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Tristan & Isolde
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$13.88 to $14.97
Director Kevin Reynolds (WATERWORLD) delivers a memorable, good-looking version of the enduring Celtic legend, which has remained a...
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Director Kevin Reynolds (WATERWORLD) delivers a memorable, good-looking version of the enduring Celtic legend, which has remained a quintessential love story throughout centuries of retelling. Ridley Scott makes his presence felt as executive producer, with the story unfolding on an epic scale set in medieval England. The English live under the iron rule of the Irish, and the young Tristan's parents are working to unite the tribes of England against their oppressors. When they are murdered by Irish infiltrators, Tristan is rescued by Lord Marke (Rufus Sewell, HELEN OF TROY), in whose kingdom he is raised as a son. Tristan (James Franco, SPIDER-MAN 2) grows up to be a valiant warrior and noble knight, and when he is felled in battle he is given a king's memorial, sent to sea in a boat that washes up on Irish shores. There, Tristan is revived and healed in secret by the beautiful Princess, Isolde (Sophia Myles), who at the insistence of her handmaiden doesn't tell Tristan her real name. The two beautiful y...
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6 Reviews from Epinions.com
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Tristan & Isolde
In ancient Celtic legend there is a story of two lovers. One, a British soldier thought dead by his people. The other, an Irish princess who saved the soldier from inevitable death and nursed him back to health.
Tristan (James Franco) is fiercely loyal to his king. He leads a detachment to attempt to rescue British prisoners from the Irish. He fights valiantly but, focused on protecting the defenseless prisoners locked in a cart, fails to defend against a large man wielding a wickedly curved blade. He slices Tristan's stomach, but our hero strikes him down. Unfortunately for Tristan, this particular man fights (or, more accurately, fought) with a poisoned blade. Tristan's body is set afloat as archers shoot flaming arrows into his funeral boat in the manner in which kings were sent to their final rest.
However, as the Irish king's daughter Isolde (Sophia Myles) strolls along the beach with her handmaiden, Bragnae (BRON-ya, played by Bronagh Gallagher), she comes across the burnt-out hull of a boat. Within lies a man as pale and cold as ice, yet his heart still beats. Isolde has some skill with herbs and recognizes the effects of the poisons of a particular puffer fish. She can see Tristan is a Briton and hides him in an abandoned shack along the coast, nurses him back to health and falls in love with him somewhere along the way. Then someone else finds the burnt-out boat and it becomes known that the man who killed Isolde's betrothed is hiding somewhere near and must be found and killed (how they knew it was him is beyond me). In a panic Isolde sends Tristan back to his homeland with little hope of ever seeing him again.
Until a tournament in which the barons of Britain fight for the hand of the Irish king's daughter. Tristan fights well and wins Isolde. Only one problem, she lied to him about her identity, so he promised to win the tournament in the stead of his king (Rufus Sewell), who made Tristan his second in gratitude.
So will they learn to live with the hand they've been dealt, or go against laws and loyalty to heed their passions and possibly end up unseating their beloved king as a result? If you've heard the legend you already know the answer...but whether you know the outcome or not, this is a romantic adventure you won't want to miss.
Granted, I am not normally a romance person. I am, however, a history person. I love history, I love hearing folktales and legends, and therefore this particular romance appealed to me.
The great thing about ancient tales is that, for one thing, people were better storytellers back then. There was no such thing as mass entertainment so the stories were fewer and had more time to be polished to perfection. The result: a fine story with all the elements one expects in both a romance and action/adventure. We have two lovers who couldn't have been less fit for each other if they'd tried, battling kings with kingdoms hanging in the balance, loyal henchman and the jealous kin behind them, and plenty of bloody gory old-fashioned swordplay.
The movie closest to this one in style and content is Braveheart, the story of William Wallace starring Mel Gibson that had a similarly blood and gore mixed with romance plot. There is sufficient violence to make it unsuitable for children as well as a few relatively unrevealing sex scenes but that are still a bit much for young minds.
You may recognize Sophia Myles from such hits as Underworld and From Hell as well as a slew of others. This woman is no stranger to dramatic action and it certainly shows in this movie. As the breathless damsel in distress she plays admirably, though her co-star James Franco sadly failed to impress me. He does well enough in the action scenes and does angry quite well, but for basic civil dialog he actually seemed to be reading his lines off of cue cards rather than being a medieval man speaking with conviction. I have only previously seen Franco in relatively minor roles, this could be why. As always Rufus Sewell filled his role very well, though this is the first time I have ever seen him play a grounded, kindly man (you may recognize him as the loathsome Adhemar from A Knight's Tale).
The plot, I felt, was exceptionally carried out. I did get a little confused near the beginning as numerous characters were introduced at once and I tend to have difficulty remembering that many names and faces that fast, but then it evened out nicely. The action is well spaced out with few, if any, slow spots. I especially enjoyed the ending, but then again cheerful endings generally turn my stomach.
All-in-all, this is a romantic movie that even the guys may like (blood and swords, yay!) and followed the original tale of Tristan and Isolde fairly faithfully. I don't know that I would buy this movie since much of anything romantic wears on me quickly, but it is an excellent movie to rent for a Friday evening or, even better, gives you a "chick flick" for that special date that she should enjoy and hopefully won't have you trying to gouge your eyes out come the end.
Like good movies? Check out CaptainD's Good Movie Write-Off for more!
Some Different Star-Crossed Lovers Tristan and Isolde
| Author's Rating: |
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Pros: great story, well-paced plot
Cons: violence and sex makes it inappropriate for the younger crowd
The Bottom Line:
Great chick flick that you both can enjoy! If you enjoy historical, this is one for you.
In ancient Celtic legend there is a story of two lovers. One, a British soldier thought dead by his people. The other, an Irish princess who saved the soldier from inevitable death and nursed him back to health.
Tristan (James Franco) is fiercely loyal to his king. He leads a detachment to attempt to rescue British prisoners from the Irish. He fights valiantly but, focused on protecting the defenseless prisoners locked in a cart, fails to defend against a large man wielding a wickedly curved blade. He slices Tristan's stomach, but our hero strikes him down. Unfortunately for Tristan, this particular man fights (or, more accurately, fought) with a poisoned blade. Tristan's body is set afloat as archers shoot flaming arrows into his funeral boat in the manner in which kings were sent to their final rest.
However, as the Irish king's daughter Isolde (Sophia Myles) strolls along the beach with her handmaiden, Bragnae (BRON-ya, played by Bronagh Gallagher), she comes across the burnt-out hull of a boat. Within lies a man as pale and cold as ice, yet his heart still beats. Isolde has some skill with herbs and recognizes the effects of the poisons of a particular puffer fish. She can see Tristan is a Briton and hides him in an abandoned shack along the coast, nurses him back to health and falls in love with him somewhere along the way. Then someone else finds the burnt-out boat and it becomes known that the man who killed Isolde's betrothed is hiding somewhere near and must be found and killed (how they knew it was him is beyond me). In a panic Isolde sends Tristan back to his homeland with little hope of ever seeing him again.
Until a tournament in which the barons of Britain fight for the hand of the Irish king's daughter. Tristan fights well and wins Isolde. Only one problem, she lied to him about her identity, so he promised to win the tournament in the stead of his king (Rufus Sewell), who made Tristan his second in gratitude.
So will they learn to live with the hand they've been dealt, or go against laws and loyalty to heed their passions and possibly end up unseating their beloved king as a result? If you've heard the legend you already know the answer...but whether you know the outcome or not, this is a romantic adventure you won't want to miss.
Granted, I am not normally a romance person. I am, however, a history person. I love history, I love hearing folktales and legends, and therefore this particular romance appealed to me.
The great thing about ancient tales is that, for one thing, people were better storytellers back then. There was no such thing as mass entertainment so the stories were fewer and had more time to be polished to perfection. The result: a fine story with all the elements one expects in both a romance and action/adventure. We have two lovers who couldn't have been less fit for each other if they'd tried, battling kings with kingdoms hanging in the balance, loyal henchman and the jealous kin behind them, and plenty of bloody gory old-fashioned swordplay.
The movie closest to this one in style and content is Braveheart, the story of William Wallace starring Mel Gibson that had a similarly blood and gore mixed with romance plot. There is sufficient violence to make it unsuitable for children as well as a few relatively unrevealing sex scenes but that are still a bit much for young minds.
You may recognize Sophia Myles from such hits as Underworld and From Hell as well as a slew of others. This woman is no stranger to dramatic action and it certainly shows in this movie. As the breathless damsel in distress she plays admirably, though her co-star James Franco sadly failed to impress me. He does well enough in the action scenes and does angry quite well, but for basic civil dialog he actually seemed to be reading his lines off of cue cards rather than being a medieval man speaking with conviction. I have only previously seen Franco in relatively minor roles, this could be why. As always Rufus Sewell filled his role very well, though this is the first time I have ever seen him play a grounded, kindly man (you may recognize him as the loathsome Adhemar from A Knight's Tale).
The plot, I felt, was exceptionally carried out. I did get a little confused near the beginning as numerous characters were introduced at once and I tend to have difficulty remembering that many names and faces that fast, but then it evened out nicely. The action is well spaced out with few, if any, slow spots. I especially enjoyed the ending, but then again cheerful endings generally turn my stomach.
All-in-all, this is a romantic movie that even the guys may like (blood and swords, yay!) and followed the original tale of Tristan and Isolde fairly faithfully. I don't know that I would buy this movie since much of anything romantic wears on me quickly, but it is an excellent movie to rent for a Friday evening or, even better, gives you a "chick flick" for that special date that she should enjoy and hopefully won't have you trying to gouge your eyes out come the end.
Like good movies? Check out CaptainD's Good Movie Write-Off for more!
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