I like that this flik has so many sides it's near goofie. Broderick and McKern (sometimes unintentionally)provide the comic relief. Broderick is so young at this time you'll have no choice but to grin. Michelle Pfeiffer and Rutger Hauer are both (by this time) established dramatic masters and while some ads give Broderick top billing, Pfeiffer and Hauer carry the movie. This flik would have slipped to absurdity had Pfeiffer and Hauer not so believed their roles and been confident in their abilities. The storyline is clear and straightforward but anytime you rely on spells and hexes and magic your actors and plot had better gel. At this point the hat tip MUST go to Richard Donner. Without clear direction this movie would be an absurd mush. The lack of a verbal description of the curse till later in the movie is not a problem because of the direction. The curse is filled out to give the bad guy a worse color and so you wanna cheer when he buys it. Donners' love of the action genre is blazingly clear here because this would be no more than a noisey chik-flik without it. Instead the magic, curse, etc. works and works well. The ending is a chance to cheer and not merely a glad occasion to wring out the hankie! All in all this is a solid action movie with sides of comedy, fantasy, and romance. Oh, by the way, if you don't like a STRONG, modern score this score may adversely affect you. The score impresses that Donners' intent was an action flik with many other aspects. A hearty well done to ALL involved. Like I said before, so many sides it's near goofie.Read full review
Beautifully tender story about two lovers destined to never find happiness after being cursed by an evil cleric. Captain Etienne Navarre (Rutger Hauer), fell in love with Lady Isabeau d'Anjou (Michelle Pfeiffer) in love at first sight. A vicious Arch-Bishop, unable to marry, but in love with the young woman tries to possess her but can't. Seeing her love for Navarre, and knowing that she could never be his, he cursed the union to heartless darkness. For in the hours of daylight, Isabeau was cursed to live as a hawk, a bird of prey, and a beautiful woman in darkness. Navarre was cursed in just the opposite, turning into a great black wolf in darkness, only being able to, maybe for just a moment, catch a glimmer of eachother, but never be together as man and woman. This is their curse, their walk in life. The Mouse (Matthew Broderick), has just managed to escape from the prison by squeezing through a sewer, and now the soldiers are searching for him. As he is about to be captured, Navarre saves his life and rescues him. This begins their association. Before long, he sees the wolf and the lady, and as things progress, he begins to understand the curse. When the hawk is wounded by an arrow, Broderick is sent to find an old Friar for help. He brings Isabeau to him, still not knowing what the secret of the hawk. The old Friar cares for her, and saves her life. From him, Broderick learns of the curse, and their hopeless situation. Navarre has sworn to kill the Arch-Bishop for his treachery, but the old Friar has discovered an idea of how the curse can be broken. It has to do with an eclipse, with a day with two nights. Navarre is able to stand with Isabeau in the twilight of the eclipse. He kills the Arch-Bishop and the curse is broken. This film has really beautiful cinematography and a great musical score. This is a good one!Read full review
It has just the right amount of umph to make it work, not too much cheese and just the right amount of realism. I am not a big Ruger Howard (SP) fan but he was just what was needed for the role. Surprisingly good, it kept my attention throughout. It unfolds one step at a time to reveal story that is unique and captivating. I loved the imagery and the scenery. I am very stingy when it comes to calling a movie excellent, so take no offence, this is not an excellent movie but better than good and worth watching.
I have loved this movie since first watching it back in the early 80's. It was the first time that I had seen Michele Pfeifer in a movie and I thought she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. It was also my first time seeing a Friesian horse which made me fall in love with the breed. Mathew Broderick and Rutger Hauer were fabulous as well. The casting was excellent, the storyline engaging. I first bought the movie on VHS and I also had it on DVD but that got scratched pretty badly so... this is just a replacement so that I have a copy in my DVD/Bluray collection.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Sometimes a movie comes out of nowhere and surprises you in the nicest way. If you want a story where the good guys prevail, maybe you will like Ladyhawke. Everything great: acting, story, luscious cinematography (by Vittorrio Storrarro), stunts, the animals (e.g. the hero's horse also starred in The Black Stallion), costumes, music, production values — all top notch. My only "complaint" is I wish there could be more movies like this. It's my favourite film.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I bought this DVD to replace my old VHS tape copy of Ladyhawke. I expected better quality though. The movie looks like it was just copied off a TV running the movie and not digitally upgraded. I was disappointed in the packaging also, as the DVD came in a cheap cardboard case. The purchase price of $13 is too high for the quality of the item. Since this Ladyhawke movie is one of my long-time favorites, I was o.K. with the price as I thought I was buying a better quality item than the old tape. I don't consider this purchase to be a good value.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I always look for great older movies to bring to the lake for summer rainy nights in the trailer. Ladyhawke is a brilliant movie with Ruttger Howard and the beautiful Michelle Pfeiffer funny young Matthew Broderick. Fantasy adventure at it’s greatest….loved it. Movie came in a sealed case and rather quickly. Appears to be unused and brand new so I’m happy
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
You can read a synopsis on IMBD, my review is to say this movie is awesome. It has humorous one liners and scenes which will leave you rolling with laughter, and touching and haunting scenes of an epic love story which will leave you sighing and possibly crying. Fantasy, adventure, romance, comedy, and drama. One of my most favorite movies of all times. This movie has it all!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
This is one of my all time favorites! It's a rather interesting twist to classic fairytale stories of love and good vs. evil. Mathew Broderick provides some light hearted humor to balance it out so, to me this is the perfect movie, not to mention the fantastic horses!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I think maybe some of us have done what I've done, and purchased the movie after you have watched it on television. I thought for its time frame, it was a good movie. Rutger and Michelle are two of my favorites. I thought Rutger was a good p;ick for the part of the wolf. Michelle was a little lacking on her role as the hawk, but when they got together, which didn't seem all that much, they did a good job of relaying their desires of wanting to sacrifice the curse for each other. I'm not all that sure of the young Merlin trainee, played by Mathew Broderick, was a good addition to the movie. Overall the movie is a good one for being on the touchy side of romanticist. You can really get into it, and some parts seem a little slow, but that will fit the non-violent movies well. I would recommend this movie to all..Read full review
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best Selling in DVDs & Blu-ray Discs
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on DVDs & Blu-ray Discs