'Who are the Britons?': Questions of Ethnic and National Identity in Arthurian Films

Many films depicting the European Middle Ages delve into issues of nation building and national identity. This is problematic for the early medieval period and for Arthurian cinema. Whether or not a historical King Arthur ever existed, nation states as we know them certainly did not, and both national and ethnic identity are difficult to discern for Britain in the early Middle Ages. This essay looks at issues of national and ethnic identity raised by three Arthurian films: Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), King Arthur (2004), and The Last Legion (2007). (CAS)