Der Krieger und die Kaiserin

Now, there was a pleasant Sunday evening.

I never got around to seeing it in the theaters, but just caught it by accident on tele, and even from the start. And it works perfectly on that media as well.

It is a rarely beautiful tale told in so few words, that tell so much. It is little wonder that Tykwer got to make Heaven (a script left by Kieslowski). Few has ever described the love between man and woman so catchingly and so real in so not so extraordinary circumstances. And these are the stories that sticks.

And Tykwer also always seems to get the music right, notice the elegance of the end-title number "You can't find peace" by Pale 3 feat. Skin. Thankfully they still show end-titles now and then on danish television.

There's lot more to write, but the morning a another day at work grows frightfully close.

This will be a fond memory.

This is a modern fairy tale, treat and appreciate it as so. The characters are bold, and their actions are representative of who they are than what actual people do. I say this because I noticed every negative review of this film was caught up in looking for realism- there isn't any. The setting may be proposed as so but the method through which the story is told unfolds like a performance piece.

This film is brilliant- stark personalities, dynamic relationships, and a mix of modern, classical, and fanciful direction. The allegorical context is brilliant when mulled over. I would compare it to `Last Tango in Paris'.

Perhaps Tom Tykwer took himself too seriously after "Lola Rennt", so he handles the romance between a nurse and a bank-robber as if he were a young Michelangelo Antonioni taking Psychology 101 and doing his first film. Overlong but somehow still fascinating, thanks mainly to the dark character of the "warrior" and Franka Potente, who is always good to watch.

"The Princess and the Warrior" moves at a leisurely pace, nowadays commonly mistaken for slow or plodding. It is the pacing antithesis of "Run Lola Run", yet in remarkable ways, covers the same thematic ground. Tykwer takes Krzysztof Kieslowski's favorite themes (fate, chance, destiny) and tells one of the most uplifting existentialist tales I've ever seen on film. Poetic in its visceral impacts, heartbreaking in its emotional force, "The Princess and the Warrior" achieves an astonishing level of humanity which very few films ever strive to attain.

As a result, "The Princess and the Warrior" becomes the jewel in the crown of Tykwer's filmic repertoire. With Franka Potente as the emotionally-reserved Sissi and Benno Furmann as the jaded Bodo, Tykwer has created two opposites who are fated to attract. Unlike Hollywood, however, there are no magical forces at work, no clever "Meet Cute". It is very conceivable that these two could have never met, and only due to Bodo's criminal actions do they meet. Is it fate or coincidence that Bodo's run in with the law causes a run in with Sissi? Their interactions are quiet with bursts of trauma, their eyes do most of the talking. Tykwer seems to suggest that Bodo and Sissi's entire existence is to affirm each other's life.

Tykwer has crafted a psychological exploration of two misguided souls looking for an escape from their lives. Stuck in perpetual repetition, Sissi and Bodo live without living, searching for some meaning but incapable of doing so or, even more sorrowful, rejecting whatever is presented to them. This is not a "Pretty Woman" clone but an honestly reaffirming look at two unhappy individuals finding what they so desperately need in each other. Bodo and Sissi's relationship of awkward meetings, misconceptions, and soul-binding metaphysical connections culminates in what I can only describe as one of the most impactful and emotional climaxes in all of film history--period.

Kudos to Tykwer for creating one of the most romantic and spiritually-fulfilling films I've ever seen. A perfect and necessary viewing experience for anyone feeling stuck in the mundane routine of life, thrilling, suspenseful, almost painfully aware of what it feels like to be emotionally and spiritually lost. "The Princess and the Warrior" upholds the optimistic idea that even when things go bad, life is still worth living, if only to help someone else. It is, in my opinion, one of the finest motion pictures ever made.

'Der Krieger und de Kaiserin' (2000), translated as 'The Princess and Warrior' is brought to our screens by 'Run Lola Run' director, Tom Tykwer. For myself 'Run Lola Run' was an excellent film, and i would say that this film is good in its own way. Looking at this film in comparison with Tykwer's previous debute, it doesn't have the same energy rush or rythmic motivational feel to it. However, we have to bear in mind that this is a different film entirly and audiences of 'Run Lola Run' are possibly full of predertermined expectations of Tykwer's new film, based on the previous.

This film is stylish, if not more stylish than than 'Run Lola Run', despite being quite slow moving, it does make you feel 'locked' to see the film through to the end. This film is a captivating experience which will exhilarate and 'move' you in the quest for Sissi's (Franke Potente (Run Lola Run)) survival and then her quest to seek out Bono and help him to the end.

OK, maybe not the 'complexist' of story lines, but it works, and is good.

This is a enigmatic love story, and really if your more inclined to a Hollywood, big-budget, huge special effects etc film, then maybe this isn't the one for you. Personally, this is a slick (the film-making), stylish, captivating film and i would recommend it to anyone who likes a 'visual' film (i know that sounds mad, but e.g. very visual and superb camera angles etc)!

See it before you buy it, because it might not be your cup of tea!

8/10