Pictures of the Middle Ages

Pictures of the Middle Ages (1949)

Images médiévales

Drawing exclusively from illuminated manuscripts of the 14th and 15th centuries held by the French National Library, this short documentary presents a medieval vision of life—from Creation and birth through labor, pleasure, death, and the Day of Judgment. Constructed as a visual essay, the film treats manuscript illumination as a complete worldview rather than illustration alone. Screened in competition at the 1949 Cannes Film Festival, it won the Prize for Best Colour.

Date of release
1949-09-17
Runtime
18m
Genres
Documentary
Director
William Novik

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