In a move designed to subordinate the Catholic Church to the state, Henry II gave the office of the Archbishop of Canterbury to his close friend and ally Thomas Becket. With Becket now installed as his 'man on the inside' Henry could be forgiven for thinking that the church would more easily acquiesce to his bidding. Henry, however, had neither bargained on Becket's ecclesiastical fervour nor realized his zealous nature. Thus the stage was set for one of the greatest battles of supremacy between find out more...

Benkei, a master fighter and killer, vows never to take another life after his conversion to a syncretic form of Buddhism, but he lives in the time of the Genji-Heike clan wars and it becomes his fate to clash with a trio of fighters known only as "the demons". Taking up his sword once more, he sets out to end their murderous terror. This mix of sword and sorcery and samurai traditions is visibly resplendent and musically resonant, and lots of swords clash and blood squirts, not bad really. find out more...

Balian's a blacksmith, his mum's dead, as is his young wife and until a knight on the way to the crusades comes clip clopping along he's had no idea who his dad is either. Invited to join the crusades, Balian, after a disagreement with the church, decides to join his new found father and so begins legend. Settled in the Holy Land, Balian swiftly proves himself a fierce warrior and a man of integrity, earning the respect of not only his men but his Moslem foes…and the love of a princess. Surroun find out more...

Highly rated French comedy that follows the strange tale of Count Godefroy and his sidekick Jacquouille who are accidentally thrown forward in time from the 12th Century. Modern life, where he finds their castle is now an upmarket chateau-restaurant run by Godefroy's distant relative the effete B�atrice (Lemercier), has them baffled. Shot in the verdant hills of Languedoc, a slapstick, Pythonesque blend of Time Bandits, Tati and Benny Hill; a lunatic farce with exquisite period detail and soph find out more...

An intelligent and genuinely creepy adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe's novel. Set in 12th Century Italy; Prince Prospero watches from the giddy heights of his castle as the plague decimates those below him, all the while contempating the delicious torture of his guests. Superbly atmospheric camera work by Nicolas Roeg and the camp wickedness of Vincent Price make for haunting viewing. find out more...

This lavishly photographed and costumed action-drama-epic sticks to what we know of Genghis's early years, although that's not much, telling the story of how a young tribal boy overcame many obstacles, including slavery, to become a legendary conqueror. The widescreen suits this 'big sky' country and there is something remarkably authentic about the yurts and the costumes. Chosen for marriage, at the age of nine, by a female child, Borte, while he thinks he's doing the chosing, she becomes one o find out more...

Set in medieval Kyoto, this is an engrossing tale of rape and murder in which contradictory accounts of events are later related from the perspectives of four of those involved. A film which awakened the West to the richness of Japanese cinema. find out more...

One of the truily great adventure movies, the type that Star Wars paid tribute to, and an example of what the large studios could produce. Glorious colour, sumptuos sets, and a brilliantly choreographed climatic sword fight between Flynn and Rathbone. find out more...

From the BBC's exhaustive and typically exemplary adaptations of some of the great bard's best known plays and, like this, a number of his lesser known works, all filmed in the late 70s and early 80s and performed by pretty much the cream of British theatre. The five acts depict a dizzying change of alliances, a Papal excommunication and subsequent acceptance, and the play ends finally with King John's death at the hands of a monk. find out more...

An Oscar winning historical drama and deservedly so. The dialogue has to be the best quasi-Shakespearean wit ever written. Henry II lets his wife out of her castle for a weekend and all the family engage in a mass of plotting as they all try to stab each other in the back. Brilliant!! find out more...