Movies That Feature Deliberately Anachronistic Music, Inspired by Baz Luhrmann’s ‘The Great Gatsby’

A Knight’s Tale

Year – 2001

Chances are, when you saw the topic of the list, this was the first movie you thought.  It was famous for its irreverent soundtrack including jousting spectators stomping along to “We Will Rock You” and an elaborate courtly dance sequence involving David Bowie’s “Golden Years”.

Of all the films on this list, I think this makes the best usage of its anachronistic music.  The opening scene recreates what it surely must have felt like to be at a jousting match.  This ain’t no Renaissance Fair managed by community theater dropouts and Keith from the IT Department.  No, this a crowd is clapping and stomping along to rock music as girls dance, men get drunk and both do “The Wave”.  The only reason the ladies aren’t “getting them out” is because the filmmakers wanted a PG-13 rating.

So while it might not be historically accurate, an alcohol-fueled, Queen stadium-stomper certainly captures the spirit of the event better than a lute and mandolin.  After all, this was jousting.  People were there to watch men on horses knock each other off of said horses using sharp sticks.  There is no modern-day equivalent of that.  It’d be like combining NASCAR with UFC with American Gladiators with a snuff film.  A harpsichord won’t really cut it.