Once
in a lifetime there comes along a film that leaves the viewer in a
spell that refuses to be broken. It is the type of film that
dreams are made of and the moral and message, along with the
romance, beauty, and adventure, linger with you long after the
screen has gone dark. This is the case of LadyHawke, a
spellbinding blend of forbidden romance, passion, magic, and
mystery that forever shaped the realm of fantasy films,
jump-started Michelle Pfeiffer in her all-star career, and remains
one of the most beloved cult classics in film history.
The
film opens in the dungeons of Aquila, a city under the control of
the domineering and cruel Bishop. No one has ever before escaped
from the massive stronghold, but a young pickpocket, formerly
titled Phillipe (Matthew Broaderick) but known as "Mouse" due to his ability
to manipulate his body out of the most impossible escape routes,
has found his way through the sewers and into the river beyond.
Escaping beneath the castle itself, he evades the guards and
forges his way to freedom, slipping away under the cover of
darkness. Enraged,
the Bishop (John Wood) sends out a fleet of his men under the command of his
equally cruel captain of the guard to seek out and kill the
escapee. But Mouse is already far into the French countryside,
little knowing that he is being trailed by a mysterious knight and
his hawk. Overestimating his success, he announces to the group at
the local tavern that he has successfully escaped the dungeons. Unfortunately among the cloaked
figures in the room are the very men who he was hoping to elude.
Mouse only escapes death by the intervention of a mysterious
"Captain Navarre," who seems to be well-known and even
loathed by the palace guards. Accompanied by a hawk, Navarre (Rutger
Hayer) carries Mouse off and makes him a manservant. The young thief is
reluctant but bound by what little honor he still possesses and
agrees to serve his new master, little knowing Navarre's true
reasons for saving his life. By night, they take shelter in a
weathered barn... and in the darkness, Mouse is stalked by a
deadly black wolf... and a sees a beautiful woman (Michelle
Pfeiffer). He soon
finds himself drawn into the deadly network of a forbidden
romance, a tragic curse, and the lost key to it all... an evasive
chance to break the spell cast upon a pair of ill-fated lovers,
and restore light into the world.
Navarre would
give his life to save his hawk from death, and yet in the darkness
he and his pet vanish, replaced by a spellbinding woman of
mystery and beauty, and a dangerous black wolf. Only a misplaced pickpocket, a
solar eclipse, and a misguided monk can rescue the ill-fated
lovers from the interlocked spell of evil that binds them to a
cruel fate. This blend of fiction
and fantasy made a name for Michelle Pfeiffer, gave Warner
Brothers a blockbuster triumph, and created a network of fans who
are still to-the-death loyal to the long-lived Captain Navarre and
his LadyHawke. The
first time I chanced to see this film, I was not overly impressed.
It seemed dark and sinister and without redeeming elements. But
after some time had passed, I gave it another chance and learned
to love this dark romance with its many magical elements. The
story is original and powerful: the tale of two lovers cast under
a terrible spell. The production quality is exceptional, the music
spellbinding, the overall build to the climax captivating.
Soon
you grow to love and respect the hauntingly beautiful story and
witty moments of irony.... a stallion named Goliath, to whom Mouse
tells the story of a "wee little man named David," a
paunchy and forgetful but well-meaning monk, even a dark and
sinister spell. Broaderick plays Mouse
with a lovable enthusiasm while the supporting cast, which
includes John Wood in perhaps his most evil role, perform
excellently the difficult parts they have been assigned to play. While
LadyHawke is pretty much void of language (about seven mild
profanities) and completely without sexual situations or innuendo,
it does contain some intense violence. People are killed by the
sword or crossbow. Wolves attack and non-graphically maul
dangerous foes. A hunter is strangled by his own wolf trap. The
villain is impaled with a sword. There's occasional blood
from wounds and a scene in which we fear for the hawk's life when
it's impaled by an arrow.
There are also some intense
thematic elements -- a main character nearly drowns saving
someone's life, a woman is believed
to have fallen to her death, and there's a climatic sequence in
which Isobel runs through a darkened wood
searching for Navarre, only to run into a wolf hunter. The
violence is not overly graphic or too visually apparent; but the
film is much too potentially dark and threatening for younger
viewers. The extent of suggestive content is some cleavage
in one or two scenes in which an arrow must be pulled from her
shoulder.
Probably
the most disconcerting possible problem with LadyHawke is
the mix of fantasy and reality that lends itself to a crossroads
of the Christian faith. Mouse often "talks to God," but
most of it consists of mild banter and witty dialogue. He
flippantly remarks, "I know I said never again, Lord [in
reference to stealing] but I also know that You know what a
weak-willed person I am." The Bishop, as were many members of
the church in that dark point in time, is corrupted. Violently in
love with Isabeau (LadyHawke in human form), he "sold his soul to the Evil
One" in exchange for the power to curse them. However,
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