Golgotha (2008)

A lighthearted homage to German Expressionism: Golgotha. She was the most powerful sorceress ever to live; but time and tribulation have reduced the once-feared Golgotha to a sick, old woman on her deathbed. In a rare moment of candor (and humility), she confesses her life story to a goblin named Minion, the last of her loyal foot servants. Her woeful tale reveals an obsession with a certain wooden-handled sword and, possibly, buried deep beneath her icy facade, a desire for love. However, even unto her dying breath, will Golgotha ever admit it? As we get to know this larger-than-life villain, we also meet a colorful cast of characters, including: King MacGuffin, a cruel tyrant who taxes his subjects to death, Prince Debonere, an ardorous Crusader who isn't quite prepared to wear his father's crooked crown, and Fritz, sidekick and best friend of the Prince, who has a particularly strong affection for the ladies. This reverse fairytale plays out Golgotha's tragic childhood, coming of age, rebellion, and rise to power on a particularly expressionistic stage: that of a silent film. Like an old horror or noir, the entire film is black and white; and although the real-time scenes have recorded sound, all of Golgotha's memories (which comprise a majority of the narrative) occur as a series of silent flashbacks with intertitle dialogue.