Review of Ladyhawke

Introduction

Ladyhawke was the early eighties TV series where Michelle Pfeiffer rode around LA at hyperspeed on a super-bike, fighting crime. Well maybe not. However, Ladyhawke is for the time, an unconventional film. One that on paper looks as if it shouldn`t work. You would think that it was woefully miscast, with Matthew Broderick as a medieval pickpocket who talks to God, Rutger Hauer as a mysterious but heroic dark knight. Above all was the eighties soundtrack, eighties synth rock, which was totally incongruous with the fairy tale storyline. Yet for some inconceivable reason, it works.

Phillipe Gaston is a cutpurse who decides that languishing in the Bishop`s prison isn`t conducive to a long life. Squeezing his way out through the drain, he escapes through the sewers to freedom. The Bishop, wanting to maintain an example, orders the thief recaptured at all costs. When Phillipe comes to a tavern, he boasts of his escape to all and sundry, unaware that he is entertaining the Bishop`s soldiers. They capture him and the Captain is about to execute him when a mysterious knight, Navarre intervenes and rescues him and they make their escape. Navarre and his constant companion, a hawk, are travelling to the Bishop`s castle to kill him and decide that since Phillipe escaped, he could break back in. Phillipe wants none of this and that night he tries to make his escape, when he is confronted by a black wolf. Pursuing the better part of valour, he returns to his lodging to find a beautiful, enigmatic woman there. She tells him he is dreaming and vanishes into the forest to be with the wolf. It transpires that the reason Navarre is seeking vengeance is that when he fell in love with Isabeau, the mysterious woman, the Bishop in a jealous rage called on the dark arts and cursed the lovers. By day, Isabeau becomes the hawk and at night Navarre is the wolf. Thus the lovers are always destined to be together, but never to touch and thus Navarre thirsts for vengeance. Phillipe reluctantly agrees to aid them, but when they meet the priest, Imperius, who inadvertently betrayed their love, they find a way to break the curse, a way that sounds impossible.

Video

A widescreen 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer is how the disc is presented. The picture is amazing. For a film that is some 18 years old, the print is almost pristine with very little damage to speak of. The image is crystal clear and pin sharp with colours strong and vivid. Richard Donner, who fills the screen with expansive and colourful landscapes, ably directs the film. The film is paced well and the action suitably interspersed with romance and fantasy. The special effects, well what can I say, it was 1985. To the films credit, it doesn`t rely heavily on effects sequences, but leaves their use to a minimum. The story speaks for itself.

Audio

Ladyhawke has a DD 4.1 English soundtrack The sound is good, but not impressive. There is not a lot for your speakers to work with, but the soundtrack does set the ambience of the film adequately. There is one minor glitch that is noticeable, some 70 minutes into the film, the sound drops out for one second. To put this in perspective, you lose one second of sound out of 6960 seconds of film. And you don`t lose any dialogue, just the sound of the rain. So why am I annoyed? The music by Andrew Powell, as previously stated is Synth Rock, alternating with traditional orchestration. It suits the film well and even if you hate the eighties, you won`t be put off by this, much.

Features

For your delectation, you are presented with the original theatrical trailer. It`s a coincidence that the first ever pre-recorded VHS I bought, an ex-rental copy of Turk 182, had the trailer for Ladyhawke on it. If you watch the trailer, it looks like one of the Sword and Sorcery movies that were prevalent back then, cheap and dire, think Beastmaster or Steel Dawn. A trailer that took a great film and made it look crap, now that`s advertising.

Conclusion

Matthew Broderick stars as the pickpocket, Phillipe and is excellent as the wiry thief. O.K the accent may not be any that you would recognise, but the character is well realised, sort of a medieval smart ass. Rutger Hauer is Navarre, the mysterious knight, and it`s good to see him as something other than a psycho. Michelle Pfeiffer plays Isabeau. For a change, the character is strong and self reliant, rather than the damsel in distress that you would expect in a fairy tale like this. Leo McKern plays Imperius the wine soaked priest who seeks to redeem himself. John Wood is brilliant as the malevolent Bishop who seeks to destroy that which he cannot possess. He says little, but his expressions are truly chilling. Al Molina pops up as a wolf trapper, bad teeth, cockney accent, what else?

Ladyhawke is an excellent fairy tale, with a touching romance and involving story. The characters are wonderful, Matthew Broderick`s Phillipe is quick-witted and an entertaining thief, through whose eyes we see the story of Navarre and Isabeau. Michelle Pfeiffer is breathtaking as Isabeau, and it`s nice to see Rutger Hauer being the good guy for a change. The cinematography is gorgeous, with stunning landscapes and an imaginative palette used to tell the story. This is a great film for all the family.
There is that one annoying drop out of sound (This is DVD dammit, quality control, wake up!) O.K it`s doesn`t mess up any dialogue, and it`s nowhere near as bad as the Ghost in the Shell debacle, but it`s an imperfection and lowers the sound mark in my estimation. The disc is extras light to say the least. Ladyhawke is still a great movie, though, and it`s well worth looking up, especially when the price comes down a tad.