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PODCAST

Media-eval: A Medieval Pop Culture Podcast

Media-eval: A Medieval Pop Culture Podcast

Sarah Ifft Decker, a medieval historian, explores how movies, tv, and books depict the medieval world. What did they get right? What did they get wrong? And what do they tell us about how modern people think about the medieval past?

tv & film

All Episodes

01:32:27

Dragonheart

Media-eval: A Medieval Pop Culture Podcast ·

2020/06/13

Guests Mary Galvin and Sally Whiting (Instagram:@_the_writer_and_the_artist; YouTube: The Writer and the Artist)join Sarah to talk about Dragonheart, a movie that cannot decide whether it is a children's movie or a sex comedy about a dragon-human throuple. We delve into the epic dragon-elephant battles that should have been in this movie, and what actually happened in the year 984 (hint: it was not abolishing the monarchy).

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01:42:58

SIX the Musical

Media-eval: A Medieval Pop Culture Podcast ·

2020/05/30

Join Sarah and guests Meghan Griffin and Tracy Tanoff as we gush about our new favorite adaptation featuring of the wives of Henry VIII (at least, until our own novels come out). I hope listeners will be inspired to check out the soundtrack and support the creators during this difficult time while theaters are closed. CW: one song (and therefore also our discussion of it) includes themes of grooming and sexual assault.

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01:40:52

The Other Boleyn Girl

Media-eval: A Medieval Pop Culture Podcast ·

2020/05/17

Imagine you took everything that was intriguing about the life story of Anne Boleyn ... and then somehow made an extremely boring movie. You would have The Other Boleyn Girl. Join Sarah and guest Dana Carriere as we discuss how truth can be more interesting than fiction, and the real story of Anne Boleyn. Come back in 2 weeks for an episode on another (better) piece of media related to the wives of Henry VIII!

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02:26:14

Brethren by Robyn Young

Media-eval: A Medieval Pop Culture Podcast ·

2020/05/03

Media-eval tackles another book! Join Sarah and guest Tegan Robinson for a discussion of Brethren by Robyn Young. Highlights include Jew Watch (spoiler: there aren't any), medieval manic pixie dream girls, and the real secret of the Templars - that they're less interesting than you expect (unless you really like economic history).

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01:19:57

Life Of Brian

Media-eval: A Medieval Pop Culture Podcast ·

2020/04/18

Happy belated Easter and Passover! In honor of the holidays, Media-eval travels a bit further back in time with a special episode on Monty Python's Life of Brian - with a special guest, Roman history enthusiast (and Sarah's Dad) Richard Ifft. Join us as we talk Latin grammar and Roman Judea, and ponder the question: What have the Romans ever done for us?

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01:17:00

I Am Dragon

Media-eval: A Medieval Pop Culture Podcast ·

2020/04/05

Sarah and guest Christine Fredrickson get into certain NSFW functions of fire and medieval dragon lore in the 2015 Russian film I Am Dragon (aka The Dragon Inside Me).

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01:42:21

Virgin Spring

Media-eval: A Medieval Pop Culture Podcast ·

2020/03/22

CW for rape/sexual assault/murder So ... this movie was pretty rough? Sarah and returning guest Morgan Morales talk about problematic portrayals of sexual violence, plus ideas about purity, piety, and martyrdom, in the second film of our medieval Ingmar Bergman retrospective. RIP, Max von Sydow - while we stand by our plot and character critiques he gave an incredible performance. Media-eval is prepared to continue through this period of social distancing, as all recording is already done

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01:23:18

The Seventh Seal

Media-eval: A Medieval Pop Culture Podcast ·

2020/03/08

Sarah and returning guest Morgan Morales tackle the crisis of the fourteenth and twentieth centuries in Ingmar Bergman's 1957 film The Seventh Seal. Join us as we wonder yet again why people think the Black Death immediately followed the Crusades. This will be the first of a two-part discussion on Bergman's medieval-inspired films. CW: consent issues/threatened sexual assault

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02:08:18

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Media-eval: A Medieval Pop Culture Podcast ·

2020/02/22

Sarah and guest Caroline Gruenbaum discuss Media-eval's inaugural book! Join us as we talk about medieval Jews real and fantastical in Naomi Novik's Spinning Silver.

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01:25:38

Le Moine et la Sorciere / Sorceress (1987)

Media-eval: A Medieval Pop Culture Podcast ·

2020/02/08

In honor of the often unrecognized work done by women in film (*cough* Oscars 2020 *cough*)Sarah and guest Kourtnea Hogan cover Le Moine et la Sorciere, known in English as Sorceress, directed by Suzanne Schiffman. Join us as we delve into what they got right and wrong about the true story of a dog venerated as a saint in medieval France! CW for sexual assault; dog death

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01:57:54

The Name of the Rose (2019)

Media-eval: A Medieval Pop Culture Podcast ·

2020/01/26

Looks like Media-eval accidentally ended up with the world's worst monthly theme: it's Inquisition January, I guess? Join Sarah and fellow medievalist Kevin Lord as we delve into heresy, medieval debates about poverty, whether Christ laughed, and how The Name of the Rose (2019) managed to make eight hours of television and still (spoiler alert) not have a single surviving named female character. CW for rape (again...), torture, and negative portrayal of a disabled character.

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02:30:16

Berserk (2016)

Media-eval: A Medieval Pop Culture Podcast ·

2020/01/11

Sarah and guest Elaine Pauls had a LOT to say about Berserk! Join us as we get into portrayals of medieval violence and narratives of progress, taking religion seriously, and the history of the Inquisition in Media-eval's first non-Western depiction of a medieval European-inspired universe. CW: this anime series includes a LOT of graphic violence, torture, and sexual assault; we address this in detail during the episode.

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02:08:32

The Knight Before Christmas

Media-eval: A Medieval Pop Culture Podcast ·

2019/12/28

Happy Holidays from Media-eval! Sarah and guest Meghan Griffin watched Netflix Christmas offering The Knight Before Christmas and ... well, we have thoughts. Join us as we discuss the least religious knight in medieval Europe; the history of Christmas traditions; and the weird idealization of both 21st-century American cops & 14th-century knights.

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01:59:10

Elizabeth

Media-eval: A Medieval Pop Culture Podcast ·

2019/12/14

Sarah and guest Shannon Campe (Little Women: A Modern Audio Drama) tackle Elizabeth, in which 20+ years become 2 and loyal adherents inexplicably become traitors! In an unsurprising turn of events, Baby Theon Greyjoy betrays his family; in a more surprising turn of events, James Bond crosses himself a lot.

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02:03:33

El Cid

Media-eval: A Medieval Pop Culture Podcast ·

2019/11/30

Ever wanted to hear two scholars of medieval Iberia get very, very annoyed? Then this is the episode for you! Sarah and guest Kyle Lincoln get into the politicization of medieval "Spanish" history under the Franco regime - and wonder why the 1961 El Cid movie cut out most of the Cantar de Mio Cid.

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02:09:45

Vikings (Season 1)

Media-eval: A Medieval Pop Culture Podcast ·

2019/11/16

Sarah and guest Ally Pitts (Russophiles Unite! Movie Podcast) discuss medieval gender roles, raiding and trading, and the mystery of how all those snakes made it to England in the TV show Vikings (Season 1). CW for rape/sexual assault, as well as for regular uncritical use of the term Anglo-Saxon - as a Mediterraneanist, I was not aware of the debates surrounding this term until after having recorded this episode. As listeners may guess, this episode was actually recorded before the 13th Warrior

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02:05:16

The 13th Warrior

Media-eval: A Medieval Pop Culture Podcast ·

2019/11/02

As the Oracle hath foretold, on this day, the host shall become the guest ... that's right! It's Media-eval's first podcast-iversary and original co-host Ollie is back to talk with Sarah about his favorite movie, The 13th Warrior!

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02:11:25

The Lion In Winter

Media-eval: A Medieval Pop Culture Podcast ·

2019/10/19

This is a long one because Sarah and guest Morgan Morales couldn't stop gushing about both Eleanor of Aquitaine and Katherine Hepburn. Join us as we discuss the soap opera that is the Plantagenet royals of England, medieval use of classical references, and how Henry II was not, in fact, a decade older than the Pope.

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01:41:40

Becket

Media-eval: A Medieval Pop Culture Podcast ·

2019/10/05

Sarah and guest Ben Paul watch classic 1964 film Becket - one of the first medieval movies Sarah ever saw, and one of the many movies for which Peter O'Toole was robbed of an Oscar. Join us for a discussion of piercing blue eyes, what happened to Becket's tomb, and whether Thomas Becket is really the worst Englishman in history. Also, get ready for next week - this episode will be followed by its unofficial sequel Lion in Winter, in which Peter O' Toole reprises his role as Henry II! CW: Sexual

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01:59:04

Maid Marian and Her Merry Men

Media-eval: A Medieval Pop Culture Podcast ·

2019/09/21

Medievalist and stand-up comedian Mabel Slattery introduces Sarah to Maid Marian and Her Merry Men, a British children's show that makes Marian the real hero - and Robin Hood a very unimpressive figure. Join us as we discuss the origins of the Robin Hood legend and the challenges of robbery in a cash-poor society, while Mabel gives Sarah (who had never heard the word "snooker" before) a crash course in British culture.

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163 results

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