Tristan + Isolde (2006)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Kevin Reynolds

Writer (WGA):

Dean Georgaris (written by)

Release Date:

13 January 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Before Romeo & Juliet, there was...

Plot:

An affair between the second in line to Britain's throne (Franco) and the princess of the feuding Irish (Myles) spells doom for the young lovers.

Plot Keywords:

Princess | Boat | King | Throne | Ireland

Cast

James Franco	...	Tristan
Sophia Myles	...	Isolde
Rufus Sewell	...	Marke
David O'Hara	...	Donnchadh (as David Patrick O'Hara)
Mark Strong	...	Wictred
Henry Cavill	...	Melot
Bronagh Gallagher	...	Bragnae
Ronan Vibert	...	Bodkin
Lucy Russell	...	Edyth
JB Blanc	...	Leon
Graham Mullins	...	Morholt
Leo Gregory	...	Simon
Dexter Fletcher	...	Orick
Richard Dillane	...	Aragon
Hans Martin Stier	...	Kurseval (as Hans Martin-Stier)

Also Known As:

Tristan & Isolde (USA) (promotional title)
Tristan a Isolda (Czech Republic)
Tristan and Isolde (USA) (alternative spelling)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense battle sequences and some sexuality.

Runtime:

USA:125 min

Country:

Germany | Czech Republic | UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Ireland:12A | UK:12A | Singapore:PG | Netherlands:12 | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Australia:M | Sweden:11 | Brazil:14 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Iceland:14 | Philippines:R-13 | Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:15 | Malaysia:U

Filming Locations:

Glissaun Beach, Connemara, County Galway, Ireland

Company:

ApolloProMedia GmbH & Co. 1. Filmproduktion KG (I)

Trivia:

Sophia Myles' (Isolde) wedding gown costume was previously used in Arabian Nights (2000) (TV), worn by Mili Avital (Scheherezade).

Goofs:

Factual errors: Addressing a crowd of his men, King Marke mentions that they all must ride off into the forest that night, citing a tradition to ride out on the night of the full moon. The camera then cuts to a shot of a waxing half moon, followed by one of the men riding off on their "full moon" ride.

Quotes:

Isolde: [reading] I wonder by my troth, what thou and I Did, till we loved? were we not wean'd till then? But suck'd on country pleasures, childishly? Or snorted we in the Seven Sleepers' den? 'Twas so ; but this, all pleasures fancies be ; If ever any beauty I did see...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Troldspejlet: (#35.13)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Plainsong

Tragic Lovestory with plenty of Action

Tristan and Isolde is one of the most enjoyable films I've seen this year. I saw it in a preview screening without knowing anything about the film or the myth. I expected a mediocre romance, only hoping that it would be set in an interesting medieval setting and that my girlfriend would enjoy it. Well it is a story of love, but also so much more. The film has a dark undertone to it and every character is torn between hard choices of power, loyalty, friendship and in Tristan's case, love. There is plenty of both tragedy and love and although very dramatic I never felt it was being too sentimental. The battle scenes are very well done. Although realism is sometimes sacrificed for dramatic impact, this works very well for the film. Most importantly there are no invulnerable heroes. Everyone is in immediate danger of mutilation and death, making the fight scenes more intense. The casting of Tristan, Isolde and Lord Marke is perfect and most of the supporting cast do an equally great job. The absence of any Hollywood superstars makes the film all that much better. Enjoy.