Highlander (film)
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| Highlander | |
|---|---|
 Original style-A poster |
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| Directed by | Russell Mulcahy |
| Produced by | Peter S. Davis E.C. Monell William N. Panzer |
| Written by | Story: Gregory Widen Screenplay: Gregory Widen Peter Bellwood Larry Ferguson |
| Starring | Christopher Lambert Sean Connery Clancy Brown Roxanne Hart |
| Music by | Queen Michael Kamen |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) |  March 7, 1986 |
| Running time | US Theatrical Cut 110 min. French Theatrical Cut 112 min. European Theatrical Cut 116 min. Director's Cut 116 min. |
| Language | English |
| Followed by | Highlander II: The Quickening |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Highlander is a 1986 fantasy action film directed by Russell Mulcahy and based on a story by Gregory Widen. It stars Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Clancy Brown and Roxanne Hart. The film has inspired a franchise that includes film sequels and television spin-offs.
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[edit] Plot
Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) was born in the year 1518 "in the village of Glenfinnan on the shores of Loch Shiel." In 1536, his clan is in conflict with the Clan Fraser, and Connor rides along into his first battle. The Frasers are working with a towering monster of a man known as The Kurgan (Clancy Brown), who has recognized that Connor is a fellow Immortal, and hopes to use the battle to kill Connor before he becomes aware of his abilities. On the battlefield, Connor wonders why none of the Fraser's forces will attack him, until he comes across the Kurgan and is struck by an odd pain (from sensing the proximity of another immortal). This leaves him open to attack.
The Kurgan mortally wounds Connor and prepares to decapitate him, but the MacLeod's kinsmen intervene just before this occurs, with the Kurgan vowing to return. The clan mourn Connor, but he miraculously revives shortly after his 'death'. Accusing him of witchcraft, Connor's clansmen beat him and prepare to burn him, but his cousin Angus (James Cosmo) persuades them to exile Connor instead. He escapes with his life, but is banished forever from his clan and birthplace.
MacLeod eventually becomes a blacksmith in Glencoe, where he marries Heather (Beatie Edney). In 1541, he is located by a much older Immortal, who introduces himself as Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez (Sean Connery). He explains that the pain he feels in the Kurgan's and Ramírez's presence is "The Quickening", which compels Immortals to battle each other. Ramírez appoints himself MacLeod's tutor in the ways of being Immortal, their pursuit of The Prize, and the rules of an age-old "Game", which will end when the few who remain participate in "The Gathering", noting that "in the end, there can be only one." Immortals can only die by decapitation and can only avoid battle on holy ground.
Ramírez later explains that his own name is just his current alias, being Egyptian by birth. He adopted it while serving as Chief Metallurgist for Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (also King of Spain between 1516-1556). His sword is a katana he received in Japan in 593 B.C., made by his (then) father-in-law Masamune. Masamune, a genius far ahead of his time in the forging of swords, was the father of Princess Shakiko, Ramírez's third wife. Ramírez also takes it upon himself to improve MacLeod's swordsmanship, which he declares is "no better than that of a clumsy child."
Ramírez warns MacLeod to leave his wife or face heartbreak, explaining that "I was born 2,437 years ago. In that time, I've had three wives. The last was Shakiko, a Japanese princess... When Shakiko died, I was shattered. I would save you that pain. Please, let Heather go." He also explains that Immortals are incapable of having children.
MacLeod refuses to leave his wife, though he continues to train under Ramírez, who also explains the origins of the Kurgan and the risk for the world if he wins the Prize. One night, the Kurgan arrives at MacLeod's home while MacLeod himself is absent, though Heather and Ramírez are there. The Kurgan and Ramírez duel, with the frightened Heather their only spectator. After an extended duel, which destroys the house, the Kurgan manages to decapitate Ramírez, and proceeds to rape Heather, as a further humiliation to his old enemy (Ramírez) and "his woman." MacLeod soon returns to find his home in ruins, his mentor killed, and his wife alive, but traumatized. She never tells him about the rape, and MacLeod never learns of the event until 1985, when The Kurgan mocks Ramírez's memory.
MacLeod remains with his wife until her death from old age. Dying in MacLeod's arms, she confides that her only regret was not having his children. After burying Heather, MacLeod burns their residence and wanders the world, journeying as far away as Japan, and finally ends up in America. These travels include an 18th Century duel on Boston Common (in which a drunken MacLeod is repeatedly run through by a sword, to no effect, by an insulted husband), and killing a Nazi officer during World War II, rescuing young Rachel, a Holocaust survivor, in the process. His experiences over time leave him a bitter, cynical man.
In 1985, in New York City, the few surviving Immortals are participating in "The Gathering," a final series of confrontations to determine the winner of "The Prize." Eventually, the last two surviving are MacLeod, under the alias of "Russell Edwin Nash" and the Kurgan, under the alias of "Victor Kruger." Meanwhile, the spike in what appear to be murders by decapitation has drawn the attention of the police, who find MacLeod leaving the scene of an earlier duel and bring him in for questioning. However, as their evidence is circumstantial, they can not arrest him, though he becomes their prime suspect. Among the investigators of the case is forensic scientist Brenda Wyatt (Roxanne Hart), who has an intricate knowledge of swords. Samples taken from the crime scene reveal the sword used is nearly 2000 years old (MacLeod is now using Ramírez' sword) and she begins investigating him, primarily over interest in the sword.
Eventually, her investigation reveals MacLeod's longevity through the use of different names, and she confronts him about it. He reveals his true nature to her and she finds herself falling in love with him. This does not escape the attention of the Kurgan, who is now being hunted by the police as their murderer after being identified by a 'mortal' he has stabbed during a recent duel. He abducts Brenda to force MacLeod into a final confrontation. MacLeod battles the Kurgan, finally defeating him (with a little help from Brenda), and apparently wins The Prize, which is revealed to be mortality, the ability to sire children, and a telepathic/empathic gift wherein he can communicate with and influence the greatest minds or most powerful people on the planet. He and Brenda embark on a new life together.
[edit] Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Christopher Lambert | Connor MacLeod / Russell Nash |
| Roxanne Hart | Brenda Wyatt |
| Clancy Brown | The Kurgan / Victor Kruger |
| Sean Connery | Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez |
| Beatie Edney | Heather MacLeod |
| Alan North | Lieutenant Frank Moran |
| Jon Polito | Detective Walter Bedsoe |
| Sheila Gish | Rachel Ellenstein |
| Hugh Quarshie | Sunda Kastagir |
| Christopher Malcolm | Kirk Matunas |
| Peter Diamond | Iman Fasil |
| Billy Hartman | Dugal MacLeod |
| James Cosmo | Angus MacLeod |
| Celia Imrie | Kate MacLeod |
| Alistair Findla | Chief Murdoch Fraser |
[edit] Reception
The film was directed by Russell Mulcahy and scripted by Peter Bellwood, Larry Ferguson and Gregory Widen. Upon initial U.S. release, it was not well-received, but it gained increasing popularity in non-domestic markets, and on home video. It has since obtained status as a cult classic film in both domestic and non-domestic markets, leading to four sequels, a television series, and various other spin-offs.
Highlander has been released to DVD on multiple occasions in the United States, most notably the 10th Anniversary Edition [1] and the Immortal Edition [2], both containing the director's cut of the film.
[edit] Alternate cuts and deleted scenes
The European cut of the film contained scenes not found in the U.S. cut. The Director's Cut is based upon this cut and runs 8 minutes longer than the U.S. cut. Even so, there is some missing dialogue that was in the theatrical version, such as the chants of "Kill the MacLeod!" at the beginning, and "I want to go home" after Connor receives The Prize. [3] It includes, amongst other things, a flashback to World War II that further develops the character of Rachel Ellenstein. [4]
A number of deleted scenes from the film were lost in a fire. One such scene introduced an Asian immortal named Yung Dol Kim, who was beheaded by the Kurgan. Another featured Connor and Kastigir in a night club with Detective Bedsoe. A few stills from these sequences, some in color and others in black and white, did survive and appeared on the 10th Anniversary DVD.
[edit] Soundtrack
The original movie features a soundtrack by Queen, including "Princes of the Universe," which was also used in the Highlander television series title sequence. Queen saw an early screening of Highlander, and decided to compose music for the film's entire non-symphonic soundtrack. They wrote many of the songs specifically to match the mood of the scenes when the songs were played, notably Brian May's "Who Wants to Live Forever", concerning the doomed love of Connor and his wife Heather.
While an album specifically tied to the Highlander movie was never released, Queen's 1986 album A Kind of Magic features most of the songs from the film, as well as other music on the same theme. Notably, Queen's version of "New York, New York" (playing while The Kurgan drives Brenda through New York) was never released by the band.
All of Queen's songs in Highlander were purposely written for the movie, except for "Hammer to Fall", which had been previously released on their album The Works in 1984.
[edit] References in popular culture
References to Highlander are common in entertainment, such as in the Cartoon Network animated series Aqua Teen Hunger Force, wherein a character within it absurdly considers the film to be an actual documentary, and that the events happened in real-time. In the film Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Will Ferrell's character, Ricky Bobby, compares the intense rivalry with NASCAR driver Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen) with the plot of Highlander. While explaining the movie to Girard, a Frenchman, he states that it won the Academy Award for "Best Movie Ever Made." Later in the film, Girard claims he had seen the movie, and said "it was shit."
As well, parodies have been made of the film, copying the plot and visuals while comedically substituting known personalities as the characters in the film. Among these, another Cartoon Network animated series, Robot Chicken, parodies the film using Hollywood as the setting, and several teen idols such as Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Bynes and Hilary Duff as Immortal characters.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Highlander at the Internet Movie Database
- Highlander at Rotten Tomatoes
- Highlander at Box Office Mojo
- Glenfinnan
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