A childhood favorite, that it took honestly freakin' forever to find on DVD. (Don't even get me started about great movies which should be on DVD already and aren't) But, I have it now, and it is appreciated :) So here you go: Ladyhawke.
The story centers on Phillipe "the Mouse" Gaston, a pickpocket who, when escaping from the dungeons of Aquila, is saved from a manhunt by Etienne Navarre, a mysterious exiled knight travelling with a hawk. As Phillipe begins to travel with Navarre, he learns that the knight and his lover are under a terrible curse. She is a hawk by day, human by night, while he is human by day and a wolf by night. Phillipe begins working with Navarre and a crazy monk named Imperius to travel back to Aquila, kill the corrupt bishop who enacted the curse, and hopefully free the pair from the spell.
The casting in this is great. I loved Rutger Hauer in this movie, and haven't seen another of his English roles that I liked as much (I haven't seen Blade Runner,though, and I've heard that's pretty good too). And Michelle Pfeiffer is just, quite honestly, one of the most beautiful people that ever lived. I like Matthew Broderick in other movies he's done, but this is still my favorite role of his. Imagine Ferris Bueller's running commentary on things, but with a bit more heart and a bit less sarcasm.
Love the writing in this. Matthew Broderick (Mouse) is basically the narrator. It's not a voice-over narration, more of a running commentary on the happenings surrounding him. Leo McKern (Imperius) has some of the best lines, several of which have entered part of the family vocabulary (yes, a good friend thinks that our family has it's own little language - movie like this are a good portion why he thinks so!). Some of our favorites:
Over-educated musings: The city that these adventures focus on is Aquila, which is Latin for Eagle. Was that intentional, with all the focus on birds of prey in the movie? Seeing as the Latin for "Hawk" is "buteo" and much less poetic sounding as far as words go, maybe? Or maybe I had too many years of Latin and think too much :)
Trivia: Alfred Molina plays Cezar, the trapper. It was an early role of his. This role's just a little after he was the guy killed in the opening temple chase in Raiders of the Lost Ark. That's right, he's the "Throw me the idol" "Throw me the rope" "Throw me the idol!" guy. (Did you catch either of those, Anne?)
Biggest downside: The music score. It fits, but at the same time, certainly dates the movie to mid-1980s. I'd love to see a classical score fitted to it. At the same time, though, it's not bad music. Just could be more timeless.
Overall: 5 of 5. Not a deep movie, but fun, with beautiful scenery, a good romance, and some really memorable lines. Ranks up there with The Princess Bride for one of my favorite fun fantasy movies.
The story centers on Phillipe "the Mouse" Gaston, a pickpocket who, when escaping from the dungeons of Aquila, is saved from a manhunt by Etienne Navarre, a mysterious exiled knight travelling with a hawk. As Phillipe begins to travel with Navarre, he learns that the knight and his lover are under a terrible curse. She is a hawk by day, human by night, while he is human by day and a wolf by night. Phillipe begins working with Navarre and a crazy monk named Imperius to travel back to Aquila, kill the corrupt bishop who enacted the curse, and hopefully free the pair from the spell.
The casting in this is great. I loved Rutger Hauer in this movie, and haven't seen another of his English roles that I liked as much (I haven't seen Blade Runner,though, and I've heard that's pretty good too). And Michelle Pfeiffer is just, quite honestly, one of the most beautiful people that ever lived. I like Matthew Broderick in other movies he's done, but this is still my favorite role of his. Imagine Ferris Bueller's running commentary on things, but with a bit more heart and a bit less sarcasm.
Love the writing in this. Matthew Broderick (Mouse) is basically the narrator. It's not a voice-over narration, more of a running commentary on the happenings surrounding him. Leo McKern (Imperius) has some of the best lines, several of which have entered part of the family vocabulary (yes, a good friend thinks that our family has it's own little language - movie like this are a good portion why he thinks so!). Some of our favorites:
- "Walk on the left side!" Honestly, we cannot say anything about 'doing ___ on the ___ side' without saying it in that voice.
- "She flew away. God's truth, she flew away!"
- "Not unlike escaping Mother's womb. God, what a memory"
Over-educated musings: The city that these adventures focus on is Aquila, which is Latin for Eagle. Was that intentional, with all the focus on birds of prey in the movie? Seeing as the Latin for "Hawk" is "buteo" and much less poetic sounding as far as words go, maybe? Or maybe I had too many years of Latin and think too much :)
Trivia: Alfred Molina plays Cezar, the trapper. It was an early role of his. This role's just a little after he was the guy killed in the opening temple chase in Raiders of the Lost Ark. That's right, he's the "Throw me the idol" "Throw me the rope" "Throw me the idol!" guy. (Did you catch either of those, Anne?)
Biggest downside: The music score. It fits, but at the same time, certainly dates the movie to mid-1980s. I'd love to see a classical score fitted to it. At the same time, though, it's not bad music. Just could be more timeless.
Overall: 5 of 5. Not a deep movie, but fun, with beautiful scenery, a good romance, and some really memorable lines. Ranks up there with The Princess Bride for one of my favorite fun fantasy movies.
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