Royal Academy

Age of Chivalry

Art in Plantagenet England 1200-1400

The Royal Academy had an amazing array of nearly 750 beautiful objects for the ‘Age of Chivalry’ exhibition, but the main glory of that period are the churches and cathedrals. The audio-visual programme they commissioned, titled ‘Pride and Piety’, was made to illustrate the wonders of medieval architecture. One of the rooms in the gallery was converted into a theatre and the programme, which runs for just over 20 minutes, was shown on a large 6m wide screen.

The original version of this nine projector audio-visual programme was made in 3:1 widescreen format. This 3:4 version was made for use after the exhibition as an educational aid. (The quality of this copy is not the best as it was taken from a VHS video tape.)

Roy Reed was the photographer and designer of this audio visual programme.

In the Press

I would strongly recommend that after you have paid your £4 entrance, you walk firm of purpose to the very far end of the exhibition, where a breathtaking video, focusing on the cathedrals and abbeys of the period such as Canterbury, Westminster, Gloucester and Wells, sets the scene. It shows all that cannot be in the exhibition: the cathedral itself as earthly paradise and heavenly Jerusalem. Michael Shepherd, Sunday Telegraph, November 8 1987

The actuality of the churches is illustrated here and there by photographs, but above all by a seperate audio-visual display, which I warmly recommend – the film is very beautiful. David Piper, Financial Times, November 10 1987

The audio-visual – one of the most sophisticated and beautifully photographed three-screen slide shows seen in a British exhibition – succeeds in a brief panoramic evocation of medieval buildings. The Burlington Magazine, February 1988