"Tristan & Isolde" Review


The Professor gives it a B+

IMDB.com plot synopsis: An affair between a very noble knight (Franco) and the very married future Queen of England (Myles) spells doom for the young lovers.

The good:
Franco and Myles are hot. They sizzle separately, and they sizzle together, too. The plot is based on the ancient legend, NOT on the Wagner opera. It's the archetype of the love triangle tale, pre- or maybe co-Arthurian. The writers took the fantasy elements out; this left a gritty tale of a woman trying to deal when custom treated her as a chattel to be disposed of as politics demanded.

I enjoyed the fact that the architecture, for the most part, was period accurate. Armor was studded leather; swords and maces were simple and effective devices.

Overall, I enjoyed the show. It was definitely worth the theater admission.

The bad:
Sometimes I know too damn much. (Or maybe I should watch movies when I'm feeling well.) If you're not a student of ancient Celtic culture, medieval legends, etc., the things that bothered me may not bother you; so I'm putting them in the "Spoilers Area" so you can watch the movie and maybe enjoy it more than I did.

The costuming was so unlikely as to make me cringe. While everything else seemed reasonably period accurate, the costumes were just fantasy-based. I made excuses in my mind, but when Tristan arrived on screen in biker-black leather tunic and trews, my thought was, "Oh, come ON!" Every time I settled in to enjoy the story, another costuming faux pas would appear to break the spell.

And while most of the architecture was believable, Tudor half-timbered houses were most definitely NOT.

Too bad.

Posted: Sat - January 14, 2006 at 09:03 AM   | | | | |

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