Family Movie Nights for Classical Conversations Cycle 2 (Medieval History & Astronomy)

Medieval History Family Movies

• Week 1 – Charlemagne
  • The Sword in the Stone (1963) – The Sword in the Stone is a funny, family-friendly film that has a light-hearted take on the legend of King Arthur. For many viewers, it is the sense of nostalgia the film generates that makes it such a great film.
  • The Sword (13+) – In 730 A.D., young Garron is given the task to defend his home and his family as his father rides to war. That task proves to be difficult as the calamity strikes and the enemy closes in. Ever obedient, Garron must rely on his father’s guidance and God’s strength to overcome the odds – or risk death for all that he loves.

• Week 2 – William the Conqueror
  • A Knight’s Tale (13+) – A Knight’s Tale is an examination of what life might’ve been like for those living in the Middle Ages, yet it’s presented in a fun way that makes it easier for modern audiences to connect with. A story of jousting.
  • William the Conqueror (ages 13+) – The year is 1066. William, the noble son of the late Duke of Normandy, embarks on a quest to invade medieval England in a quest to seize the rightful power of his homeland. Aided by his loyal men, a bloody battle ensues and William fights to fulfill his destiny and become the first Norman King of England.
• Week 3 – The Crusades
  • The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) (PG) – Errol Flynn stars in the swashbuckling role that made him a star as the legendary hero Robin Hood.
  • Or if you prefer an animated version this Disney Robin Hood classic is great for all ages.
  • Adventures of Robin Hood TV Series (38 episodes) (13+) – Robin Hood, the valiant swashbuckler, fights the forces of greedy Prince John and defends the common folk from the vile Sheriff of Nottingham. Robin and his band of Merry Men live in the shelter of Sherwood Forest, fighting their foes and hoping for the return of their beloved King Richard to rule once again.
  • The Lion in Winter (1968) (PG) – The hateful family King Henry II is brought together to secure an heir. The destructive relationships in the family erupt as they scheme to determine who will be the future king.
• Week 4 – Magna Carta
  • Prince Valiant (all ages) – Set in England during the time of King Arthur, a young Viking, Prince Valiant, seeks to become a knight in Camelot.
• Week 5 – Hundred Years’ War
  • The Prince and the Pauper (ages 7+) – Two boys resembling each other meet accidentally and exchange “roles”.
  • Joan Of Arc: God’s Warrior (13+) – Explore the life and death of Joan of Arc, an extraordinary female warrior in an age that believed women couldn’t fight let alone lead an army. But driven by faith, Joan has become an icon for almost everyone – the left and the right, Catholics and Protestants, traditionalists and feminists.
• Week 6 – Renaissance
  • Leo Da Vinci: Mission Mona Lisa (7+) – A young Leonardo Da Vinci helps his friend Lisa to recover her house after it was destroyed by a fire, and they set off in search of a fabulous treasure.
• Week 7 – Reformation
  • Torchlighters: Martin Luther – In a world ruled by the church, all it took was one little nail, one well-written scroll, and one sharp-tongued monk to turn everything upside-down! Martin Luther didn’t mean to spark the Reformation with his 95 Theses, but his realization that salvation comes through faith and not works ignited the revolution that changed the world.
  • Luther (13+) – Regional princes and the powerful church wield a fast, firm and merciless grip over 16th-century Germany. But when Martin Luther issues a shocking challenge to their authority, the people declare him their new leader – and hero. Even when threatened with violent death, Luther refuses to back down, sparking a bloody revolution that shakes the entire continent to its core.
• Week 8 – European Explorers
  • The Three Musketeers (PG) – The three colorful musketeers fight to save the King of France.
• Week 9 – Absolute Monarchs
  • The Man in the Iron Mask (PG-13) – When France’s King Louis XIV abuses his power, three retired musketeers leap back into action to replace him with his long-hidden twin brother. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Gabriel Byrne and Anne Parillaud.
• Week 10 – History of Russia
  • Ivan the Terrible (7+) – Ivan, first tsar of Russia. History will remember him as “the Terrible. Russian people love him for centuries. He liberates Russia from foreign oppressors, demands absolute obedience and loyalty in order to radically modernise Russia? Ivan IV, Grand Duke of Moscow, first Tsar of Russia by the grace of God. A madman? A sadist?
• Week 11 – French Revolution
  • A Tale of Two Cities (NR) – Charles Dickens’ classic story is brought to the screen in this Oscar-nominated production. Set during the French Revolution, two men find themselves in love with the same woman.
  • Mr. Peabody and Sherman (PG) – Unleash the fun with this hilarious comedy for all ages from the creators of THE CROODS and HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON! Mr. Peabody (Ty Burrell) is an inventor, scientist and genius who just happens to be a dog. With his son Sherman, he will embark on the most extraordinary adventure imaginable as they race against time to repair history and save the future. Watch for the clip on the French Revolution!
  • One Nation, One King (PG-13) – The intertwining fates of the historical figures, the men and the women of the 1789 French revolution, as they meet at the newly established Assemblée Nationale.

Astronomy, Space and Laws of Motion Movies

• Week 12 – Bodies in the Solar System
  • 2001: Space Odyssey (G) – The sci-fi masterpiece from acclaimed director Stanley Kubrick about a space voyage to Jupiter that turns chaotic when a computer enhanced with artificial intelligence takes over.
  • Destination Moon (13+) – Destination Moon was the first major science fiction film produced in the United States and lifted the genre from the realm of the fantastic to the world of the believable. “Destination Moon’s” suspenseful plot relates the saga of man’s first voyage to the moon amid a series of scientific cliffhangers. It also marked producer George Pal’s initial association with the genre. Later, Pal would produce some of Hollywood’s most popular sci-fi films, including “War of the Worlds,” “When Worlds Collide” and “The Time Machine.” Breathtakingly photographed in vivid Technicolor, “Destination Moon” remains a science fiction landmark.
• Week 13 – US Space Missions
  • Marooned – Gripping, yet starkly realistic, portrayal of three astronauts on an extended special mission who find themselves unable to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere. As the oxygen supply diminishes, the stranded astronauts must face the inevitability of death.
  • First Man (PG-13) – First Man, the riveting story behind the first manned mission to the moon, focuses on Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) and the decade leading to the historic Apollo 11 flight.
  • Hidden Figures (PG) – An incredible & inspiring untold true story about three women at NASA who were instrumental in one of history’s greatest operations – the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit.
• Week 14 – States of Matter
  • Space Chimps (G) – When a $5 billion Space Agency probe disappears into an intergalactic wormhole, the agency recruits Ham III, grandson of the first chimpanzee in space, to help retrieve the wayward craft.
• Week 15 – Forms of Energy
  • Meet the Robinson’s (Disney-G) – Lewis is a brilliant inventor who meets a mysterious stranger named Wilbur Robinson who whisks him away in a time machine. Together they team up to track down Bowler Hat Guy in a showdown that ends with an unexpected twist of fate.
• Week 16 – Newton’s 1st Law of Motion
  • Tangled – Flynn’s body remains at rest until an outside force acts upon it (Rapunzel pushes/pulls him). Also, the frying pan remains in motion (swung and twirled by Rapunzel) until an unbalanced force acts upon it (Rapunzel’s head hits the frying pan).
• Week 17 – Newton’s 2nd Law of Motion
  • Up! – The force of an object is equal to its mass times acceleration. Force = amount of helium in the balloons, Mass = Mr. Fredericksen’s house, A = acceleration of the house rising with the balloons
• Week 18 – Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion
  • Moana – For every action (Maui throwing Moana out of the canoe) there is an equal and opposite reaction (ocean being her friend and putting her safely back in canoe).
• Week 19 – First Law of Thermodynamics
  • Absent Minded Professor (G) – A professor invents an anti-gravity substance which a businessman wants for himself.
• Week 20 – Second Law of Thermodynamics
  • Flubber (PG) – A professor discovers a rubber-like super-bouncy substance.
• Week 21 – Third Law of Thermodynamics
  • Apollo 13 (10 and up) – When Apollo 13 sustains hazardous damage mid-orbit, NASA works to devise a plan to lead the spacecraft back to Earth and spare the lives of the astronauts on board.
• Week 22 – Ways Light is Observed
  • Space Buddies (G) – Disney’s pups are back and take one small step for dog and one giant leap for dogkind.
• Week 23 – Heat Flow
• Week 24 – Units of Electricity
  • October Sky – The boyhood trials and tribulations of future NASA scientist Homer Hickham – in 1950s West Virginia, he and his friends bond over a mutual love of model rocket construction.

World War I and II Family Movies

The second half of the year focused on World Wars and I couldn’t find as many family movies, which is why I featured science movies instead. I did find a few that I wanted to mention though:

• World War I
  • Sergeant York (NR) – Story of World War I hero who captured German position single-handedly. Film also portrays York’s earlier life in the mountains of Tennessee.
  • War Horse (13+) – From legendary director Steven Spielberg comes the epic adventure War Horse, a tale of incredible loyalty, hope and tenacity. This deeply heartfelt story begins with the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and his young trainer Albert.
  • Five Children and It (all ages) – Based on the Nesbit’s novel, this magical story set in England at the turn of the century, finds 9-year-old Robert and his siblings sent to live in a rattling old mansion in the country.
• World War II
  • Miracle of the White Stallions – it does give you a bit of a glimpse into life behind Axis lines in Austria.
  • The Only Way (13+) – The Only Way” is one of the great heroic episodes of World War II. The story of the people of Denmark who save the Danish Jews from the Nazis. A true story of one of the greatest escapes in World War II.
  • Hidden in Silence (16+) – Based on a true story, a courageous Catholic teenager risks her life to hide 13 Jews from the Nazis in 1940s Poland.