लेडीहौक

After hearing of his death yesterday, I bought "Blade Runner" on Amazon and rented "Ladyhawke" to re-watch two terrific performances by Mr. Hauer. His death scene in Blade Runner is the most wrenching and haunting scene I've ever seen on film. His performance in the fairy tale Ladyhawke was enchanting and charismatic. Nobody quite like him.

His gift to us was to convey the essence of humanity through his art.

Rutegar Hauer shines as Captain Etienne Navarre, a medieval knight and his petite l'amour Michelle Pfeiffer as Isabeau his wonderful Lady Hawk. John Wood plays an utterly nasty Bishop of Aquila. With Mathew Broderick as the little thief and Leo McKern the priest who betrays the two lovers.

This movie stands out for music score, knights and fair ladies in distress, and characters that you can fall in love with. It will have you rooting for the good guys and yelling at the screen for them to vanquish their enemies.

This romantic fantasy is an escape for the real world to a place where love, honor, and courage are rewarded. Where true love is possible, and two people love each other more than life itself. A love like this is almost impossible today.

I adored this film so much that I have three copies of the movie and two of the soundtrack by Alan Parsons Project. I think the background music goes so well with what is happening on the screen. Each of the main characters has their own musical composition, and will make you cheer or cry.

Richard Donner's 'Ladyhawke' tells a fascinating tale of cursed love that separates two lovers like day and night (quite literally). What I loved about this film is that even though it's a wonderful mixture of action, adventure, romance and comedy, it is a simple film. The execution is solid and it shows that Donner and his cast and crew have put a lot of heart in the making of the film.

The score is kind of funny. At times there's a beautiful symphony that expresses the beauty of the settings and then, during the action scenes, there's the typical 80's hip track which brings a smile as it nostalgically reminds me of that wild decade. 'Ladyhawke' is indeed very beautiful to look at. The cinematography is superb as it gives a very spacious view and the composition of the shots are very well arranged.

No CGI has been used and that marvelously stands out as it gives the film a purer look and only reminds one of the days before CGI was overused, when cinema looked pure and authentic. 'Ladyhawke' is a fine example of movies that can look great and sometimes even better and more effective without CGI (other examples being the Star Wars trilogy (80's version), Indiana Jones etc).

The performances are topnotch. A radiant Michelle Pfeiffer completely owns the title role. Her understated performance and quiet yet strong presence (like a hawk) brilliantly contrasts Rutger Hauer's wolfish character. Hauer too does a fine job. An evil Alfred Molino is barely recognizable and Leo McKern wears the menacing look very well. John Wood provides some great comic relief. However, it is Matthew Broderick who stands out. He performs naturally as the vivacious, energetic, deceitful thief who loses his heart to Ladyhawke and at the same time he is determined to reunite the lovers and rescue them from the wrath of the curse.

Overall, 'Ladyhawke' is a beautiful movie that satisfied my filmviewing experience. It gives that nostalgic feel, it amuses, it fascinates and it feels enchanting. No wonder it still feels fresh after more than two decades.

Let me start with the bad, the score it doesn't fit the time but I'm sure some studio head thought we need this to appeal to younger audiences of the time. Vittorio Storraro Cinematography is stunning, lush colors, locations, no CGI here my friends. The castles and mountains to the costumes and villages just take you back in time adding to this fine, fun, fantasy. Michelle Pfeiffer youth and beauty, Matthew Brodericks awkwardness are all well played throughout,to be honest he's quite funny. Rutger Hauer has always had mixed success be here his presence is fitting, rent it online or watch it in rerun you won't be disappointed they don't make films like this anymore and when they try so filled with CGI they don't have the organic immersive feeling this Romantic Fantasy Adventure delivers.

Ever since I was a kid, I loved fantasy movies. As a matter of fact, anything with sword fights was great in my book. And since I grew up in the days before Lord of the Rings came along, my favourites were always mid-to-late-eighties fantasy epics like The Princess Bride, Willow, and Ladyhawke.

It's all about an outcast knight and his lover, who have been cursed by an evil bishop to become animals during night and day, so they're never together in human form. He becomes a wolf and she becomes a hawk (hence the title). The knight enlists the help of a young thief to break into the cathedral and take his revenge on the bishop. Aside from the basic premise, it's more of a historical movie than a fantasy movie. There's no magic other than the curse, and no trolls or giants or anything, which was partly the reason I enjoyed it so much.

I've also always loved this movie for it's great storyline and interesting characters. Philipe's conversations with God still amuse me, as does the drunken monk played by Leo McKern ... It comes from director Richard Donner, who of course brought us Superman I & II, the Lethal Weapon movies and so on. This is essentially a well-directed movie, although a lot of people have issues with the choice of soundtrack. It's kind of a techno-poppy thing, which I blame NeverEnding Story for. A lot of eighties fantasy movies went with the same idea, but it works with Ladyhawke better than it works with most others, although I would of course prefer a more conventional and less intrusive score. On the whole, the sets and the props are pretty convincing, although some of the fight sequences aren't particularly great.

Here we have an early Matthew Broderick performance which shows how little his acting skills have developed since. Not that he's a bad actor, just an early bloomer I guess. Cult icon Rutger Hauer, of whom I have always been a huge fan (Blade Runner, The Hitcher, The 10th Kingdom) gives a fantastic performance as the outcast knight, and as we all know it's never a bad idea to have Michelle Pfeiffer in a movie.

You should definitely see this movie if you're a fan of the genre, or of any of the actors involved. It's a wonderful fantasy adventure for all ages.