Ladyhawke
by Richard Donner
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DVD details
Actor: John Wood, Leo McKern, Matthew Broderick, Michelle Pfeiffer, Rutger HauerDirector: Richard Donner
Brand: Warner Brothers
Producer: Richard Donner
Producer: Harvey Bernhard
Producer: Lauren Shuler Donner
Writer: David Webb Peoples
Writer: Edward Khmara
Writer: Michael Thomas
Writer: Tom Mankiewicz
DVD: 2 Sides, Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 1.0
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, HiFi Sound, Letterboxed, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: Letterbox, 2.35:1
Running Time: 121 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1997-10-29
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Reviews of Ladyhawke
DVD Review: A FLAMBOYANT SWORD AND SORCERY FANTASY
Summary: 5 Stars
Alan Parsons couldn't even ruin this wonderful fantasy, though he certainly seemed to have tried hard enough with the vapid score he created for LADYHAWKE. Rutger Hauer, and Michelle Pfeiffer shine as star-crossed ( or 'cursed' ) lovers, and Mathew Broderick as a young thief, and Leo Mckern as a disgraced priest provide plenty of comic relief, and John Wood is superb as a sinister sorcerer-bishop. The dialogue is at times a bit pretentious, however, the cinematography is exquisite ( though, this transfer doesn't quite do the movie justice ), and the action moves right along. It's definitely a must-have for fantasy-lovers.DVD Review: 25th anniversary release PLEASE!!!
Summary: 4 Stars
Little more remains to be said. Excellent film. Horrible soundtrack (although I disagree with other reviewers. I, and everyone I saw the film with when it was first released, thought the soundtrack was horrible back then as well (not cutting-edge, but something that should have been cut (silence would have been preferable to this lousy A.P.P. refuse)).
One of my favorite things about this film is that it is a good 'family film' in that it is enjoyable for everyone, not too scary for the kiddies, and doesn't require that adults remove their brain for viewing or adopt an 'Adam Sandler' or 'Three Stooges' level of humor (as most 'family films' seem to do)
Is there any chance this gem will receive a 25th anniversary special treatment? I, and a lot of others would line up for it. Warner? Are you listening? Even 'Legend' got an 'Ultimate Edition' and it isn't half the film this is.
DVD Review: Good, though not as good as I remember.
Summary: 4 Stars
Ladyhawke, a classic and one of my all time favorites, was quite a disappointment after seeing it again recently. A young thief escapes from the dungeons of a city only to be saved from the clutches of the city guard by a mysterious warrior accompanied by a hawk. At night, however, he finds himself in the company of a beautiful lady and a mysterious wolf... The story, coincidently, unfolds in Aquila (where the earthquake recently struck) during the Middle Ages.
In short, this is not the movie I remember from my childhood. Rutger Hauer, Michelle Pfeifer, and Matthew Broderick brought back memories, though it might have been better to avoid viewing the film again and instead holding on to those cherished childhood memories.
The music is simply awful, the acting is horrid, and the dialogues are terrible (a B-movie by all standards), though the story is very good and it makes up, to a certain extent, for the film's setbacks. 3.5 Stars
DVD Review: 3.5 Stars -- best viewed through the eyes of a child
Summary: 4 Stars
As a kid in the 1980s I watched this film on TV. I remember loving the movie because it had an awesome battle with knights at the end and the Bishop was the bad guy (which at the time blew my mind because I was a by the book Catholic schoolboy).
I'll be honest, after Peter Jackson and others have re-invented the look and scale of the fantasy genre on film over the past ten years, Ladyhawke doesn't hold up as well as it did through my rose-colored glasses of nostalgia. If you've never seen the film before, you'll likely be sorely disappointed by the film's faults.
However, any fan of the 80s and/or fantasy films will likely overlook those same faults and should get a kick out of the awesomely cheesy 80s score by The Alan Parson's Project, Matthew Broderick's performance as basically Ferris Bueller in medieval France, Rutger Hauer as a lovelorn black knight out for revenge, and the unbelievably gorgeous Michelle Pfeiffer as the titular character.
Also, anyone with younger children into fantasy or castles and knights can feel safe sharing this film with their seven-year-old as the violence is minimal and not at all graphic.
As for the DVD itself--the disc is double sided (always a minus in my book) with both full & widescreen versions. The special features are minimal and a bit misleading. There are no deleted scenes or commentaries or making of featurettes. There are, however, TEXT descriptions of several aspects of the film, but who wants to read a DVD? If you buy LADYHAWKE, buy it for the memories or to make new memories with the young fantasy fan in your life.
DVD Review: The Lady, The Knight, and the mouse
Summary: 5 Stars
I love the 80's. Every time I think I've seen every great movie to come out of my favorite decade, there's another pleasant surprise from the golden age of sci-fi and fantasy movies. And somehow I always find that my favorite actors are so much more likable in the 80's than than they are now. Especially Matthew Broderick. This is actually my favorite movie starring Matthew Broderick, and it's because his character is so incredibly likable. The whole story is told from his perspective (a thief with such a knack for escaping tight places he's called "the mouse"), and so it is rather unique in that the main character is your typical sidekick. It takes a great performance to carry a movie like and he does it.
The hero of the story is actually a knight played by the awesome Rutger Hauer, and the story centers around his efforts to undo a curse which alternately turns himself and his love (played by Michelle Pfeiffer) into a wolf and hawk every time the sun comes up and goes down. An evil bishop (played by the same guy who was Professor Falken in Wargames) cast a curse on them and he's been trying to reverse it ever since.
I'm actually a big fan of Rutger Hauer, because the man can wear a trench coat like a cloak (give Crossworlds a watch sometime) and actually seems like he COULD beat the tar out of a dozen men easily (he's just got the stance and bearing of a person who seems like he could have been plucked from an ancient battlefield). I love the fight scenes he's in, and the brooding hero he plays. Unfortunately, in this movie Michelle Pfeiffer doesn't get to do much in this movie besides step lightly in cloaks and look beautiful. She hardly utters a line in the movie. Personally I wish she had more of a character to play, but...there you are.
What makes this movie really great to me (and will float it or sink it depending on your tastes) is the style of good old Richard Donner (you know, the guy who made you believe a man could fly back in the day). That means there's no CGI here, just good old-fashioned smoke and mirrors for special effects (old school). There's also lots of widescreen and wide-angle shots, and the action moves at a brisk pace. There's some good battle sequences, but they're no gruesomely realistic, instead more semi-comical upbeat sections that keep you engaged.
There's some beautiful cinematography to be found here with those great wide-open-vista shots. There's also a rocking 80's soundtrack. That's where you'll get hooked or hit the off switch. Personally I love it because it kind of reinforces the loose comic-book fairy-tale feel I get from the film (reminding you not to take it too seriously and loosen up and have fun).
Of course the guy who plays the bishop does a good job and so does the priest who helps out in the quest (remember him from the Disney flick Candleshoe?), but again the movie is carried mostly by Broderick. He's hilarious and lovable. He's constantly talking to God, trying to figure out how he's going to get out of various predicaments, and his heart of gold makes you root for him from beginning to end. It's also very refreshing to see things from his perspective.
Overall, if you love movies from the 80's with synthesizer soundtracks and lovable characters, and especially if you love fantasy and sci-fi flicks, you gotta give this one a go. Personally I like it better every time I see it.
Description of Ladyhawke
In this 700 year old legend of love and honor two lovers are separated by an evil curse. A valiant knight is aided in his quest by a wise crakcing thief in his quest to break the spell by destroying its creator. Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 02/08/2005 Starring: Matthew Broderick Rutger Hauer Run time: 121 minutes Rating: Pg13 Director: Richard DonnerThis lushly produced fantasy has gained a loyal following since its release in 1985, and it gave a welcomed boost to the careers of Matthew Broderick, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Rutger Hauer. You have to ignore the overly aggressive music score (critic Pauline Kael aptly dubbed it "disco-medieval") and director Richard Donner's reckless allowance of anachronistic dialogue and uninspired storytelling, but there's a certain charm to the movie's combination of romance and heroism. Broderick plays a young thief who comes to the aid of tragic lovers Isabeau (Pfeiffer), who is cursed to become a hawk every day at sunrise and Navarre (Hauer) who turns into a wolf at sunset. The curse was cast by an evil sorcerer-bishop (John Wood), and as Broderick eludes the bishop's henchmen, Navarre struggles to conquer the villain, lift the curse, and be reunited with his love in human form. The tragedy of this lovers' dilemma keeps the movie going, and Broderick is well cast as a young, medieval variation of Woody Allen. --Jeff Shannon
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