Good Essay On Film Analysis

The Lion in Winter

The film “Lion in winter” has been made in 1968 in the United States and the United Kingdom. This is a historical drama directed by Anthony Harvey and produced by Joseph Levine. The film was made in the period of developing social movements in the United States and all over the world; this period is strongly associated with counter culture and the social norms and traditions revolution. Moreover, the Vietnam War was still going in that period of time, as well as Arab-Israeli conflict was extremely active.
The maim messages of the film are the real vague of the dysfunctional family, the high quality of political maneuvering and its importance for the effective rule of the leader. It also addresses to the problem of peace and war, and the importance of keeping good relationships with the other countries at any price. It examines the issues of aging and inheritance, and their meaning within the family of an influential person, such as King Henry II. The special importance represents the unusually realistic background, the real everyday life, appearance, traditions, and relations between the members of the royal family.
The film has the series of specific connections with the “Eleanor of Aquitaine” written by Jone Johnson Lewis as Eleanor was the wife of King Hendry II that was imprisoned by him (Johnson Lewis 2015). In the film, king decided to make her free because of the occasion - he is going to choose his heir on the Christmas Eve. Within the reading, Lewis mentions that Eleanor was known for having conflicts with Henry that can be an explanation of her position in the court. The author explains that in 1173 Henry’s sons rebelled against his father and Eleanor supported them. Henry put down this rebellious campaign and incarcerated Eleanor until 1183. This date matches with the date in the film. Moreover, the reading gives the information about the possible reason go Eleanor’s betrayal: it was her revenge for Henry’s adultery. In the film, he is going to marry his young mistress.

The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc

The film “The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc” is also a historical drama that was made in 1999 in France by famous director Luc Besson. The film was produced by Patrice Ledoux. That was the period of the economic boom in the United States, the period of rapid development of the European Union the period of great hopes and bright future in the new millennium. There were also several important military struggles as war in Kosovo, Dagestan and the conflicts in Kashmir.
As it was mentioned by the film director, the main idea of the film is not to depict the historical events of that period of time, but to show their relevance of this historical period for the contemporary period of time. Joan is demonstrated as a leader that has doubts and personal beliefs, she is emotional and thoughtful. The main idea seems to be that nobody can stay intact after experiencing the realities of the war. Moreover, the idea of Joan’s sanity is demonstrated in all parts of the film. This theme begins in her early childhood and is developing till the moment of her death and her final conversation with “The Conscience”.
The current film has the series of connection with the Edward Benson’s work “Oh, what a Lovely War! Joan of Arc on the Screen” as here the author also addresses the special meaning of warfare and its real impact on Joan’s’ personality (Benson 221-224). Together with that, Benson uses this case as an example of the general influence of war on human behavior and the change of life views. Another reading that has to be underlined is “Movies and the Maid: Joan of Arc Films” where the author addresses the sanity of Joan as well (Aberth 264-267). She is maid that is another factor that supports the image of the Christian canonic saint person. This research underlines the special meaning of her ideas in the case of her sanity. This theme is also underlined in the film as Joan’s decisions are made in accordance with the word of God or “The Conscience”.

Works Cited

Aberth, John. A Knight at the Movies: Medieval History on Film. NY: Psychology Press, 2008. Print.
Benson, Edward. Oh, What a Lovely War! Joan of Arc on Screen. V.“Stond and Delyver”: Teaching the Medieval Movie: 217-236.
Johnson Lewis, Jone. Eleanor of Aquitaine. The Women History, About, Inc., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2015.