Tristan & Isolde

[unclehyena.livejournal.com]

On Saturday we saw "Tristan & Isolde", and it impressed the hell out of me. I don't much care for the original story; nation changing tragic romances really shouldn't hinge on a love potion. This version, though...

First of all, you have to realize that this is a fantasy movie, and forget any references to history. It is set in a post-Roman, pre-Christian (Huh?) Britain, in which the various tribes, identified as Picts, Jutes, Saxons, Angles, and Celts (Huh?), are kept at each other's throats by the Irish overlords (Huh?). So, yeah, fantasy.

But having said that, this is simply the BEST version of the King-Queen-Champion triangle that I have ever seen. The politics are well done, the characters are well motivated and engaging, and it all WORKS. The characters are SLIGHTLY closer to Mark, Isolde, and Tristan of the legends, but they could really just as easily have been Arthur, Guenevere, and Lancelot.

If your tastes run to early post-Roman costume drama, this is as good as it gets. And there are a number of gorgeous lapstrake boats and ships, too. ::grin::

Uncle Hyena