Culture William the Conqueror Think

Culture

William the Conqueror

Think epic battles, a cast of thousands, and the development of a new world order. You'll see all that and more when you produce "William the Conqueror - England Falls!" To begin, we'll meet William as a young man, growing up in France and building his incredible reputation as a warrior. In France, William gains the right to take over the English throne when King Edward the Confessor dies and the film will make sense of this convoluted turn of events.

Edward dies in 1066, and Harold Godwinson, a rival of William's usurps the throne. The stage is set for the film's epic battle, the Battle of Hastings, where William's forces cross the English Channel, enter England, and fight for the right for William to take the throne. The film will show how William managed to build his forces, keep them loyal, and then marshal them for an epic battle over several months, something highly unusual for the times, when forces were difficult to manage for that length of time.

The major action of the film will follow the epic Battle of Hastings, where William's forces challenge Godwinson's Saxon army, who had just one a decisive battle against the Vikings at Stamford Bridge. Godwinson's troops had suffered in their victory, and he had to muster new forces to fight William, who had enough time to dig in defensively and prepare for attack. The film will follow the two foes as they ready for battle, and follow the battle as it progresses, complete with mounted soldiers, medieval weaponry like arrows and swords, and the hell of the battlefield. The battle raged all day, each side holding its' own, until Godwinson is felled by an arrow. Dead, his forces begin to melt away into the coming night, and William's victory is sealed.

The setting for this film is simple, rural medieval France and rural England. The countryside was much different then, so a location with castles, manor houses, and such is essential. In addition, an area with a battlefield big enough to encompass this epic battle is necessary. Interior shots of castles will be necessary, as well. The cast will literally be a cast of thousands, with many extras necessary to recreate the battles in the film. Of course, special effects can add many portions of the battles, but for reality, there must be hundreds of extras to recreate the close-up scenes. William should be played by someone extremely heroic and likeable, like Sean Austin or Elija Wood, and Godwinson should be played by someone villainous, like Alan Rickman or someone devious like him. William also needs a wife, an important, if not vital role in the film, someone like Kirsten Dunst would be good.

Costumes would represent the medieval times of 1000-1066, with formal clothing for most of the lead characters, including shields, and such, and rich, elaborate medieval gowns for the women. The men will wear tights and tunics in subdued colors, and the women's clothing will be brighter and a bit more elaborate. There will be crowns and other jewels, and there will be lots of medieval weaponry, like swords, clubs, and maces, along with spears and bows and arrows.