Film Broads

We're at the end of the Henriad, and it's going out with a bang. That's right, we have another heavyweight match between Olivier and Branagh. Who will take the day at the battle of Agincourt?

One of these films didn't quite live up to the material. Guess which one.

Part 1 promised a thrilling conclusion and we got... well, something. Kind of a bummer, actually. Of course, this is just the middle of the trilogy so we can forgive it. At least we got more Hiddleston!

It's a tale of two Harrys. We're back in the histories, but this one is actually just good (promise!). Grab a capon and a cup of sack and settle in.

Three trousers parts, unorthodox legal documents and a whole lot of bigotry---what could it be but The Merchant of Venice? We're doing our best with this one, y'all. TW: Antisemitism, racism

It's now year two with the Bard, and we're kicking it off with a play that it's very possible you have never heard of. Who the heck is King John, and what does he have to do with the 1960s???

One year of Shakespeare come and gone, and to celebrate we're giving ourselves and you a little treat: we're talking Hamlet. It's not just any matchup, either. Today it's Branagh vs. Olivier, no holds barred. Who's the real prince of Denmark, and who is a quintessence of dust?

Heads up... the audio is real rough on this one. Sorry. We're comparing two versions of the play that makes people say, "wait, there was a Richard II?"

Romeo and Juliet is great--who'da thunk! But there's a lot to unpack in the two most famous film adaptations, and in the play itself. Zeffirelli article on Vulture: https://www.removepaywall.com/search?url=https://www.vulture.com/article/romeo-juliet-olivia-hussey-leonard-whiting-paramount-lawsuit.html#google_vignette Historical hose: https://rowantreeworkshop.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/202...

We may have gone a bit overboard on this one. In our defense, come on . It's A Midsummer Night's Dream! Content warning: excessive ranting about Mickey Rooney.

We didn't know anything about it either, but hey! It's a comedy! This is also the entrance of our man Kenny B to the podcast, and you really have to see it to believe it.

If it has so many errors, why didn't he just get an editor (I apologize immediately)? This is a wacky one, and each version has its own interesting celebrity cast member with differing degrees of likelihood. It's time for double trouble in Ephesus!

We're getting into the real stuff, folks. Come enjoy the antics of the man who was so evil everyone decided to chuck the whole royal family and start over from scratch.

The tragedy has landed! And oh buddy, what a tragedy it is. Luckily, there are a couple of actually good filmed versions of it. Trigger warning for basically everything.

We're back in comedy land, and this one is arguably less sexist than the last one! Though that might just be because it's mostly about dudes. You might have heard the title, but we bet dollars to donuts you couldn't tell us a thing about it. There are reasons why.

The trilogy ends here! Bigger battles! More stabbings! Tom Sturridge naked in a field! You don't want to miss the shocking conclusion to the Wars of the Roses!

Ok, jumping into the deep end already, huh? We discover why people don't stage the Henry VI trilogy, but also why we sort of wish they would.

The Shake Up has officially begun! We're starting with two adaptations of The Taming of the Shrew: Sam Taylor's film from 1929 and Franco Zeffirelli's from 1967.

Prithee attend! The Shake Up is coming January 29, 2025. We're comparing film adaptations of Shakespeare plays from the first to the last. Come for the bawdy jokes, stay for the pathos. It's going to be anything but stuffy, we promise. Theme music is Cantiga 166 by Hildegard Von Blingin'.

The journey has come to an end (because we simply can't do this any longer. That's how the grail quest ended, right?). Let's send it off with our most requested episode ever! In January, get ready for... The Shake Up!

Hallelujah, a serviceable film. Better than serviceable, it's actually pretty good! It looks like someone actually got Tristan and Isolde right, during a very big year for Arthuriana on film.

Thus concludes our last, torturous October on this Grail Quest, and it truly is the worst yet. All apologies to everyone who worked hard on this film, but listener, you should never, ever watch it. This is unhallowed ground.

We're not going to call it a good movie, but the bar is so low at this point. We had a good time and we can't ask for much more than that.

What if someone adapted the buckwild backstory of Merlin as though it was a bland, aughts-era hero boy story? It might look a little something like this... Bonus: Merlin and the Dragons (1991) is actually pretty nice!

Hey, it's something somebody may have actually watched! It was hugely popular when it aired, but does The Mists of Avalon hold up two decades later? **note: at the beginning of the episode there is brief discussion of the author of the book and her participation in CSA during her life**