Tristan and Isolde
May. 21st, 2006 05:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakYesterday evening, my printer-cum-fax croaked it, and I spent some time today cursing at it, in vain trying to make it work again. Now it just showed signs of life, but I'm still distrustful.
In other news, I watched Tristan and Isolde, which is what King Arthur or Troy failed to be - a thoroughly unpretentious entertaining and moving film using a popular myth as its basis. The main characters - Tristan, Isolde, and Marke - are all sympathetic, the villains - Isolde's father, Melot and Widcrest - are given motives, and though it never claims to be high art, it pulls off the romantic love versus family love versus duty and devotion to a higher cause conflicts better than many a film acclaimed by criticism. It didn't hurt that I liked all the actors, too, but, see Troy and King Arthur, that's no guarantee saving a film from being, shall we say, troubled. Even the minor characters, like Bragnae or Marke's sister, come across as real, with their own stories hinted. I think it was a wise decision to chuck the love potion, though we get a tribute to it in Isolde's brief talk with Morholt before he goes off to war. The problem with love potions is that they take away responsibility from the characters for their actions, and that always seems to weaken them for me. Making Melot Marke's nephew instead of Tristan and letting Tristan be a warden, raised by Marke's sister but unrelated by blood, surprised me at first but then I realized why it worked so well; the Tristan-Marke relationship is set up from the start as a contrast to the one between Isolde and her father, who is her blood relation but simply uses her as a political tool without any affection, whereas Marke isn't related to Tristan at all but loves him anyway. (Plus this gives Melot an important reason for his actions later.)
Images like the boats - Tristan's funeral one which brings him to Ireland, Isolde's marriage one covered with flowers which makes her look like a sacrifice - fire (not standing for love in this film but for destruction and rebirth in connection with Marke and Tristan, in the beginning and at the end - and first Marke, then Isolde both bend over the dying Tristan will stay with me. And in conclusion? I really liked this film.
In other news, I watched Tristan and Isolde, which is what King Arthur or Troy failed to be - a thoroughly unpretentious entertaining and moving film using a popular myth as its basis. The main characters - Tristan, Isolde, and Marke - are all sympathetic, the villains - Isolde's father, Melot and Widcrest - are given motives, and though it never claims to be high art, it pulls off the romantic love versus family love versus duty and devotion to a higher cause conflicts better than many a film acclaimed by criticism. It didn't hurt that I liked all the actors, too, but, see Troy and King Arthur, that's no guarantee saving a film from being, shall we say, troubled. Even the minor characters, like Bragnae or Marke's sister, come across as real, with their own stories hinted. I think it was a wise decision to chuck the love potion, though we get a tribute to it in Isolde's brief talk with Morholt before he goes off to war. The problem with love potions is that they take away responsibility from the characters for their actions, and that always seems to weaken them for me. Making Melot Marke's nephew instead of Tristan and letting Tristan be a warden, raised by Marke's sister but unrelated by blood, surprised me at first but then I realized why it worked so well; the Tristan-Marke relationship is set up from the start as a contrast to the one between Isolde and her father, who is her blood relation but simply uses her as a political tool without any affection, whereas Marke isn't related to Tristan at all but loves him anyway. (Plus this gives Melot an important reason for his actions later.)
Images like the boats - Tristan's funeral one which brings him to Ireland, Isolde's marriage one covered with flowers which makes her look like a sacrifice - fire (not standing for love in this film but for destruction and rebirth in connection with Marke and Tristan, in the beginning and at the end - and first Marke, then Isolde both bend over the dying Tristan will stay with me. And in conclusion? I really liked this film.
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Date: 2006-05-22 09:24 am (UTC)I haven't watched the movie. Initially I wasn't very happy that they had removed the fantasy aspect of the story - the tip of the dragon's tongue, the broken sword - but I think that was unfair of me. (Though after the experience of Troy and Arthur in the genre of 'defantasizing' legends, can you blame me? :p)
Your analysis makes me want to watch it now. Which I planned on doing eventualy though. Miss a film that has James Franco in the buff? Not likely! :D