Old times, new worlds': Representation of British kings in Hollywood and British cinema in the 2010s.

Abstract

My area of research is the representations of British kings within the medieval period which are subject to mythological action films produced in Hollywood and British cinema in the 2010s. British kings in cinema have often been subject to patriotic signifiers for filmmakers. However, with the increase of globalisation and the changes in masculinity in the 2010s, filmmakers have found new approaches to the construction of kings to make them relevant and more likeable for both national and international audiences. Through reference to historical films, stardom and medievalism in cinema discourses my thesis reassesses the portrayals of medieval king figures in terms of their representations of heroic masculinity. This research will explore the question of how ‘King Films’ can be read as a cultural barometer charting shifts in discourses of masculinity and broader gender politics in Western society, emphasizing specifically US and British societies, in the 2010s. In chapter one, I review the literature on British monarchy films and questions of medievalism in cinema and historical film, star studies and history and the representation of masculinity. The aims of his thesis, the rationale for the selection of case studies, methodology, and theoretical approaches will all be laid out in this very first chapter. Chapter two concentrates on the film and television portrayals of British monarchs and royal family members in general and the depiction of Britain’s medieval kings in cinema in the 2010s. I will present my original contributions in chapters three, four, and five by examining portrayal of three different medieval kings in relation to the contemporary discussions of masculinity. A major part of chapter three will deal with the portrayal of Henry V in David Michôd’s The King (2019) and the critique of ‘toxic’ masculinity in the film. Chapter four will focus on how the figure of King Arthur in Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017) resonates to the ideas concerning class and masculinity and national identity in the age of 6 Brexit. Chapter five will be centred around the depiction of Robert De Bruce in David Mackenzie’s Outlaw King (2018) and the exemplary form of contemporary representation of masculinity. Emphasis will be placed on the film’s nuanced portrayal of Scottishness and its intersection with notions of masculinity

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ORCID for Mustafa Kocabinar: orcid.org/0000-0002-2948-4235

ORCID for Michael Williams: orcid.org/0000-0001-5386-5567

ORCID for Huw Jones: orcid.org/0000-0002-6446-9575

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