Race, Class, and Gender in ''Medieval'' Cinema

239 Pages·2007·0.79 MB·English

by  Lynn T. Ramey

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, ,
RACE CLASS AND GENDER
“ ”
IN MEDIEVAL CINEMA
Edited by
Lynn T. Ramey and Tison Pugh
RACE, CLASS, ANDGENDERIN“MEDIEVAL” CINEMA
© Lynn T. Ramey and Tison Pugh, 2007.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any
manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief
quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
First published in 2007 by
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ISBN-13: 978–1–4039–7427–3
ISBN-10: 1–4039–7427–6
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Race, class, and gender in “medieval” cinema / edited by
Lynn T. Ramey and Tison Pugh.
p. cm.—(New Middle Ages)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1–4039–7427–6 (alk. paper)
1. Middle Ages in motion pictures. 2. Race in motion pictures.
3. Social classes in motion pictures. 4. Sex roles in motion pictures.
I. Ramey, Lynn Tarte, 1964– II. Pugh, Tison, 1970– III. Series.
PN1995.9.M52R33 2006
791.43’6552—dc22 2006044647
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Design by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd., Chennai, India.
First edition: March 2007
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America.
CONTENTS
List of Illustrations ix
Introduction: Filming the “Other” Middle Ages 1
Tison Pugh and Lynn T. Ramey
Part I Multicultural Identities: A Lost Ideal?
1 Once, Present, and Future Kings:
Kingdom of Heavenand the Multitemporality
of Medieval Film 15
Arthur Lindley
2 Chahine’s Destiny: Prophetic Nostalgia and
the Other Middle Ages 31
Don Hoffman
3 Reversing the Crusades: Hegemony, Orientalism,
and Film Language in Youssef Chahine’s Saladin 45
John M. Ganim
4 Samurai on Shifting Ground: Negotiating the Medieval
and the Modern in Seven SamuraiandYojimbo 59
Randy P. Schiff
Part II Barbarism and the Medieval Other
5 Vikings through the Eyes of an Arab Ethnographer:
Constructions of the Other inThe 13th Warrior 75
Lynn Shutters
6 Mission Historical, or “[T]here were a hell of a lot of knights”:
Ethnicity and Alterity in Jerry Bruckheimer’s King Arthur 91
Caroline Jewers
7 Inner-City Chivalry in Gil Junger’s Black Knight: A South
Central Yankee in King Leo’s Court 107
Laurie A. Finke and Martin B. Shichtman
viii CONTENTS
8 Queering the Medieval Dead: History, Horror,
and Masculinity in Sam Raimi’s Evil DeadTrilogy 123
Tison Pugh
Part III Romantic Values
9 In Praise of Troubadourism: Creating Community
in Occupied France, 1942–43 139
Lynn T. Ramey
10 Sexing Warrior Women in China’s Martial Arts
World: King Hu’s A Touch of Zen 155
Peter Lorge
11 The Hawk, The Wolf, and The Mouse:
Tracing the Gendered Other in Richard
Donner’sLadyhawke 169
Angela Jane Weisl
12 Chaucer’s Man Show: Anachronistic Authority
in Brian Helgeland’sA Knight’s Tale 183
Holly A. Crocker
13 The “Other” Women of Sherwood: The
Construction of Difference and Gender in
Cinematic Treatments of the Robin Hood Legend 199
Lorraine K. Stock and Candace Gregory-Abbott
Notes on Contributors 215
Index 219
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
1.1 Eva Green’s Sibylla in the tradition of exotic
Eastern female lead 25
2.1 Joseph (Fares Rahouma), nicknamed “Blue Eyes” 38
4.1 Heihachi explains the sign system he has used
for the improvised Army’s Banner 63
6.1 Guinevere (Keira Knightley) as Xena and
Madonna morphed 100
7.1 Jamal (Martin Lawrence) teaches the medieval
court how to dance 117
8.1 Evil Ash emerges from a vaginal-like cavity
in Good Ash’s shoulder 132
9.1 Gilles (Alain Cluny) and Anne (Marie Déa)
return the spectator’s gaze 145
10.1 The Abbot points Miss Yang back to
the monastery 161
13.1 Marian defends Robin Hood in front of
Guisbourne and John 205