Sep 9 2021

How the Magna Carta Worked

48 min 6 movies discussed
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In 1215 at Runnymede (doo dah, doo dah) the nobles and the king agreed to end a rebellion against the power of the English throne. While the treaty that emerged contained all sorts of arcane Medieval details, it also contained the seeds of Western liberty and civil rights.

AI Summary

# Magna Carta: The Great Charter That Changed Everything

Josh and Chuck dive deep into the origins and impact of the Magna Carta, tracing how this 1215 document became the foundation for civil rights in England and beyond. Starting with the messy political landscape of medieval England, they explain how a series of weak and unpopular kings—particularly the incompetent King John—ultimately pushed the powerful barons to demand written limits on royal power, leading to that fateful meeting at Runnymede where the charter was sealed. Beyond the nitty-gritty details about forest regulations and feudal disputes buried in the original document, the guys explore how this three-thousand-word Latin scroll eventually transformed into the cornerstone of democracy and human rights that influenced America, Canada, and Australia for centuries to come.


Movies Discussed

Glengarry Glen Ross
Glengarry Glen Ross
1992 1h 40m
★ 7.3
"It's like a kind of like a Glenn Gary Glenn Ross spoof is like that little subplot. — Chuck compares the Simpsons murder house subplot to Glengarry Glen Ross, noting the spoof nature of the Simpsons episode." — Chuck
Johnny Dangerously
Johnny Dangerously
1984 PG-13 1h 30m
★ 6.3
"I think the someone is on death row and they're being read fake last rites by a fake priest as they walk down the Green Mile. — Josh references Johnny Dangerously as a funny spoof movie where someone on death row hears fake Latin terms including 'Magna Carta, Master Charger,' which he remembered from seeing in theaters as a child." — Josh
Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills
Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills
1996 2h 30m
★ 7.6
"King John's running the show in a mean and incompetent way. That's who Robin Hood's fighting. — Josh references the Robin Hood legend where King John is the antagonist while Richard the Lionheart is away on crusades." — Josh
The Great Dictator
The Great Dictator
1940 NR 2h 5m
★ 8.3
"That TV show, The Great is really good because I think, wasn't Catherine the Great Russian? — Josh mentions The Great TV series while discussing historical marriages between royalty and how confusing family lines can be in historical contexts." — Josh
The Green Mile
The Green Mile
1999 3h 9m
★ 8.5
"As they walk down the Green Mile. — Josh references the walk down the Green Mile in Johnny Dangerously, alluding to the famous scene from The Green Mile." — Josh
The Simpsons
The Simpsons
1989
★ 8.0
"Did you ever see the one about the murder house where Marge becomes a real tour? — Chuck references a Simpsons episode where Marge becomes a real estate agent and tries to sell a murder house, as an example of a subplot spoofing Glengarry Glen Ross." — Chuck

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