Her Knight

Saw film at Los Angeles screening of NYIIFVF. The fight sequence in the end is well choreographed, but overall the acting leaves MUCH to be desired. Also, film looks very 'digital', which hurts some of the dream sequences (they would appear much better on film). One of those 'huh?' festival pieces with a 80's style score. The use of purple throughout film though is well-done, especially on the main character, which conveys an underlying theme of royalty assigned to her (purple being historically a color used by the royal and imperial). The writing is also sub-par, with some of the lines being only slightly original. For example, the 'what you doin' here? I'm talking to my woman!' line was particularly forgettable. Use of color was well-done. My advice: get a writer and better actors, and write a less melodramatic storyline.

The film displayed notable technical and artistic elements, and the story was interesting. The score was well done and had a celestial yet melancholic sound to it. However, the character development and cohesion of the overall film was somewhat lacking (but was understandable for a short film), and the end was predictable.

The film opens with a painting-like scene representing Anne's dream and shifts into a normal view representing Anne's reality. The use of CG and color were used well in this film to create the struggle between her recurring dream of being rescued by an unknown Byzantine knight and the reality of spending her time with a party-boy boyfriend who has no interest in her Byzantine passion. The character Anne seemed over-dramatic in her unhappiness over being misunderstood by her boyfriend and friends, which made her appear to be a weak character.

David, an Asian-American man who happens to take interest in Anne while spotting her in a coffee shop, happens to have a passion in history as well, Asian history in particular. This coincidence brings the two close together as friends, but it occurs as a chain reaction of over-dramatized events.

The film's characters start to grow at this point, though late in the film, as the friendship ends up in chaos when the boyfriend finds out about Anne's new friend. Her tempered boyfriend gets in a fight with Anne's new friend, which parallels Anne's recurring dream. The fight scene looked very nice with a CG-painting-like background and good score to support it.

I liked this movie. The film's story is somewhat obscure for the average viewing public but Russ and Emile deserve great credit for bring the story to life in an admirable first movie. The story line is well developed and I felt the actors did a good job of developing the obscure storyline into an understandable and entertaining short. The real charm of this project is the quality of the directing and cinematography. The shots are done professionally and the editing gave a good pace to the project. The movie is superbly complemented by an outstanding musical score by Neil Argo and an excellent performance by the the musicians. I look forward to the next project by Russ.

I was given the opportunity of seeing this film before it was released. Having some interest in indy films, I must say that for a first film, Mr. Emanuel did a pretty good job, especially with the fight scene at the end. The musical score fit the mood of the film. My only negative comment is that some of the script seemed a bit "forced" and "intellectual" (the Byzantine history part) for a movie short. On the other hand, the writer probably wanted to give the viewer some introduction to the history that influences the film. I guess I have no interest in Byzantine history though. All in all, a great start for some promising actors and producer/directors! I hope to see a full-length movie by Mr. Emanual someday.

I saw HER KNIGHT during its completion screening in November 2003 and again a few days ago through a friend who worked on the film and had a copy. Though it has its share of faults, the film overall was a great freshman effort from Russ Emanuel, who not only directed but produced it. The film's highlights include memorable dialogue (written by frequent collaborator Emile Haris – who worked with Russ Emanuel on MAVET, GWG: GIRL WITH GUN, and currently PERFECT RED), an incredible score by Neil Argo (who also worked on all the films mentioned), great acting by Archie Drury (who plays Dylan in the film) and a unforgettable fight sequence. I love the official poster and website too! I really hope it does make it into a festival, because it would make a great showing anywhere! Good luck to you Russ and Emile, and looking forward to your subsequent projects!