Tristan and Isolde (2006)

In the Dark Ages, after the fall of the Roman Empire, weak Britain is divided into several clans, while the powerful Ireland, untouched by the Romans, dominates and ravages the British tribes. The just and noble British leader, Marke, meets with the other clan chiefs to try to unite the country, but they are attacked and slaughtered by the Irish army headed by Morholt. Marke loses one hand protecting the young Tristan, who had just lost his parents, and Marke raises the boy as if he were of his blood.

Years later, after another attack by the Irish forces, Tristan rescues his people, who had been captured to serve as slaves, and kills the brutal Morholt, to whom the beautiful Irish princess, Isolde, had been promised in marriage. Tristan is poisoned by the sword of Morholt, declared dead by his mates, and put on a boat as part of his funeral. The ship floats out to sea, and lands on the Irish shore.

Isolde, along with her maid-servant, Bradnae, finds the boat with Tristan in it, and hides him in a hut, where she nurses him back to health. In the process, they fall in love for each other, but with Isolde concealing her identity from Tristan.

When Tristan is about to be discovered by Irish guards, he escapes by boat back to Britain to avoid being captured and killed. Isolde's father, King Donnchadh, together with the British traitor Wictred, declares a joust as part of a plan to divide the British and make Wictred king, by promising the hand of Isolde to the winner. However, Tristan wins the tournament. Without knowing that Isolde is his love, Tristan offers her to Marke, in order to make Marke king and thus unify the British clans. When Tristan sees who Isolde is, he must decide between his friendship and loyalty to Marke and his love for Isolde.

The Story of Tristan and Iseult

The legend of Tristan and Iseult is an influential romance and tragedy, retold in numerous sources with as many variations. The tragic story is of the adulterous love between the Cornish knight Tristan (Tristram) and the Irish princess Iseult (Isolde, Yseult, etc.). The narrative predates and most likely influenced the Arthurian romance of Lancelot and Guinevere, and has had a substantial impact on Western art, the idea of romantic love and literature since it first appeared in the 12th century. While the details of the story differ from one author to another, the overall plot structure remains much the same.

Legend

There are two main traditions of the Tristan legend. The early tradition comprised the French romances of two poets from the second half of the twelfth century, Thomas of Britain and Béroul. Their sources could be traced back to the original, archetypal Celtic romance. Later traditions come from the Prose Tristan (c. 1240), which was markedly different from the earlier tales written by Thomas and Béroul. The Prose Tristan became the common medieval tale of Tristan and Iseult that would provide the background for the writings of Sir Thomas Malory, the English author, who wrote Le Morte d'Arthur (c. 1469).
The story and character of Tristan vary from poet to poet. Even the spelling of his name varies a great deal, although "Tristan" is the most popular spelling. Most versions of the Tristan story follow the same general outline.

After defeating the Irish knight Morholt, Tristan goes to Ireland to bring back the fair Iseult for his uncle King Mark to marry. Along the way, they ingest a love potion which causes the pair to fall madly in love. In the courtly version, the potion's effects last for a lifetime; in the common versions, the potion's effects wane after three years. In some versions, they ingest the potion accidentally; in others, the potion's maker instructs Iseult to share it with Mark, but she deliberately gives it to Tristan instead. Although Iseult marries Mark, she and Tristan are forced by the potion to seek one another as lovers. Although the typical noble Arthurian character would be shamed from such an act, the love potion that controls them frees Tristan and Iseult from responsibility. The king's advisors repeatedly try to have the pair tried for adultery, but again and again the couple use trickery to preserve their façade of innocence. In Béroul's version, the love potion eventually wears off, and the two lovers are free to make their own choice as to whether they cease their adulterous lifestyle or continue.

As with the Arthur-Lancelot-Guinevere love triangle, Tristan, King Mark, and Iseult all hold love for each other. Tristan honors, respects, and loves King Mark as his mentor and adopted father; Iseult is grateful that Mark is kind to her; and Mark loves Tristan as his son, and Iseult as a wife. But every night, they each have horrible dreams about the future. Tristan's uncle eventually learns of the affair and seeks to entrap his nephew and his bride. Also present is the endangerment of a fragile kingdom, the cessation of war between Ireland and Cornwall. Mark gets what seems proof of their guilt and resolves to punish them: Tristan by hanging and Iseult by burning on the stake, later putting her up in a lazar house (a leper colony). Tristan escapes on his way to the gallows by a miraculous leap from a chapel and rescues Iseult. The lovers escape into the forest of Morrois and take shelter there until they are discovered by Mark. They make peace with Mark after Tristan's agreement to return Iseult to Mark and leave the country. Tristan then travels on to Brittany, where he marries (for her name and her beauty) Iseult of the White Hands, daughter of Hoel of Brittany and sister of Sir Kahedin.

In the Prose Tristan and works derived from it, Tristan is mortally wounded by Mark, who treacherously strikes Tristan with a poisoned lance while the latter is playing a harp for Iseult. The poetic versions of the Tristan legend offer a very different account of the hero's death. According to Thomas' version, Tristan was wounded by a poison lance while attempting to rescue a young woman from six knights. Tristan sends his friend Kahedin to find Iseult, the only person who can heal him. Tristan tells Kahedin to sail back with white sails if he is bringing Iseult, and black sails if he is not. Iseult agrees to return to Tristan with Kahedin, but Tristan's jealous wife, Iseult of the White Hands, lies to Tristan about the colour of the sails. Tristan dies of grief, thinking that Iseult has betrayed him, and Iseult dies swooning over his corpse. Several versions of the Prose Tristan include the traditional account of Tristan's death found in the poetic versions. In some sources it states that two trees (hazel and honeysuckle) grow out of their graves and intertwine their branches so that they cannot be parted by any means. It was said that King Mark tried to have the branches cut three separate times, and each time, the branches grew back and intertwined, so therefore he gave up and let them grow.

A few later stories record that the lovers had a number of children. In some stories they produced a son and a daughter they named after themselves; these children survived their parents and had adventures of their own. In the romance Ysaie the Sad, the eponymous hero is the son of Tristan and Iseult; he becomes involved with the fay-king Oberon and marries a girl named Martha, who bears him a son named Mark.

Drama Films

A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women and corruption put the characters in conflict with themselves, others, society and even natural phenomena. Drama is the most broad of movies genres and includes subgenres as romantic drama, sport films, period drama, courtroom drama and crime.

At the center of a drama is usually a character or characters who are in conflict at a crucial moment in their lives. They often revolve around families; movies like Ordinary People dig under the skin of everyday life to ask big questions and touch on the deepest emotions of normal people. Dramas often, but not always, have tragic or at least painful resolutions and concern the survival of some tragic crisis, like the death of a family member (Terms of Endearment), or a divorce (Kramer vs Kramer). Some of the greatest screen performances come from dramas, as there is ample opportunity for actors to stretch into a role that most other genres cannot afford.

Drama films have been nominated frequently for the Academy Award (particularly Best Picture) - more than any other film genre.

Sub-genres

Dramatic films include a very large spectrum of film genres. Because of the large number of drama films, these movies have been sub-categorized:

• Crime drama and Legal drama – Character development based on themes involving criminals, law enforcement and the legal system.

• Historical drama (epic) (including War drama) – Films that focus on dramatic events in history.

• Docudrama: the difference between a docudrama and a documentary is that in a documentary it uses real people to describe history or current events; in a docudrama it uses professionally trained actors to play the roles in the current event, that is "dramatized" a bit. Not to be confused with docufiction.

• Comedy-drama: is in which there is an equal, or nearly equal balance of humor and serious content.

• Melodrama: a sub-type of drama films that uses plots that appeal to the heightened emotions of the audience. Melodramatic plots often deal with "crises of human emotion, failed romance or friendship, strained familial situations, tragedy, illness, neuroses, or emotional and physical hardship." Film critics sometimes use the term "pejoratively to connote an unrealistic, pathos-filled, campy tale of romance or domestic situations with stereotypical characters (often including a central female character) that would directly appeal to feminine audiences." Also called "women's movies", "weepies", tearjerkers, or "chick flicks". If they are targeted to a male audience, then they are called "guy cry" films.

• Romance: a sub-type of dramatic film which dwells on the elements of romantic love.

• Tragedy: a drama in which a character's downfall is caused by a flaw in their character or by a major error in judgment.

Romantic Films

Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus. Occasionally, lovers face obstacles such as finances, physical illness, various forms of discrimination, psychological restraints or family that threaten to break their union of love. As in all romantic relationships, tensions of day-to-day life, temptations (of infidelity), and differences in compatibility enter into the plots of romantic films.Romantic films often explore the essential themes of love at first sight, young with older love, unrequited love, obsessive love, sentimental love, spiritual love, forbidden love, sexual and passionate love, sacrificial love explosive and destructive love, and tragic love. Romantic films serve as great escapes and fantasies for viewers, especially if the two people finally overcome their difficulties, declare their love, and experience life "happily ever after", implied by a reunion and final kiss.

 

Subgenres

• Romantic drama is the quintessential romantic film. These films will typically place greater emphasis on the sex act and the figures of the lovers than do romantic comedies, and there is less use of the "trusted confidant" device. Music is often employed to indicate the emotional mood, creating an atmosphere of greater insulation for the couple. The conclusion of a romantic drama typically does not indicate whether a marriage will occur. An example of the romantic drama film is Bridges of Madison County.

• Chick flick is a term often associated with romance films as many are targeted to a female audience. Although many romance films may be targeted at women, this is not a defining characteristic of a romance film and a chick flick does not necessarily have a romance as a central theme, revolve around the romantic involvement of characters or even contain a romantic relationship. As such, the terms cannot be used interchangeably. Films of this genre include Dirty Dancing, The Notebook, Dear John, A Walk to Remember, and Romeo + Juliet.

• Romantic comedies are films with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as that true love is able to surmount most obstacles. Humor in such films tends to be of a verbal, low-key variety or situational, as opposed to slapstick. Films within this genre include, Love Actually, Moonstruck, It Happened One Night, When Harry Met Sally..., The Family Stone, 27 Dresses, and The Holiday.

• Romantic thriller is a genre of film which has a storyline combining elements of the romance film and the thriller genre. Some examples of romantic thriller films are, The Adjustment Bureau, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, The Phantom of the Opera, Super 8, The Tourist, The Twilight Saga, Unfaithful, and Wicker Park

Fantasy Films

Fantasy films are films with fantastic themes, usually involving magic, supernatural events, make-believe creatures, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered to be distinct from science fiction film and horror film, although the genres do overlap. Fantasy films often have an element of magic, myth, wonder, escapism, and the extraordinary.

In fantasy films, the hero often undergoes some kind of mystical experience and must ask for assistance from powerful, superhuman forces. Ancient Greek mythological figures or Arabian Nights-type narratives are the typical storylines. Flying carpets, magic swords and spells, dragons, and ancient religious relics or objects are common elements. Bizarre and imaginary, invented lands include sci-fi worlds, fairy tale settings or other whimsical locales are common settings.


Usually, the main characters in fantasies are princes or princesses. Some fantasy-type films might also include quasi-religious or supernatural characters such as angels, lesser gods, fairies or in the case of live action/animation hybrids cartoon characters. Or they include gnomes, dwarves and elves. Strange phenomena and incredible characters (like monstrous characters that are divine or evil spirits or magicians and sorcerers) are put into fantasy films, and often overlap with supernatural films.


Fantasy films are most likely to overlap with the film genres of science fiction and horror. When the narrative of a fantasy film tends to emphasize advanced technology in a fantastic world, it may be considered predominantly a science fiction film. Or when the supernatural/fantasy forces are specifically intended to frighten the audience, a fantasy film falls more within the horror genre.


Genre definition


The boundaries of the fantasy literary genre are not well-defined, and the same is therefore true for the film genre as well. Categorizing a movie as fantasy may thus require an examination of the themes, narrative approach and other structural elements of the film.


For example, much about the Star Wars saga suggests fantasy, yet it has the feel of science fiction, whereas much about Time Bandits (1981) suggests science fiction, yet it has the feel of fantasy. Some film critics borrow the literary term Science Fantasy to describe such hybrids of the two genres.
Animated films featuring fantastic elements are not always classified as fantasy, particularly when they are intended for children. Bambi, for example, is not fantasy, nor is 1995's Toy Story, though the latter is probably closer to fantasy than the former. The Secret of NIMH from 1982, however, may be considered to be a fantasy film because there is actual magic involved.

Other children's movies, such as Walt Disney's 1937 classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is also difficult to categorize. Snow White features a medieval setting, dwarven characters, the use of sorcery, and other tropes common to fantasy. Yet many fans of the genre do not believe such movies qualify as fantasy, placing them in instead in a separate fairy tale genre.


Superhero films also fulfill the requirements of the fantasy or science fiction genres but are often considered to be a separate genre. Some critics, however, classify superhero literature and film as a subgenre of fantasy (Superhero Fantasy) rather than as an entirely separate category.


Films that rely on magic primarily as a gimmick, such the 1976 film Freaky Friday and its 2003 re-make in which a mother and daughter magically switch bodies, may technically qualify as fantasy but are nevertheless not generally considered part of the genre.


Surrealist film also describes the fantastic, but it dispenses with genre narrative conventions and is usually thought of as a separate category. Finally, many Martial arts films feature medieval settings and incorporate elements of the fantastic (see for example Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), but fans of such films do not agree if they should also be considered examples of the fantasy genre.

Subgenres

Several sub-categories of fantasy films can be identified, although the delineations between these subgenres, much as in fantasy literature, are somewhat fluid.


The most common fantasy subgenres depicted in movies are High Fantasy and Sword and Sorcery. Both categories typically employ quasi-medieval settings, wizards, magical creatures and other elements commonly associated with fantasy stories.


High Fantasy films tend to feature a more richly developed fantasy world, and may also be more character-oriented or thematically complex. Often, they feature a hero of humble origins and a clear distinction between good and evil set against each other in an epic struggle. Many scholars cite J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings novel as the prototypical modern example of High Fantasy in literature, and the recent Peter Jackson film adaptation of the books is a good example of the High Fantasy subgenre on the silver screen.

Sword and Sorcery movies tend to be more plot-driven than high fantasy and focus heavily on action sequences, often pitting a physically powerful but unsophisticated warrior against an evil wizard or other supernaturally-endowed enemy. Although Sword and Sorcery films sometimes describe an epic battle between good and evil similar to those found in many High Fantasy movies, they may alternately present the hero as having more immediate motivations, such as the need to protect a vulnerable maiden or village, or even being driven by the desire for vengeance.


The 1982 film adaptation of Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian, for example, is a personal (non-epic) story concerning the hero's quest for revenge and his efforts to thwart a single megalomaniac—while saving a beautiful princess in the process. Some critics refer to such films by the term Sword and Sandal rather than Sword and Sorcery, although others would maintain that the Sword and Sandal label should be reserved only for the subset of fantasy films set in ancient times on the planet Earth, and still others would broaden the term to encompass films that have no fantastic elements whatsoever. To some, the term Sword and Sandal has pejorative connotations, designating a film with a low-quality script, bad acting and poor production values.


Another important sub-genre of fantasy films that has become more popular in recent years is Contemporary Fantasy. Such films feature magical effects or supernatural occurrences happening in the "real" world of today. The most prominent example in the early 21st century is the Harry Potter series of films adapted from the novels of J. K. Rowling.

Films with live action and animation such as Disney's Mary Poppins, Pete's Dragon, Enchanted (film) and the Robert Zemeckis film Who Framed Roger Rabbit are also fantasy films although are more often referred to as Live action/animation hybrids (2 of those are also classified as a musicals).
Fantasy films set in the afterlife, called Bangsian Fantasy, are less common, although films such as the 1991 Albert Brooks comedy Defending Your Life would likely qualify. Other uncommon subgenres include Historical Fantasy and Romantic Fantasy, although 2003's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl successfully incorporated elements of both.


As noted above, superhero movies and fairy tale films might each be considered subgenres of fantasy films, although most would classify them as altogether separate movie genres.

Research into Melusine

I did a lot of research into the legend of Melusine. Melusine is a figure of European legends and folklore who is feminine spirit of fresh waters in sacred springs and rivers. She is usually depicted as a woman who is a serpent or fish from the waist down (much like a mermaid).

There are many tales of the serpant woman Melusine from the celtic west of Europe to Germany & the Nordic countries. Even the native Americans have their own version of the story. Melusine's tale has inspired many great storytellers; for example The Brothers Grimm's The Little Mermaid, Hans Christan's The Little Mermaid which then leads to Disney's version of The Little Mermaid (1989). Melusine also inspired Irish director, Neil Jordan to create Ondine (2010).

This is a video clip of Melusine's story. It is in french though.

I found the legend that Phillipa Gregory told in The White Queen fascinated me and made me hunger for more.

One evening in the forest of Coulombiers, at the end of a long day’s hunting, Aimeric Counto Poitiers and his nephew Raimondin set off in pursuit of a wild boar. They far out-distanced their attendants and arrived at the outskirts of La Font de Ce, quite near Lusignan. There, during the excitement of the kill, Raimondin accidentally dealt his uncle a fatal blow. Overcome by deep sorrow, aghast and contrite at this action the young man was on his way back to confess what he had done when, at a bend in the road he caught sight of three maidens dancing in a glade by the light of the moon.

One of them smiled and spoke to him. Her name was Mélusine. She was a fairy, daughter of Elinas King of Albania and the fairy Pressine. A terrible curse lay on her. Pressine had punished her for her bad behaviour towards her father by condemning her to a sad immortality unless she married a loving knight who was not inquisitive and who agreed never to see her on Saturdays because on that day she had to bathe and watch her beautiful long legs turn into a horrid scaly tail, and if her husband saw her like this, she would never again take on human form.

Raimondin was attracted by the young girl's intelligence and beauty and asked her to marry him. He swore he would never try to see her on a Saturday. Mélusine was delighted to find a husband and accepted. She suggested that he should provide the lands and the castle. But Raimondin, who was not wealthy, wondered what lands and what castle?Once back at court, Raimondin who was very happy but very sad also tried to solve his problem by blaming the boar for the death of the Count. Then, during the ceremony of homage to the new Count of Poitou on Melisine's advice he asked for as much land as would fit into a deerskin. "How stupid" said the assembled lords. However, to everybody's consternation, the deerskin was cut into narrow strips and laid end to end and marked out an enormous area. "Never mind" said the lords, "he still hasn't got a castle". Their complacency was short-lived for in one night, right in the middle of the territory with an apron-full of stones and a mouthful of water Mélusine built the splendid castle of Luisignan. Moreover, so that her husband might be the most powerful lord in the region, she amused herself on certain nights by studding the surrounding hills with mighty fortresses.

However, so much good fortune gave rise to unkind comments and covetousness. Where did Mélusine's fairly-like beauty come from? Why was it that each of the ten children of Raimondin and Mélusine, all boys had some strange physical characteristics? One had only one eye and that was in the middle of his forehead. another had a lion's claw on his cheek; another one enormous ear; and yet another Geoffroy, Mélusine's favourite and it was said the most wicked had a huge tooth protruding from his mouth. And why did Mélusine shut herself away every Saturday?

Raimondin followed the advice of a jealous brother, to try to solve this secret of his wife's. He surprised Mélusine in her bath, combing her long fair hair and swishing her horrible fish tail. Hardly had he taken this fatal step than the fairy screamed and with a great noise like the flapping of wings she flew out of the window voicing a terrible curse on the castles she had built. But she came back to suckle her last child, and some say that on certain nights she still comes to haunt the ruins of her castles.

Media Inspiration - The Shadow of the Tower

The Shadow of the Tower (1972)

Historical dramas are all the rage on TV these days, from Showtime’s The Tudors and upcoming The Borgias to Starz’s Spartacus. Forty years ago, BBC already was forging the genre with their acclaimed series about the history of British royalty. First came The Six Wives of Henry VIII in 1970, chronicling the same time period The Tudors later would cover, and focusing on a different wife of Henry in each of its six episodes. Elizabeth R followed in 1971 with a recounting of the rise and reign of Henry VIII’s daughter, Elizabeth I. The Shadow of the Tower aired in 1972 as the third series, a prequel to the first. More than twice as long as each of the first two series, The Shadow of the Tower tells the story of Henry VII in its thirteen episodes, detailing a less frequently dramatized era of the Tudor dynasty.

James Maxwell stars as Henry Tudor, and the series opens with his rise to the throne upon defeating Richard III in battle at the conclusion of the War of the Roses. Henry VII was the final British king to secure the throne through combat, and one of the struggles shown throughout The Shadow of the Tower is his attempt to hold onto the seat and power he won. We also see Henry’s courtship of and eventual marriage to Elizabeth of York, played by Norma West. Their children will be familiar to nearly anyone who has heard of the Tudors as the series depicts the birth and early life of Henry VIII and his siblings. Behind all the family drama and history is a rich history of royal politics and post-war power struggles.


The story of Henry VII usually takes a backseat to that of his more notorious and flamboyant heir, so a lot of The Shadow of the Tower may be new even to those previously interested in the Tudors. The series characterizes Henry VII in a balanced manner, showing him at his best and at his worst, and delivering some believable period settings that probably feel even more authentic thanks to the age of the production itself.

TUDORS IN THE MOVIES AND TV SERIES

Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)

Henry VIII of England discards one wife, Katharine of Aragon, who has failed to produce a male heir, in favor of the young and beautiful Anne Boleyn.

Elizabeth (1998)


A film of the early years of the reign of Elizabeth I of England and her difficult task of learning what is necessary to be a monarch.

In the Shadow of the Tower (1972)

A series of dramas by various writers recording the key events in the reign of Henry Tudor and his founding of the Tudor Dynasty

The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)

A sumptuous and sensual tale of intrigue, romance and betrayal set against the backdrop of a defining moment in European history: two beautiful sisters, Anne and Mary Boleyn, driven by their family's blind ambition, compete for the love of the handsome and passionate King Henry VIII.

The Tudors (2007-2010)

A dramatic series about the reign and marriages of King Henry VIII.