By Lya Carrera
EDGE Entertainment Contributor
Published Web site: EDGE
Online Version Published Date: May 7, 2006
Online Version Printed Date: June 19, 2006

Rated: PG-13
Grade: A

The challenges of love or forbidden love are most often the themes of the majority of movies, and Tristan & Isolde is no exception.

Content

This movie is a romantic epic set in the dark ages. It’s not exactly a love triangle, but close to it.

After the Roman Empire fell, Britain was divided into various tribes, and Ireland, which was to its west, was unaffected.

Irish King Donnchadh (David O’Hara) didn’t want the English tribes to unite, so he devised a plan and offered his daughter, Isolde (Sophia Myles), as a prize for marriage to the various British tribes to keep them divided.

British Warlord, Lord Marke (Rufus Sewell), knew that Ireland was a threat and that the tribes need to be united in order to defeat them. So, when Tristan (James Franco), a knight of Lord Marke, won Isolde on his behalf, the tribes finally united under Lord Mark’s leadership.

Tristan and Lord Marke had a son-father relationship. Lord Marke raised him as his own when Tristan’s parents were killed years ago.

Tristan was unaware that the woman he won for Lord Marke was the same woman that he had fallen in love with some time ago when he was wounded in battle and thought to be dead. His body was sent out to sea and it landed on the beach in Ireland. Isolde found him and realized that he was not dead, but poisoned. She knew the remedy for the poison and nursed him back to health.

Isolde had also fallen in love with Tristan, but she did not know that he was a knight or that he was fighting for her on Lord Marke’s behalf. She eventually married Lord Marke despite her protests to the contrary to Tristan.

Lord Marke was a kind husband to Isolde and fell in love with her as well, but Isolde still loved Tristan, and Tristan and Isolde continued to meet in secret until Lord Marke found out about the two of them.

Mini-Analysis

Director Kevin Reynolds saw this film like Romeo and Juliet, but set in a different time period, and according to Dean Georgaris, scriptwriter, Reynolds had another vision as well.

“Kevin wanted to make something like Doctor Zhivago,” he said. “He wanted a sweeping epic that wasn’t always clean, wasn’t always simple…He wanted it to feel as real and painful as possible [because] in life the most painful decisions aren’t between people you hate, it’s between all the people you care about.”

And Reynolds certainly delivered in achieving the epic portion of the movie. Using epic as an adjective as in “surpassing the ordinary,” the movie felt “larger than life.” The intricate details of the costumes, the set, the weapons and even the panoramic views of Ireland and the Czech Republic contributed to the overall look and feel of that time period.

Epic used as a noun as in “celebrating heroic feats,” Reynolds delivered again. The two main characters, Tristan and Isolde, were put in positions where they had to choose between their own happiness and honor/duty. Even Lord Marke was put to the test as well when he finds Tristan and Isolde together; he needs to choose to be noble or not. And it’s their choices that make these characters either heroes or a heroine in the end.

Although Reynolds described that this film was similar to Romeo and Juliet, I did not agree; it’s similar, but it’s also different.

They were similar in that both couples encountered outside forces that prevented them from being together publicly although they met in secret. What I found dissimilar were their choices.

In Romeo and Juliet, both characters were in more turmoil and they both died at their own hands for each other while in Reynold’s version, although the acting was superb, Isolde appeared in more angst than Tristan and only one of them died.

Although Tristan’s character did reveal his tenderness and love for Isolde, i.e., Tristan made a bracelet for Isolde, he was not as demonstrative or outspoken like Isolde. So, even though I knew that Tristan’s was hurting over the situation, I did not feel it as much as I did with Isolde.

It is fascinating that the Celtic legend of Tristan and Isolde first surfaced in the 12th century and that there have been many versions to this story, so Reynold’s version is just one of many.

For me, I had heard about this legend some time ago as a result of my own interest in mythology, but I never knew the story fully, until I saw the film. I found it very educational and it reminded me of the Lancelot-Guinevere-Arthur story while I was watching it.

Conclusion

This film is similar to movies like Gladiator, Braveheart, Romeo & Juliet, First Knight, and West Side Story (without the music).

Those who like romantic epics will enjoy this movie while others may watch it for the explosions and battle scenes.

Additional Information

Studio: 20th Century Fox.
Price: $29.99.
Running Time: 125 Minutes.
Release Date: January 2006.

Special Features

Love Conquers All:Making of Tristan & Isolde (33 minutes)

This is a mini-documentary about how and why the movie was made. Insight was provided regarding the challenges that the actors, the directors, and the crew had on shooting m Ireland and the Czech Republic, on shooting certain scenes, on the budget constraints in making the movie, and on coordinating the fight scenes.

It is interesting that the history and background of this Celtic legend as well as the real people is discussed. This helps to understand the movie as well understand how this legend shaped the Lancelot-Guinevere-Arthur myth - which is why it reminded me of it when I watch it.

There are interviews with the following: Kevin Reynolds (director), Jim Lemley (executive producer), Anne Lei (co-producer), Dean Georgaris (scriptwriter), James Franco (Tristan), Sofie Myles (Isolde), Rufus Sewell (Lord Marke), JB Blanc (Leon), Bronagh Gallagher (Bragnae), Thomas Sangster (Young Tristan), Nick Powell (stunt coordinator), Mark Strong (Wictred), and Artur Reinhart (cinematographer).

Commentaries

There are two audio commentaries that can be turned on while the film is playing. One commentary is from Dean Georgaris who gives his views on the various scenes while the other comments are from Jim Lemley, executive producer, and Anne Lai, co-producer, who give background information.

Video

There are two music video versions of the movie’s theme song We Belong Together - a long version that lasts for four minutes and 30 seconds and a short version that lasts for two minutes and 20 seconds.

Image Gallery

Pictures of the costumes, the production set, and the cast and crew behind the scenes.

Subtitles

There are subtitles in English, in English for the Hearing Impaired, and in Spanish.

Audio

The options for audio are: English DTS, English 5.1 Surround Sound, French Dolby Sound, and Spanish Dolby Sound.

Trailers/TV Spots

There are six TV spots-each last about 15 seconds-and one trailer-it lasts for about two minutes and 20 seconds; they provide quick summaries about the movie.