Princes of the Universe (Highlander (DVD))

Name: MaryanneH

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Product:	Highlander (DVD)
Date:	17/09/04 (64 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great film

Disadvantages: none

Princes of the Universe


From the dawn of time we came; moving silently down through the centuries, living many secret lives, struggling to reach the time of the Gathering; when the few who remain will battle to the last. No one has ever known we were among you... until now.

These immortal words were uttered by the sultry voice of Sean Connery at the opening of what is arguably one of the most successful films of the ‘80s.

Connor Macleod was born in the highlands of Scotland in 1518 and he is still alive for the opening shot of the film, a New York wrestling match in 1986.

The idea behind the plot is simple, there are a seemingly infinite number of immortals running around and the only way they can die is if their head is severed from their body. When one immortal kills another they take their power in the form of quickening so the immortals grow in power until in the end ‘there can be only one’ and that one receives the ultimate prize of absolute power.

Even simplifying it as much as that, you have to admit that it has great potential for a movie or 4 and of course the now obligatory spin off series but even the greatest of ideas has to be well put together and acted so imagine the directors horror when the first day filming arrives and the star of the film turns up fresh from his stint as lord Greystoke, alternatively known as Tarzan, his performance in which landed him the role of Connor Macleod, to find that their star couldn’t actually speak English! Yep me Tarzan, you Jane and a few grunts were all he had to do, and they hadn’t thought to check his vocal skills. However this does possibly cause one endearing feature of the film, Frenchman Christophe copes very well with the language, but the unfamiliarity with it gives his performance a detached, lonely sort of feel, which is perfect for his character.

The quest to be the one, starts in the highlands of Scotland and spans centuries, it is a costume designers dream, or nightmare as the journey to the gathering is shown through various eras from the rugged highlander, forced out of his Clan after a miraculous full recover from a fatal wound to wander the world to the 18th Century fop in a wig to 1940s Nazis, to modern day New York.

Now producing a film that spans 5 months is not a problem, producing a film where the principal characters life spans 5 centuries could be a recipe for disaster but the story is told along side the finale through a series of flashbacks, these run through the film very smoothly and helps to create the atmosphere of the ruggedness of the highlands and clan battles, the comparison to New York in 1986, and the polite classical era of 18th Century England. There are also some great shots of the glen of weeping which recreates how the highlands must truly have looked during the battles of the clans.

So we have the principle character and as with any testosterone charged films with a load of men running around chopping peoples heads off with swords you need the good versus evil and this comes in the form of the somewhat inarticulate Kurgan (Clancy Brown) who is you stereotypical bad guy, big, ugly and reckless but he does have some great lines, the most famous of which is undeniably ‘I have something to say; it is better to burn out than to fade away’

Now in fairness to Kurgan, his inarticulate nature is not entirely his fault as it is the result of a war wound, watch the film and you’ll find out why. However we have the good guy, the bad guy we need the best friend. At this time in the 80’s a film seemed to earn a certain degree of credibility by including Mr Sean Connery in its cast, and whilst I do not deny that he is a great actor, as long as the role is 007 with a Scottish accent and beard, this phase of supporting and cameo roles always confused me. However he plays the role of Ramirez the best friend and mentor to perfection and always brings humour to a film.

The special effects in the film are now somewhat dated to say the least and you can guarantee that if it were to be made now it would be done very differently. The main opportunity for effects are in the form of the quickening, ok so the head has left the body there is a surge of power as the power enters the new body. This is done in the form of lightening bolts and strange blue glows but it does give the film a form of cult charm.

And finally to my favourite part of the film, sad that I am it has to be the music. The title of this review precedes what is for me one of the most famous lines of any Queen song ‘I am immortal, I have inside me blood of kings’ although for any non highlander fans it is more likely to be ‘Scaramouch, Scaramouch will you do the fandango’ There is something about Freddy‘s voice that completes the theatrical, dramatic atmosphere of the whole film. This worked both ways as Christophe Lambert does turn up in the video of the song with his sword to do battle with Mr Mercury. Other highlights include the ballad ‘Who wants to live forever’ and of course ‘It’s a kind of magic’ so for any Queen fan the soundtrack is also as impressive as the film.

So do I recommend the film? Absolutely a wholehearted yes, it may look a tad dated in many ways but it is a great story, it is the original Highlander and by far the best, not least because I honestly believe they sacked the continuity man at some point along the way with the other 3. Does good prevail, does Connor win the prize and does he ever find happiness? If you’re over 15 then go get the film (Amazon price £6.97 for the DVD) to find out.

Thank you for reading.

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