145 episodes
Media-eval: A Medieval Pop Culture Podcast Media-eval: A Medieval Pop Culture Podcast
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- TV & Film
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4.5 • 51 Ratings
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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?
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Summer 2024 Hiatus Announcement
Media-eval is going on a summer hiatus! New episodes will resume in September.
In the meantime, check out our back catalog and the Media-eval facebook group! -
The Crusades
Join Sarah and returning guest - and classic film correspondent - Morgan Morales for the 1935 film The Crusades. Is it kind of offensive? Yes. Is it good? Not particularly. Should you watch it? Probably not. But should you listen to this episode? Yes!
Join Sarah and returning guest - and classic film correspondent - Morgan Morales for the 1935 film The Crusades. Is it kind of offensive? Yes. Is it good? Not particularly. Should you watch it? Probably not. But should you listen to this episode? Yes!
This is the last regular episode before Media-eval’s summer hiatus - see you in September!
CW: We discuss both actor Loretta Young’s reported experience of sexual assault and sexual harassment/assault played for comedy in the film. We also discuss the film’s rampant Islamophobia.
Social Media:
Twitter: twitter.com/mediaevalpod
E-mail: media.evalpod@gmail.com
Find Morgan on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/morganrmorales.bsky.social -
The Apothecary Diaries
This week, Media-eval explores premodern China with anime series The Apothecary Diaries! Join Sarah and returning guest (and Media-eval anime correspondent) Peter Konieczny as we explore the lived experiences of women in medieval China, from servants to courtesans, concubines to apothecaries.
CW: The series includes depictions of suicide/suicidal ideation and sexual harassment and assault, which we discuss in the episode.
Social Media: Twitter: twitter.com/mediaevalpod
E-mail: media.evalpod@gmail.com
Find Peter at www.medievalists.net -
Adventures of the Gummi Bears
Magic and mystery are part of their history … and now they’re featured on Media-eval! Join Sarah and returning guest Mabel Slattery as we tackle Disney animated series Adventures of the Gummi Bears. What you might expect: discussions about knightly culture and medievalism for children. What you might not expect: discussions about expulsions and refugee crises in the medieval world.
Social Media: Twitter: twitter.com/mediaevalpod
E-mail: media.evalpod@gmail.com
Find Mabel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slatteroo/ and stream her comedy, featured on: https://www.twitch.tv/blizzardcomedy
Buy Sarah’s award-winning book The Fruit of Her Hands: https://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-09330-7.html. Use promo code KZO24 for a 40% discount! -
Exodus: Gods and Kings
Happy Passover! Media-eval celebrates by once again dunking on Ridley Scott. Join Sarah and her mother, Beth Greenfeld, as we talk about the biblical and historical inspirations behind 2014 film Exodus: Gods and Kings, and attempt to answer such questions as: Why is Moses now a military leader? What’s up with all the brownface? What happened to the women in the Exodus story? And how did medieval Jews celebrate Passover?
Social Media:
Twitter: twitter.com/mediaevalpod
E-mail: media.evalpod@gmail.com
Find Beth on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bethg20904
Learn more about medieval haggadot in Marc Michael Epstein’s excellent book: https://www.academia.edu/2439145/The_Medieval_Haggadah_Art_Narrative_and_Religious_Imagination -
Ironclad
If a movie is released and no-one is there to see it, does it make a sound....and lots of historical errors?
James Purefoy is back and he is once again making a movie that is fun but not necessarily...good? Ollie has a good time and Sarah has a mild breakdown at just how many things this movie gets wrong!
Customer Reviews
Amazing, interesting, cannot get enough of it!
I ADORE this podcast. I was looking for someone who had talked about the movie Beckett and low and behold I stumbled upon the history podcast of my dreams. As a Jew and history minor myself this has sparked my interest in the middle ages/medieval period and inspired me to take a class this fall semester focused on that period of western history. Come for the laughs, stay to really learn fascinating facts that I’m sure will eventually come in super handy at bar trivia!
A great podcast for both listeners and guests!
Full disclosure, I have guested on the show twice (Outlaw King and Six the Musical) and had an excellent time, but that has in no way impacted my review of the show. I was a listener long before I was a guest and can say wholeheartedly that Media-Eval is a great show either way. (And come on, what a great pun in the title!) Dr. Decker knows her subject inside and out, and it's a great listen both when the pop culture is on the laughably wrong side (i.e., Braveheart) and when the piece actually tries. I particularly appreciate her views as a Jewish woman looking at these pieces of pop culture which often erase marginalized identities and glorify a white male Eurocentric viewpoint. We need more voices like this critiquing period dramas and I am so happy Dr. Decker continues to make her voice (and the voice of her excellent colleagues and guests!) heard.
Huge fan!
Big lover of your podcast ever since I was a student of history I was fascinated with the middle ages and my current love of film and podcasts made me a huge fan immediately