Tristan & Isolde (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
Romeo & Juliet's strife is echoed here in 'Tristan & Isolde', an epic tale of two star-crossed lovers. It is produced by Ridley & Tony Scott, and directed by Kevin Reynolds (The Count of Monte Cristo, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves). Before Romeo & Juliet, there was 'Tristan & Idolde'. Isolde (Sophia Myles) is an Irish Princess who finds a young man washed ashore. He is Tristan (James Franco), an English knight, a seeming enemy of her father, King Donnchadh of Ireland (David O'Hara). This movie is steady, well-shot, & well-acted. What it lacks is 'grit'. A lot of scenes should have been dirtied up, a bit. Whether it was make-up, costuming, a love scene, a battle sequence ... the beautification of the film hurts it more than helps.
This is the Dark Ages, where Irish & English tribes fight for rule. Isolde & Tristan fall in love. But their love is forbidden, and he returns home to the man who took him in as an orphan. She sends Tristan back to England where he reunites with friend and father-figure, Lord Marke (a great Rufus Sewell). Marke wants to unite Ireland and England as 'one'; but King Donnchadh wants to sustain Irish domination. Unfortunately for Tristan, and unbeknownst to him and Isolde, he wins a trick contest set-up by King Donnchadh which stages a gladiator-style duel that joins, in marriage, the Irish Princess with Lord Marke of England! He is the prize winner of Isolde, & this proves disastrous for our young protagonists, and also the familial love btwn. Marke & Tristan. This tricksy contest is a complete set-up for Lord Marke to believe that Donnchadh actually desires a unified England.
So, as you can see, all the sub-plots & ensuing twists are in full effect. Amidst T & I's passionate affair, there are many scenes of whispered attack plans by the Irish, and battle exposition. Some scenes work, some clog up the screen and make us want to get back to the initial story. Tristan & Isolde are in misery. They're horrified by their fate. And with each passing second, it becomes immensely difficult to suppress their exploding passion. Naturally, they secretly meet to consummate their enormously risky love. She's unhappy, but doesn't despise the man who won her as wife. Likewise, Tristan finds it difficult to betray the man who saved his life & gave him a royal upbringing. Is their love uncovered? Will Tristan choose love over honor? Can he forget Isolde and fight for Marke in the war? Will they meet a similar tragedy that befalls Romeo & Juliet? All questions are answered in this fairly-swift moving film.
The characters are portrayed in a very believable manner. No acting is over-the-top, flamboyant, but neither is it subdued. The suppressed love btwn. T & I is heartbreaking & true. You feel for the characters and wish that you saw a little more of them and a little less of King Donnchadh's dark plans. James Franco is a sort of wonder to me. I tend to find his performances to be quiet, yet gripping. His angst & constant teary-eyed-ness is emotional to watch (as a Tristan/Romeo character should be). Yet, whenever I see him in real life, on talk shows, etc. he comes across as the most uninteresting, emotionless milquetoast I have ever seen. Bravo to him for 'turning it on' for the Big Screen. Sophia Myles is excellent as Isolde. I have never seen her before, but I find her refreshing, beautiful, and a solid actress. Yet, it is Rufus Sewell who gives the most convincing, nuanced performance of this film. We like him, we loathe him, feel for him & cheer for him. It is tried and true that he can portray protagonists & antagonists with relative ease.
Director Kevin Reynolds does a fine job here. He is very good at making these genre-specific films. But we can see that he is a tad more comfortable directing the battle scenes than he is with what should be the focal point, Tristan & Isolde. That said, though its unexceptional, this film is undeserving of some of the criticism it has received. If you search IMDB.com, you will find its user rating is rather high. The story wasn't gritty enough to make me fall in love with the movie. And I, personally, have a particularly hard time enjoying films with tragic consequences. But the parallel storylines involving this torturous love & the medieval war ends in a tidy climax. The credits rolled and I was entertained enough to sigh in certain satisfaction.
This is the Dark Ages, where Irish & English tribes fight for rule. Isolde & Tristan fall in love. But their love is forbidden, and he returns home to the man who took him in as an orphan. She sends Tristan back to England where he reunites with friend and father-figure, Lord Marke (a great Rufus Sewell). Marke wants to unite Ireland and England as 'one'; but King Donnchadh wants to sustain Irish domination. Unfortunately for Tristan, and unbeknownst to him and Isolde, he wins a trick contest set-up by King Donnchadh which stages a gladiator-style duel that joins, in marriage, the Irish Princess with Lord Marke of England! He is the prize winner of Isolde, & this proves disastrous for our young protagonists, and also the familial love btwn. Marke & Tristan. This tricksy contest is a complete set-up for Lord Marke to believe that Donnchadh actually desires a unified England.
So, as you can see, all the sub-plots & ensuing twists are in full effect. Amidst T & I's passionate affair, there are many scenes of whispered attack plans by the Irish, and battle exposition. Some scenes work, some clog up the screen and make us want to get back to the initial story. Tristan & Isolde are in misery. They're horrified by their fate. And with each passing second, it becomes immensely difficult to suppress their exploding passion. Naturally, they secretly meet to consummate their enormously risky love. She's unhappy, but doesn't despise the man who won her as wife. Likewise, Tristan finds it difficult to betray the man who saved his life & gave him a royal upbringing. Is their love uncovered? Will Tristan choose love over honor? Can he forget Isolde and fight for Marke in the war? Will they meet a similar tragedy that befalls Romeo & Juliet? All questions are answered in this fairly-swift moving film.
The characters are portrayed in a very believable manner. No acting is over-the-top, flamboyant, but neither is it subdued. The suppressed love btwn. T & I is heartbreaking & true. You feel for the characters and wish that you saw a little more of them and a little less of King Donnchadh's dark plans. James Franco is a sort of wonder to me. I tend to find his performances to be quiet, yet gripping. His angst & constant teary-eyed-ness is emotional to watch (as a Tristan/Romeo character should be). Yet, whenever I see him in real life, on talk shows, etc. he comes across as the most uninteresting, emotionless milquetoast I have ever seen. Bravo to him for 'turning it on' for the Big Screen. Sophia Myles is excellent as Isolde. I have never seen her before, but I find her refreshing, beautiful, and a solid actress. Yet, it is Rufus Sewell who gives the most convincing, nuanced performance of this film. We like him, we loathe him, feel for him & cheer for him. It is tried and true that he can portray protagonists & antagonists with relative ease.
Director Kevin Reynolds does a fine job here. He is very good at making these genre-specific films. But we can see that he is a tad more comfortable directing the battle scenes than he is with what should be the focal point, Tristan & Isolde. That said, though its unexceptional, this film is undeserving of some of the criticism it has received. If you search IMDB.com, you will find its user rating is rather high. The story wasn't gritty enough to make me fall in love with the movie. And I, personally, have a particularly hard time enjoying films with tragic consequences. But the parallel storylines involving this torturous love & the medieval war ends in a tidy climax. The credits rolled and I was entertained enough to sigh in certain satisfaction.