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Galileo
🇮🇹 Italy The 16th CenturySomewhat overshadowed by Joseph Losey's 1975 film on the same subject, the 1968 Italian/Bulgarian biopic Galileo is a worthwhile picture in its own right. Irish stage and screen actor Cyril Cusack is well-cast as Galileo Galilei, famed astronomer and unintentional icon-buster. Stirring up controversy with his theory that the Earth is not the center of the Universe, Galileo is given a going-over by the Vatican legal system.
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Gates to Paradise
The 13th CenturyDirected by Polish auteur Andrzej Wajda, the obscure gem unfolds as a sort of 13th century Road Trip, with youthful hormones and selfish impatience trumping nearly all of the (supposedly) pious preoccupations of their handsome leader Jacques (blonde heartthrob John Fordyce, constantly and comically running his fingers through his Beatlesque moptop).
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Cervantes
🇪🇸 Spain 🇩🇿 Algeria The 16th CenturyThis epic Spanish biopic chronicles the life of Cervantes, Spain's great novelist, playwright and poet, during the 16th-century, when as a young man he goes to Italy to become a soldier for the Pope. Later he helps the Pope's emissary wage war against the Spanish Moors. His exploits win him great favor. He falls in love with a famous Italian courtesan and she with him. Unfortunately, the Pope splits them apart with his newest decree which demands that all prostitutes leave the city. Upset, Cervantes goes to fight in the famed sea battle of Lepanto and comes back a hero. Later he is captured by Barbary pirates and ransomed by Trinitarian friars.
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Camelot
England The Middle AgesRelive the songs. Relive the romance. Relive the music. Relive the drama. Relive the magic. — The plot of his illegitimate son Mordred to gain the throne, and Guinevere's growing attachment to Sir Lancelot, threatens to topple King Arthur and destroy his "round table" of knights.
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The Taming of the Shrew
🇮🇹 Italy The 16th CenturyThe motion picture they were made for! — Italy, 16th century. Petruchio, a choleric, lying and poor rural landowner from Verona, arrives in Padua in search of fortune and a wife, while Baptista, a wealthy merchant, announces that he will not allow Bianca, his youngest daughter, to marry until the temperamental and unruly Katherina, his eldest daughter, does.
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Marketa Lazarová
The 13th CenturyPutting the ‘dark’ back in the Dark Ages. — Mikolás and his brother Adam end up with a young German hostage of noble blood during a robbery. While their clan prepares for the wrath of the German king, Mikolás is sent to pressure his neighbor Lazar into a defense pact. Persuasion fails and he abducts Lazar's daughter Marketa on the eve of her initiation as a nun in an act of vengeance.
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A Challenge for Robin Hood
England The Middle AgesAfter being falsely accused of murder, Sir Robin of Loxley takes refuge in the untamed wilderness of Sherwood Forest where he stumbles across a group of outlaws. Although initially suspicious of the aristocrat's motives, the men are soon won over by his integrity and prowess and Robin transforms them into a formidable fighting force, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. As word of his fame and valour spreads, a legend is born.
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Doctor Faustus
The 16th CenturyThe story of a scientist who sells his soul to the devil — Faustus is a scholar at the University of Wittenberg when he earns his doctorate degree. His insatiable appetite for knowledge and power leads him to employ necromancy to conjure Mephistopheles out of hell. He bargains away his soul to Lucifer in exchange for living 24 years during which Mephistopheles will be his slave. Faustus signs the pact in his own blood and Mephistopheles reveals the works of the devil to Faustus.
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Dragon Inn
🇨🇳 China The 15th CenturyAfter having the emperor’s minister of defense executed, a power-grabbing eunuch sends assassins to trail the victim’s children to a remote point on the northern Chinese border. But that bloodthirsty mission is confounded by a mysterious group of fighters who arrive on the scene, intent on delivering justice and defending the innocent.
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The Cave of the Silken Web
🇨🇳 China The 7th CenturyMonkey King, Pig and Friar Sand must rescue his master Buddhist monk from seven witches / spiders who believe themselves to be immortal if they eat the monk's flesh. The third part of the Shaw Brothers film series about Monkey King after the novel "Journey to the West."
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King Cat
🇨🇳 China The 11th CenturyChang Yi plays Chan Chao, a knight of justice, who thwarts the plans of Minister Peng to assassinate the revered Judge Pao Cheng over and over again. Lo Lieh gives Chang a good run for his money as the evil and sinister henchman of Minister Peng.
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Hagbard and Signe
The Middle AgesThe mountain slopes of Iceland are shown to excellent advantage in the Scandinavian epic Hagbard and Signe. The story, based on an ancient legend, concerns Hagbard (Oleg Vidov), the son of a slain Norse king. Seeking revenge against the rival clan responsible for the killing, Hagbard calms down long enough to establish a truce. He also falls in love with Signe (Gitte Haenning), daughter of his onetime enemy. Signe's former beau, sizzling with jealousy, breaks the truce and makes it appear that Hagbard was responsible. The young prince escapes, but returns disguised as a woman to his beloved Signe. Thanks to a treacherous handmaiden, both lovers are imprisoned and sentenced to be hanged. Rather than undergo this final ignominy, Hagbard and Signe enter into a suicide pact. A Danish/ Swedish/ Icelandic coproduction, Hagbard and Signe was released throughout Scandinavia as Den Rode Kappe, Den Rodda Kappan and Rautha Skikkjan.
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The Aga's Testament
🇭🇺 Hungary The 16th CenturyIn 1585 the Turks and Vallons are looting the Látrány region.
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Frau Venus und ihr Teufel
The 13th CenturyHans Müller finds himself on a trip in Thüringen, accompanied by his loving female friend, Moritz. Hans doesn't understand much about trust, which constantly leads to problems between the two of them. During one of their fights, Lady Venus intervenes and sends the young man back to the Middle Ages - so he can learn the true meaning of love. Disguised as Tannhäuser, he has to stand his ground against a horde of minstrels. At a singing competition, he blunders, without the support of Moritz, who had also been thrown back into the 13th century. And with the help of Frau Venus, his adventure will surely turn out even worse...
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A Man for All Seasons
England The 16th Century...a motion picture for all times! — A depiction of the conflict between King Henry VIII of England and his Lord Chancellor, Sir Thomas More, who refuses to swear the Oath of Supremacy declaring Henry Supreme Head of the Church in England.
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Andrei Rublev
🇷🇺 Russia The 14th CenturyAn expansive Russian drama, this film focuses on the life of revered religious icon painter Andrei Rublev. Drifting from place to place in a tumultuous era, the peace-seeking monk eventually gains a reputation for his art. But after Rublev witnesses a brutal battle and unintentionally becomes involved, he takes a vow of silence and spends time away from his work. As he begins to ease his troubled soul, he takes steps towards becoming a painter once again.
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For Love and Gold
The 11th CenturyA group of rogues steal a scroll granting its bearer the property of the land of Aurocastro in Apulia (south of Italy). They elect a shaggy knight, Brancaleone from Norcia, as their leader, and decide to get possession of this supposedly wealthy land. Many adventures will occurr during the journey.
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The Fighting Prince of Donegal
🇮🇪 Ireland The 16th CenturyA brash young rebel inspires a fight for freedom! — Ireland 1587. Hugh O'Donnell inherits the title of The O'Donnell, the prince of Donegal, and tries to unite Ireland to make war on England. But then Hugh is kidnapped and imprisoned by the Viceroy of Ireland and held ransom for the Clans' good behavior. Hugh must escape prison and the Viceroy's villainous henchman, Captain Leeds, before he can fight.
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Knives of the Avenger
The Middle AgesA mysterious knife-throwing viking warrior protects a young peasant woman and her young son from the clutches of a evil regent bent on claiming the title of king and the woman for himself.
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Princess Iron Fan
🇨🇳 China The 7th CenturyThe mythological tale of a quest from China to India to bring back Buddhist scriptures, famous for the adventures of Sun Wukong, the notorious Monkey King.
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The Man Who Laughs
🇮🇹 Italy The 16th CenturyA 1966 French-Italian film version made in Italy, titled L'uomo che ride, directed by Sergio Corbucci. This version features elaborate colour photography but a very low production budget. The main action is shifted to Italy and moved yesterwards in time, with the deformed protagonist meeting Lucrezia Borgia instead of Queen Anne. In this version, Gwynplaine is renamed Angelo (played by Jean Sorel). His disfigurement is represented as a single broad slash across his mouth, crude yet convincing. The story (which is attributed, in the movie credits, to the director, producer and others involved in making the film, but not to Victor Hugo) is a swashbuckler pitting the disfigured acrobat against the henchmen of the Borgias. At the end, Dea (actress Lina Sini) miraculously acquires her eyesight and Angelo undergoes surgery that completely reverses his disfigurement and renders him perfectly handsome.
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The Devil in Love
🇮🇹 Italy The 15th CenturyYou never saw a guy so all fired up with burning passion... — Two devils from Hell are sent to Earth to cause trouble. Belfagor and his faithful sidekick Adramalek must start a war between Rome and Florence in 1478.
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Anarkali
The 16th CenturyPrince Salim, son of Akbar falls in love with Anarkali. Akbar forbids Salim to prolong this affair as he wanted his son to marry a Rajput princess and thereby strengthen communal harmony.
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Chimes at Midnight
England The 14th CenturyA Distinguished Company Breathes Life Into Shakespeare’s Lusty Age of FALSTAFF — The culmination of Orson Welles’s lifelong obsession with Shakespeare’s robustly funny and ultimately tragic antihero, Sir John Falstaff; the often soused friend of King Henry IV’s wayward son Prince Hal. Integrating elements from both Henry IV plays as well as Richard II, Henry V, and The Merry Wives of Windsor.
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Genghis Khan
🇲🇳 Mongolia The 13th Century The 12th CenturyOnly once in the furied history of adventure and conquest...did one man rule so vast an empire! — This is the story of the shy Mongol boy Temujin who,during the 13th century, becomes the fearless Mongol leader Genghis Khan that unites all Mongol tribes and conquers India,China,Persia,Korea and parts of Rusia,Europe and Middle-East.
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The Agony and the Ecstasy
🇻🇦 Holy See 🇮🇹 Italy The 16th CenturyFrom the age of magnificence comes a new magnificence in motion pictures. — Charlton Heston stars as Renaissance artist Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), who begrudgingly paints the Sistine Chapel for imperious Pope Julius II in this epic adaptation of Irvine Stone's novel directed by Carol Reed. While the novel covers Michelangelo's life from birth to death, the film focuses on the battle of wills between the perfectionist artist and the impatient Pope who commissions (and eventually commands) him to paint the famed chapel.
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The War Lord
🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇧🇪 Belgium The 11th CenturyHe Battled Two Empires For The Love Of One Woman. — A knight in the service of a duke goes to a coastal village where an earlier attempt to build a defensive castle has failed. He begins to rebuild the duke's authority in the face of the barbarians at the border and is making progress until he falls in love with one of the local women.
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Othello
🇨🇾 Cyprus 🇮🇹 Italy The 16th CenturyThe greatest Othello ever by the greatest actor of our time — The 1965 version of the Shakespeare play.
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The Mandrake
🇮🇹 Italy The 16th CenturyA young man hatches a plan to sleep with another man's infertile wife. Based on the play by Machiavelli.
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Marco the Magnificent
🇮🇹 Italy 🇨🇳 China 🇲🇳 Mongolia The 14th Century The 13th CenturyA story of endurance, savagery and heroism — Young Marco Polo travels to China to help Kublai Khan fight against rebels, headed by his own son, with a new invention: gunpowder.
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Two Vikings
🇮🇹 Italy The Middle Ages Ancient HistoryThe viking chief Hjorvard has two wild sons, Glum and Garm, both notorious berserkers.
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Goliath at the Conquest of Damascus
The Middle AgesGoliath...The Avenger - His Invincible Might Pitted Against the Armies of Corrupt Damascus — Goliath may be a villain in the Bible, but he's a good guy so far as the makers of this sword-and-sandal epic are concerned. Played by Rock Stevens (we'll just bet) that's his real name, Goliath comes to the aid of one King Selim. The villains have appropriated Selim's throne, and the Big One endeavors to get it back. Mario Petri costars in this Eastmancolor extravaganza. Goliath at the Conquest of Damascus was issued to television as part of the "Sons of Hercules" package.
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Erik the Viking
The Middle AgesViking chief Thorvald dies from a mortal combat wound. He realizes his son Erloff is not a worthy successor, but his will divides his property equally between him and Erik, the valiant son of his sister, who also gets his weapons and the mission to lead a sea-faring expedition to find new land for a settlement, crucial as their Scandinavian home village won't be able to resist the might of the Danish kingdom.
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Inside the Forbidden City
🇨🇳 China The 11th CenturyIt seems that Li Zhenfei was once an imperial concubine, who often found herself competing with her rival Madame Liu for the emperor's sole, undivided attention. When Li gives birth to the Emperor's child, the jealous Liu switches the boy with a cat and commands a servant named Kou Zhu to kill the baby. However, Kou Zhu ignores the order and gives the prince-to-be to the emperor's brother, a decision which eventually leads to the boy being adopted by the emperor himself! But as fate would have it, to go along with his new son, the emperor has a new wife as well - Madame Liu! As this strange new family unit is being constructed, poor Li Zhenfei has been confined to the forbidden palace, condemned to never see or speak to her son, the prince. But destiny reunites her with her son, but will this family reunion be a happy one? And will Madame Liu finally be punished for her treachery?
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The Mermaid
🇨🇳 China The 11th CenturyA Huangmei opera produced by Shaw Brothers about a carp spirit who transforms into an identical copy of a beautiful woman to win the heart of a lonely male scholar.
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Onibaba
The 14th CenturyThe most daring film import ever ... from Japan! — While her son, Kichi, is away at war, a woman and her daughter-in-law survive by killing samurai who stray into their swamp, then selling whatever valuables they find. Both are devastated when they learn that Kichi has died, but his wife soon begins an affair with a neighbor who survived the war, Hachi. The mother disapproves and, when she can't steal Hachi for herself, tries to scare her daughter-in-law with a mysterious mask from a dead samurai.
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Becket
England The 12th CenturyAn age of rampant lusts, abandon, runaway passions. An age brought bristling to life by two of the most exciting stars of our time! — King Henry II of England has trouble with the Church. When the Archbishop of Canterbury dies, he has a brilliant idea. Rather than appoint another pious cleric loyal to Rome and the Church, he will appoint his old drinking and wenching buddy, Thomas Becket, technically a deacon of the church, to the post. Unfortunately, Becket takes the job seriously and provides abler opposition to Henry.
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Robin and the 7 Hoods
Illinois England The 1920s The Middle AgesLike we've taken the Robin Hood legend and changed the bows and arrows to machine guns!... Like with songs yet!... Like WILD! — In prohibition-era Chicago, the corrupt sheriff and Guy Gisborne, a south-side racketeer, knock off the boss Big Jim. Everyone falls in line behind Guy except Robbo, who controls the north side. Although he's out-gunned, Robbo wants to keep his own territory. A pool-playing dude from Indiana and the director of a boys' orphanage join forces with Robbo; and, when he gives some money to the orphanage, he becomes the toast of the town as a hood like Robin Hood. Meanwhile, Guy schemes to get rid of Robbo, and Big Jim's heretofore unknown daughter Marian appears and goes from man to man trying to find an ally in her quest to run the whole show. Can Robbo hold things together?
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The Masque of the Red Death
🇮🇹 Italy The Middle AgesHorror has a face. — A European prince terrorizes the local peasantry while using his castle as a refuge against the "Red Death" plague that stalks the land.
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The Devil-Ship Pirates
The 16th CenturyA Hot-Blooded Crew of Cut-Throats! — A pirate ship, fighting in 1588 on the side of the Spanish Armada, suffers damage and must put into a village on the British coast for repairs. The village is small and isolated and the Spanish convince the villagers that the English fleet has been defeated and that they, the Spanish, are now their masters. This results in the villagers' sullen cooperation, but rumors and unrest begin to spread and soon the Spanish pirates find themselves facing a revolt.
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The Long Ships
Africa - General The 10th CenturyThe greatest Viking adventure of them all! — Rolfe—a Viking leader with the cunning and devious mind of a pirate—tells other sailors of the mythical 'The Mother of Voices', a mammoth bell made of gold and as tall as three men, but he adds enough incorrect details to throw them off the proper trail. However, the leader of a group of ambitious Moors sees through Rolfe's story, and soon the two are in a breakneck race to be the first to find the precious bell.
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The Female Prince
🇨🇳 China The 16th CenturyThe husband-and-wife team of Ivy Ling Po and Chin Han returned to another Huangmei Opera classic after Lady General Hua Mu-Lan. Helmed by Chow Sze-loke and written by Chang Cheh, the story revolved around two intellectual siblings, Ching Feng-sheng (Chin Feng) and Ching Feng-hsiao (Ivy Ling Po), who were constantly abused by their stepmother Hsia (Kao Pao-shu). Feng-hsiao was engaged to Li Ru-lung (Chin Han) since birth, but the greedy Hsia forced him to forfeit the marriage. When Ru-lung refused, Hsia framed him for thievery and put him behind bars. To rescue her lover, Feng-hsiao dressed as a young man and went to the capital. She then used Ru-lung's name to enter the national exam and was ranked first place. Impressed by Feng-hsiao, the Emperor decided to let her wed the Princess (Fang Ying). On the wedding night, Feng-hsiao revealed the truth to the Princess...
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The Long Hair of Death
The 14th CenturyIn a 15th-century feudal village, a woman is accused of witchcraft and put to death. Her beautiful older daughter knows the real reason for the execution lies in the lord's sexual desire for her mother. After confronting the lord on the matter, she, too, is killed. A much younger daughter is spared and taken in by her mother's killers. Once she is of age, as a horrible, deadly plague sweeps the land, she marries the lord's worthless son. Then, during a brutal thunderstorm, the older daughter mysteriously reappears and begins to avenge her mother's death.
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The Slave Merchants
The Middle AgesThe daughter of a noble man is sold into slavery, only to be later rescued by the film's hero. Repackaged from an original Sword-and-Sandal italian film.
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Hercules Against the Barbarians
The 13th CenturyThe eternal Hercules in this film has gone way beyond his usual time and place in ancient Greece and is now helping Poland free itself of Mongol invaders in the 12th century. Mark Forest is the star of this peplum epic, Hercules Against The Barbarians.
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The Gallant Musketeer
🇫🇷 France The 16th CenturySet against the troubled period of the Wars of Religion in France, at a time when the three Henries (Henri III, Henri de Guise and Henri de Béarn) vied for the the throne, these new adventures of Pardaillan have the gallant musketeer defend the rightful king Henri III.Jean gives his full to thwart the Duke of Guise's attempts to have the king assassinated. A heartthrob more than ever, Pardaillan will awake serious interest in many a girl, at times becoming their prey like with Bianca Farnese, De Guise's agent.
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Il vendicatore mascherato
🇮🇹 Italy The 14th Century - load more
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