I bought this 1994 VHS biogaphy of King Richard I (the Lionheart) of England on a whim, since it was under $2.00. I'm certainly glad I didn't spend much more! I suggest you think of it as a knock-off of what you might see on the History Channel.
It was reasonably well written, all things considered. The acting was a touch hammy and over the top, but not completely unbearable. The titles and visual effects were definitely low budget, though; I think the same folks who did the Daleks from Doctor Who may have worked on this video. The ultimate in cheesiness had to be the grossly inaccurate armorial display on King Richard's surcoat.
Now, there is some historical debate as to precisely what arms Richard bore, and when. Basically, Richard wore either Lions Passant, or Lion(s) Rampant (i.e., lions depicted either running low to the ground, or standing reared up, and facing one side). But this video struck out by putting the following on the front of Richard's surcoat: three lions rampant, each rotated 90 degrees to the left, and facing downward, in a really poor imitation of Lions Passant. To a heraldry buff, this is an unforgivable error...maybe like flying Old Glory upside down on the Fourth of July, in a parade of full of veterans.
I recommend this video if you are a medieval history buff looking for some good laughs. Everyone else, save your money, stick to the History Channel, A&E, etc. Or go buy/rent "The Crusades", the 1935 Cecil B. DeMille movie, starring Loretta Young and Henry Wilcoxon. It's pure 1930's Hollywood; but at least you won't be wasting your money.
