Laurie A. Finke and Martin B. Shichtman

33 Arthur's American Round Table: The Hollywood Tradition 496
Susan Aronstein

34 The Art of Arthurian Cinema 511
Lesley Coote

35 Digital Divagations in a Hyperreal Camelot: Antoine Fuqua's King Arthur 525
Nickolas Haydock

Legend Quest Previews

Syfy aired a series last year called Legend Quest that included a number of Arthurian-themed eisides. Here are the previews of two episodes from the network's YouTube channel:






The complete series can be viewed on Hulu at http://www.hulu.com/legend-quest.

Merlin on BBC America

BBC America begins this month airing the BBC1 series Merlin. A marathon of season one starts this Friday (8 June) night at 8 PM and runs through Saturday (9 June) morning at 8 AM. Conveniently, the season is also rerun Saturday from 9 AM through 10 PM followed at 10 PM with episode one of season two. Check out the online schedule for any changes: http://www.bbcamerica.com/schedule/. The network also now includes a page (http://www.bbcamerica.com/merlin/), filled with information and images, for the series on its website.

The remaining episodes of season two air Saturday nights later in the month with two episodes each night, the first at 9 PM and the second at 10 PM.

More Fate/Stay Night

The English dub of the animated feature film Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works, which features various mythological and legendary figures (including a female King Arthur) in combat for the Holy Grail, comes to home video this month from Sentai Filmworks:

Having spent the last ten years of his life studying under a mysterious sorcerer, Shiro Emiya has become a Magi. As such, she can summoned the mystical female warrior, Saber, to stand in the ultimate test of sorcery and magic: the Holy Grail War. While seven teams will enter the battle, only one will leave. Is that worth the price Shiro must ultimately pay? The battle is on in FATE/STAY NIGHT – UNLILMITED BLADEWORKS!

The film follows the "official" storyline of the franchise as opposed to the composite one presented in the anime series Fate/Stay Night, which (as far as I can determine) is the only one to expand on Saber's past as King Arthur.

Apparently, there is also a prequel series Fate/Zero currently showing as an anime series on Japanese television (and now on Hulu.com at http://www.hulu.com/fatezero). The series depicts the last Holy Grail War ten years ago and introduces Lancelot.

Merlin's Film Debut?

I've been tracking down references to an elusive American film from American Mutoscope and Biograph Co. called Merlin, the Magician. It was released in 1899 and photographed by F. S. Armitage, and there is scant information available as far as I can determine as of this date. However, earlier this week, I came across an even earllier film--Georges Méliès's Le Magicien (1898)--that seems to incoporate Merlin (or a very similar looking mage) into its showcasing of early special effects.

Please let know what you think,
Michael

Are You from Camelot Collection CFP

Arthurian Film / TV / Electronic Games Collection (6/1/12)

The Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages is seeking proposals of 500 words for essays devoted to Arthurian-themed film, television, and/or electronic games. We are particularly interested in approaches that explore issues of transformation and/or diversity in these works.

Please submit proposals and CV to popular.culture.and.the.middle.ages@gmail.com by 6/1/12 and note "Are You From Camelot Proposal" in the subject line.

Completed essays should be between 5000 to 8000 words and submitted to the editors by 12/1/12 or earlier.

http://are-you-from-camelot.blogspot.com/

Are You from Camelot at Kalamazoo

I just posted the details of our Kalamazoo sessions at the main blog. Our film-related session is as follows:

Thursday, 10 May: 7:30 PM

Session 170 (Bernhard 204)

Are You From Camelot? Recent Arthurian Film and Television as Innovators of the Arthurian Tradition and Their Impact (A Roundtable)

Sponsor: Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Villains of the Matter of Britain; Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages

Organizer: Michael A. Torregrossa, Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages

Presider: Charlotte A. T. Wulf, Stevenson Univ.

Merlin: Magician, Man, and Manipulator in Starz’s Camelot (2011)

Caroline Womack, Univ. of Leeds

Morgan, Uther’s Other Child, in BBC1’s Merlin (2008–) and Starz’s Camelot (2011)

Cindy Mediavilla, Univ. of California–Los Angeles

Galahad and Indiana Jones: The Commodification of the Holy Grail in Modern Grail Quests

Schuyler Eastin, San Diego Christian College

Arthurizing the Wife of Bath: The Wife of Bath’s Tale in S4C’s The Canterbury Tales (1999) and BBC’s Canterbury Tales (2003)

Paul Hardwick, Leeds Trinity Univ. College

Respondent: Karolyn Kinane, Plymouth State Univ.

CFP Camelot on the Small Screens

Here's the call for an alternative collection on Arthurian TV:

Call for Submissions: Camelot on the Small Screen (Edited Collection)
Publication Date: 2012-04-15
Date Submitted: 2012-03-02
Announcement ID: 192848

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 are therefore planning 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 welcome proposals from scholars in all disciplines on any aspect of Camelot on the small screen.

Articles should be around 5,000-7,000 words in length including references. Please send abstracts of no more than 500 words and a short biography to Drs. Tara Foster (tafoster@nmu.edu) and Jon Sherman (jsherman@nmu.edu) at Northern Michigan University. The deadline for abstract submission is April 15, 2012 and contributors are expected to submit full papers by September 1, 2012.

Het Huis Anubis en de Vijf van het Magische Zwaard

Het Huis Anubis en de Vijf van het Magische Zwaard (The House of Anubis and the Five of the Magical Sword, 2010-) is a Dutch/Flemish television series for adolescent viewers and features a prominent Arthurian story line with Merlin appearing in the series opening as he prophesies the future need for a band of young heroes (they seem sort of like mutants as each has one hypersensitive sense) to protect Excalibur from the evil Dark Druids (a task they accomplish over the course of the series) and later Morgan le Fay appearing in season two as the foe of the teen heroes and would-be wielder of Excalibur. Galahad also features in Season 2, when he is sent into the future (?) by Merlin to aid the teens (see http://anubisendelegendevandevijf.jouwweb.nl/anubis-personage-s).

I append a series of video clips below.

Openings to Season One (first the extended opening and then an abbreviated, but clearer one) (for translation of lyrics, click link and scroll down to "Opening Song")

Official Music Video (extended theme song: ) 

Opening to Season Two (with Morgan le Fay clearly shown as an antagonist)

Merlin Season 4

Teaser trailer for Merlin Season 4.



As the trailer notes, dark days are ahead for Camelot as Morgana forms an alliance with Arthur's uncle (!) Agravaine and plots against both Uther and Arthur. The series airs on SyFy Friday nights.

Merlin on DVD

Season three of Merlin has just been released to DVD and Blu-Ray for North American audiences. Extras include the following:
 

• Audio Commentary

• Making of Merlin Series 3
• Deleted Scenes
• Outtakes
• Wallpaper
• Gallery

This was an important season in terms of the Morgana arc and, under the tutelage of Morgause, saw her turn completely to the "Dark Side," while Merlin grew in power and confidence in his abilities. Arthur also matured as a man and leader, and the genesis of the Round Table fellowship was featured near the end of the season. Season four premiered this month on SyFy. 

Elliott in Arthuriana

Out in the latest number of Arthuriana:

Elliott, Andrew B. R. "The Charm of (Re)making: Problems of Arthurian Television Serialization." Arthuriana 21.4 (Winter 2011): 53-67.

ICoM 2011

With apologies for cross-posting:

The International Society for the Study of Medievalism recently convened its 26th International Conference on Medievalism at the University of New Mexico under the general theme of Medievalism, Arthuriana, and Landscapes of Enchantment from 21-22 October 2011. There were a number of sessions devoted to recent Arthurian television, including the BBC1's Merlin, Starz's Camelot, and the French series Kaamelott.

The complete program can be accessed at http://ims.unm.edu/sim/.

Kalamazoo Roundtable Details

The details of our co-sponsored roundtable for the 2012 International Congress on Medieval Studies have been finalized and panelists are as follows:

Are You From Camelot? Recent Arthurian Film, Television, and Electronic Games as Innovators of the Arthurian Tradition and Their Impact

Organizer: Michael A. Torregrossa, The Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages

Presider: Charlotte A. T. Wulf, Stevenson University

1. “Merlin: Magician, Man, and Manipulator in Starz’s Camelot (2011)”

Caroline Womack, University of Leeds

2. “Morgan, Uther’s Other Child, in BBC1’s Merlin (2008-) and Starz’s Camelot (2011)”

Cindy Mediavilla, UCLA Department of Information Studies

3. “Galahad and Indiana Jones: The Commodification of the Holy Grail in Modern Grail Quests”

Schuyler Eastin, San Diego Christian College

4. Arthurising the Wife of Bath: The Wife of Bath’s Tale in S4C’s The Canterbury Tales (1999) and BBC’s Canterbury Tales (2003)

Paul Hardwick, Leeds Trinity University College

5. Respondent

Karolyn Kinane, Plymouth State University

Camelot on Starz

I've still not seen Camelot on Starz, but the show (which was not renewed for a second season) will be released next month on DVD. It seems to be a rise of Arthur storyline (rather like BBC1's Merlin). Here are some of the promotional videos produced for the series:

Arthurian TV Update

I'm woefully behind on keeping the blog up tp date (for example, there's nothing yet on Starz's Camelot, out on DVD next month), but readers should be aware of upcoming Arthurian programming this month both on SyFy and Chiller. Details are on the Medieval Studies at the Movies blog and can be accessed by clicking the preceding links.

Arthurian TV This Month

I just posted (late as usual) to the Medieval Studies at the Movies blog regarding upcoming releases on Chiller and SyFy. Relevant programming for the remainder of the month includes:

Chiller:
WEDNES., 7/20
10:00A ET The Twilight Zone (1985): The Last Defender Of Camelot


SyFy: (Legend Quest is a new reality show)
WEDNES., JULY 20
10:00 PM Legend Quest: Excalibur/lost Cintamani Stone

THURS., JULY 21
12:00 AM Legend Quest: Excalibur/lost Cintamani Stone

WEDNES., JULY 27
10:00 PM Legend Quest: Holy Lance/incan Golden Sun Disc

THURS., JULY 28
12:00 AM Legend Quest: Holy Lance/incan Golden Sun Disc

FRI., JULY 29
12:00 AM Legend Quest: Excalibur/lost Cintamani Stone
01:00 AM Legend Quest: Holy Lance/incan Golden Sun Disc

CFP Are You From Camelot? (Roundtable) (9/1/11; Kalamazoo 5/10-13/12)

CALL FOR PAPERS

ARE YOU FROM CAMELOT?
RECENT ARTHURIAN FILM, TELEVISION, AND ELECTRONIC GAMES AS INNOVATORS OF THE ARTHURIAN TRADITION AND THEIR IMPACT

A ROUNDTABLE FOR THE 47TH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON MEDIEVAL STUDIES (WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY, KALAMAZOO, MI) FROM 10-13 MAY 2012
CO-SPONSORED BY THE ALLIANCE FOR THE PROMOTION OF RESEARCH ON THE VILLAINS OF THE MATTER OF BRITAIN AND THE VIRTUAL SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF POPULAR CULTURE AND THE MIDDLE AGES

PROPOSALS BY 1 SEPTEMBER 2011 (EARLY SUBMISSION RECOMMENDED)

The Matter of Britain is alive and well in modern mass media, and the media of film and television, especially, have long been recognized as important disseminators of the Arthurian legend to audiences of various ages and in disparate countries across the globe. Such productions are often assessed by their fidelity to pre-established versions of the legend, an anxiety of influence that Norris J. Lacy has termed “the tyranny of tradition.” However, mass media like film, television and electronic games also function as innovators of new traditions for representing characters or motifs that then become fixed in popular Arthuriana (consider, for example, both the long-standing iconographic portrayal of Merlin, cemented via Wolfgang Reitherman’s THE SWORD IN THE STONE, as an aged figure with flowing white hair, beard and robes or John Boorman’s conflation—copied by many later writers—of Morgan le Fay and Morgause in EXCALIBUR and the resulting figure’s role as the mother of Mordred, an expansion of her traditional filmic role as an enemy within Camelot), yet, to date, few studies, beyond lamentations of how to, as Lacy, puts it to “unteach” these texts, have explored this aspect of these modern Arthurian texts. The late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, in particular, include many innovative productions (including Alexandre Astier’s KAAMELOTT; Steve Barron’s MERLIN; Chris Chibnall and Michael Hirst’s CAMELOT; Antoine Fuqua’s KING ARTHUR; Julian Jones, Jake Michie, Johnny Capps, and Julian Murphy’s MERLIN; Mythic Entertainment’s DARK AGE OF CAMELOT; SyFy’s STARGATE SG-1 and Type-Moon’s FATE/STAY NIGHT) that deviate significantly from preexisting literary and filmic/televisual traditions of the legend, and these works have influenced and will influence both further Arthurian texts and the popular reception of the Arthurian story as they are dispersed across the intertextual landscape of the modern Matter of Britain. For this session, in furtherance of the goals of the sponsoring organizations, we are particularly interested in how these recent representations of Arthurian characters (for example King Arthur, Guinevere, Merlin, Morded, Morgan le Fay, and Morgause) and motifs (such as the Grail legend) in film, television, and electronic games have shaped contemporary conceptions of these elements and, also, in exploring how these productions may influence ongoing or future Arthurian texts.

PLEASE SUBMIT PROPOSALS OF 500 WORDS OR LESS, PARTICIPANT INFORMATION FORM (AVAILABLE AT
http://www.wmich.edu/medieval/congress/submissions/index.html), AND A COPY OF YOUR CV TO THE ORGANIZERS AT

Popular.Culture.and.the.Middle.Ages@gmail.com

PLEASE INCLUDE “KALAMAZOO 2012 PROPOSAL” IN THE SUBJECT LINE


FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE ALLIANCE FOR THE PROMOTION OF RESEARCH ON THE VILLAINS OF THE MATTER OF BRITAIN, PLEASE ACCESS OUR BLOG AT http://ArthurianVillainyResearch.blogspot.com/

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE VIRTUAL SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF POPULAR CULTURE AND THE MIDDLE AGES, PLEASE ACCESS OUR BLOG AT http://PopularCultureandtheMiddleAges.blogspot.com/