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/

CFP: The Return of King Arthur in the Post-Medieval World (12/1/11; Plymouth, NH 4/20-21/12)

The Society is pleased to announce its sponsorship of "Once and Future Kings? The Return of King Arthur in the Post-medieval World," which 33rd Annual Medieval and Renaissance Forum to convene at Plymouth State University (Plymouth, NH) from 20-21 April 2011. The full CFP can be accessed at King Arthur Forever. Film and television have made significant use of this motif, and we hope to receive many submissions for the session.

Comics Get Medieval 2012 Call for Papers

The Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages is pleased to announce our sponsorship of sessions under the theme of "The Comics Get Medieval 2012: A Celebration of Medieval-Themed Comics in Commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of Prince Valiant" for the 2012 Joint Meeting of the Popular Culture Association / American Culture Association to be held in Boston, Massachusetts, from 4-7 April 2012.

Complete details can be accessed at The Medieval Comics Project Blog at http://medieval-comics-project.blogspot.com/2011/05/comics-get-medieval-2012-call-for.html.

Kalamazoo 2012 Session Proposals

1. The Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages in association with The Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Villains of the Matter of Britain and The Institute for the Advancement of Scholarship on the Magic-Wielding Figures of Visual Electronic Multimedia has proposed the following session for the 47th International Congress on Medieval Studies to be held from 10-13 May 2012. Interested parties should contact the Society at Popular.Culture.and.the.Middle.Ages@gmail.com (please note "Are You From Camelot 2012" in the subject line). An official call for papers will be distributed this summer upon notification of acceptance from the Congress's organizing committee.

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

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 three 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.


2. The Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages has proposed the following session for the 47th International Congress on Medieval Studies to be held from 10-13 May 2012. Interested parties should contact the Society at Popular.Culture.and.the.Middle.Ages@gmail.com (please note "Comics Get Medieval at Kalamazoo 2012" in the subject line). An official call for papers will be distributed this summer upon notification of acceptance from the Congress's organizing committee.

The Comics Get Medieval at Kalamazoo: New Perspectives for Incorporating Comics into Medieval Studies Teaching and Research (Roundtable)

Arthurian TV Update

BBC1's Merlin finishes the run of its third season next month on SyFy on Fridays at 10 PM, while Starz premieres its own Camelot on April 1, a Friday this year, also at 10 PM. One wonders about the coincidence of this choice of time slot.

Of course, the Merlin always seemed perfect for family viewing (NBC's airing of the first season at 7 PM was great), and SyFy's own decision to air the series at 10 PM (and repeat at midnight) never made sense to me.

Tyler Tichelaar's King Arthur's Children

There is an extended post on Tyler Tichelaar's recent book Arthur's Children: A Study in Fiction and Tradition (Modern History Press, 2011) at our affiliate blog Researching the Villains of the Matter of Britain. The book includes some discussion of the role of Arthur's children in Guinevere (1994) and A Kid in King Arthur's Court (1995).Publish Post

Juan Miguel Zarandona on Daniel Mangrané and Carlos Serrano de Osma's Spanish Parsifal (1951)

Spanish Arthurian scholar Juan Miguel Zarandona has just published "Daniel Mangrané and Carlos Serrano de Osma's Spanish Parsifal (1951): a Strange Film?" in the latest number of Arthuriana 20.4 (Winter 2010). The article can also be accessed through Project MUSE.

Posted abstract as follows:

The Spanish cinematic work entitled Parsifal (1951) has always been termed ‘strange’ and regarded as an artistic failure. However, reconsideration of the context in which this film was produced suggests it is worthy of greater attention. After considering the difficult history of Spanish cinema, General Franco’s Spain, local legends of the Grail, and the Wagnerian cult in Barcelona, we can see that Parsifal is a very interesting interpretation of the story of the Arthurian knight.

Medieval Studies at the Movies Returns

The Society is pleased to announce the return of Medieval Studies at the Movies.

Michael Torregrossa
Blog Editor/Listserv Moderator
Co-Founder

Listserv Updates (Cross-Posted)

It is with deep regret that I write to inform readers of the demise of the following listservs sponsored by the Society: The Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages Discussion List, The Medieval Studies at the Movies Discussion List and The Medieval Comics Project Discussion List. The three have been disbanded due to lack of interest by the members. Archives for these lists will remain online for the time being, but further items of interest on these topics can be found instead on the various blogs currently sponsored by the Society, including Studies of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages and The Medieval Comics Project Blog.

Michael A. Torregrossa
Blog and Listserv Editor
Co-Founder

Comics Get Medieval 2011 Update (Cross-Posted)

A belated update on the status of The Comics Get Medieval 2011 sessions for the upcoming Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association's annual meeting this spring:

The session has been cancelled due to lack of interest.

Please consider submitting a proposal for The Comics Get Medieval 2012 sessions to convene at PCA/ACA in Boston and (pending approval) at Kalamazoo. 2012 is the 75th anniversary of Prince Valiant, and it would be great to make ourselves visible as we commemorate this landmark event.

Michael Torregrossa

Blog and Listserv Editor
Co-Founder

King Arthur Forever Returns

The Society is pleased to announce the relaunch of KingArthurForever.org as a blog dedicated to study and debate of the representations of the Matter of Britain in post-medieval popular culture produced from the close of the Middle Ages through tomorrow.

Merlin Season 3 Coming to SyFy Next Week

SyFy premieres season 3 of BBC1's Merlin next Friday. Here is the teaser from BBC1's YouTube Channel:

Doctor, Merlin, and Gandalf?

The following appears in a recent book from Kitsune Books:

Burdge, Anthony S. “The Professor’s Lessons for the Doctor: The Doctor’s Sub-Creative Journey Toward Middle-earth.” In The Mythological Dimensions of Doctor Who. Eds. Anthony S. Burdge, Jessica Burke, and Kristine Larsen. Crawfordville, FL: Kitsune Books, 2010. Pp. 65-84.

CFP: Medieval Film/TV/Electronic Games (12/31/10; Plymouth State Medieval and Renaissance Forum 4/14-16/11)

The Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages invites paper proposals to round out a panel devoted to the topic of medievalism in film, TV, and/or electronic games for the 2011 Plymouth State Medieval and Renaissance Forum to be held at Plymouth State University, Plymouth, New Hampshire, from 15-16 April 2011. Please submit paper proposals to the Conference Committee at Popular.Culture.and.the.Middle.Ages@gmail.com by 31 December 2010.

Michael A. Torregrossa

Co-Founder

Blog Moderator

Listserv Moderator

The Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages

Remaking the Middle Ages--New from McFarland

I recently posted the details of Andrew B. R. Elliott's Remaking the Middle Ages: The Methods of Cinema and History in Portraying the Medieval World to the main society blog. The post can be accessed by clicking here.

A look at the index reveals that Elliott covers the following Arthurian films: Black Knight, Camelot, Dragonheart, Excalibur, First Knight, A Kid in King Arthur's Court, King Arthur, A Knight in Camelot, Knights of the Round Table, Lancelot and Guinevere, Lancelot du Lac, Merlin, Merlin: The Return, Perceval le Gallois, Prince Valiant, Quest for Camelot, Siege of the Saxons, The Sword in the Stone, The Sword of Lancelot, Sword of the Valiant, and Tristan + Isolde. Additional Arthurian films are noted in the filmography.

Michael

Avalon High on iTunes

The recent telefilm Avalon High, which aired earlier this month on The Disney Channel, can now be downloaded from iTunes for $9.99. No official word yet on a DVD release or if/when it might be available for download on Amazon.com.

Early Avalon High Review

The following was posted on EW.com and featured in the 12 November 2010 edition of Entertainment Weekly:

Avalon High

Even by the standards of wholesome movies about teenage reincarnations of King Arthur's court, Avalon High is as silly as cutting down a tree with a herring. Nevertheless, Britt Robertson (Life Unexpected) is a capable lead and the New Zealand locales impress. B-— John Young

The telefilm airs Friday, 12 November, from 8-9:45 PM EST.