User reviews

This wonderful flick deals with marvelous adventures about star-crossed lovers caught in an nasty spell . The movie is set in the south of France and, based on certain astronomical events that occur, can be dated to 1239 . Philipe Gastone (Matthew Broderick , though he seem better suited to a teen film) , a wisecracking thief , nicknamed the ¨Mouse¨ escapes from the dungeon at Aquila, sparking a manhunt led by officer Marquet (Ken Hutchison) . As a crafty young pickpocket stole his way out of a tyrant's dungeon and plunged into an adventure beyond even his own wildest imaginings . He is nearly captured when Captain Navarre (Rutger Hauer , though Richard Donner originally wanted to cast Kurt Russell , when Russell dropped out a few days before began, the part was handed to Hauer) riding his horse named Goliath saves him . Stalwart Navarre is condemned by an evil curse in which he and a gorgeous maid (Michelle Pfeiffer is perfectly cast as a pretty heroine) are lovers but separated by night and day . No power on Earth can save them , no force in Heaven will release them . The young along with a priest (Leo McKern) help the protagonists in their quest to break the spell by destroying its creator , a villain bishop (John Wood) . As both of whom become their unlike allied .

Imaginative as well as lush fantasy about a weird curse in which our heroes take on several adventures and dangers . This is an imaginative , glamorous , strange fantasy based on the wonderful adventures by a group of heroes against an evil bishop . Fantastic film contains sense of adventure , thrills , and lots of imagination . From start to finish fantasy , action , duels and delightful adventures are interminable . Exciting and interesting screenplay by Michael Thomas , Tom Mankiewicz and David Webb based on a story by Edward Khmara . Edward Khmara took the issue to the Writers Guild Association and was awarded a cash settlement from Warners, but the medieval legend claim wasn't dropped ; and Warner Brothers falsely marketed the movie as being based on a true medieval legend . As this is a mysterious as well as intriguing seven-hundred-year-old legend of horror and love . Starring a considerable cast of top-names performers such as Rutger Hauer , Michelle Pfeiffer and Matthew Broderick . Support cast is frankly enjoyable such as Leo McKern as Father Imperius the Monk , John Wood as Bishop of Aquila , Ken Hutchison as Marquet , and Alfred Molina as Cezar . Marvelous special effects are visually stunning , though a little dated , and magnificently realized with no computer generator . Several different hawks were used , one to sit on Rutger Hauer's arm and another for the flying scenes.

Impressive production design by Wolf Kroeger , including luxurious scenarios , filmed on location in Italy , such as Campo Imperatore, L'Aquila, Abruzzo, Castell'Arquato, Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna, Rocca di Calascio, Calascio, L'Aquila , Soncino, Cremona, Lombardia,Torrechiara, Langhirano, Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Catatombe , Rome and three of the castles used for the film were owned by Italian film director Luchino Visconti . Colorful and glimmer cinematography shot in Technovision by Vittorio Storaro , Bernardo Bertolucci's usual cameraman . Anti-climatic though generally entertaining musical score composed by Andrew Powell by means of modern synthesizer ; however sometimes resulting to be effective and agreeable . This big-budgeted , overlong , appreciated film achieved hit at box office and today is very well considered and it will please the young and the young at heart . The movie was compelling and imaginatively directed by Richard Donner . The picture was nominated for two Academy Awards, for Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing, but failed to win either Oscar . ¨Ladyhawke¨ might be described as an extraordinary fantasy full of imagination and color . It's a tale for teens and adults in which entertainment and amusement are guaranteed . Rating : Good , better than average . Worthwhile watching .

After hearing of his death yesterday, I bought "Blade Runner" on Amazon and rented "Ladyhawke" to re-watch two terrific performances by Mr. Hauer. His death scene in Blade Runner is the most wrenching and haunting scene I've ever seen on film. His performance in the fairy tale Ladyhawke was enchanting and charismatic. Nobody quite like him.

His gift to us was to convey the essence of humanity through his art.

The leads are physically beautiful almost beyond film comparison. Their moral-spiritual characters match, which should make the film corny. The plot is preposterous, but the main characters, Isabeau and Gaston, prosecute their roles with such unfailing intensity you can't help but accept the nonsense. What is Ferris Bueller doing in medieval France, though? Perhaps the film needs some salty leavening, and at least he makes the plot work a little more efficiently. Overall, I don't have a rational judgement to make but a purely emotional one: I can never forget this film. It has haunted me since the first time I saw it. And that is all down to the pure intensity of Hauer and Pfeiffer.

As a former video store employee, I am proud to say of all the films I ever recommended, LADYHAWKE came back with all favorable reviews, and not once did anyone I rented it to take me up on my "money-back" guarantee.

No surprises there. Despite the production's troubled history between two studios (Fox and Warner's) and endless rewrites by an army of scribes, it still finds everyone involved at the top of their game, and early into most of their careers!

Rutger Hauer's bad guys were always more interesting and charismatic than his good ones, but his role as Captain Etienne Navarre was the noteable exception. In the best shape of his career both physically and artistically (with the exception of BLADE RUNNER'S Roy Batty), he painted the perfect portrait of noble hubris, tinged with the ache of unfulfilled love for his fair maiden, and the sorrow of an eternal curse that could never be lifted. Even Errol Flynn would've been envious.

Michelle Pfeiffer has been many things in her career: earthy, sensual, campy, courageous, but she would never achieve the combination of radiant strength and vulnerability that she did as Isabeau D'Anjou. There have been other actresses who have looked better and given deeper, more nuanced performances since hers...but it's a REAL short list.

When I saw the previews, I was pretty sure that the main thing I would like the least about this movie was Matthew Broderick, whose Philippe "The Mouse" Gaston was a character I was pretty sure would grate on my nerves. And for the first part of the film, he definitely does. Credit it to Matthew's likeability and talent that before the film's end, though, you're rooting for him as much as for the two leads.

And let's not forget an extremely impressive supporting cast: John Wood (WAR GAMES and JUMPING JACK FLASH), Leo McKern (the OMEN films and PBS' "Rumpole of the Bailey"), Alfred Molina (PRICK UP YOUR EARS, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and the TV series THE LADIES' MAN) and a wicked turn by Ken Hutchison as Navarre's nemesis.

For the couple, the friends or the family who want action AND romance, too, you can't do better, (and can always do worse.) And as far as the "music" controversy is concerned, I am a longtime fan of Andrew Powell's work back from his early days with Alan Parsons, and later with The Project, and I thought that the juxtaposition of the contemporary music with the medieval setting worked perfectly. This is, after all, a fantasy, not a historical record of true events! Enjoy it for what it is!

Ever since I was a kid, I loved fantasy movies. As a matter of fact, anything with sword fights was great in my book. And since I grew up in the days before Lord of the Rings came along, my favourites were always mid-to-late-eighties fantasy epics like The Princess Bride, Willow, and Ladyhawke.

It's all about an outcast knight and his lover, who have been cursed by an evil bishop to become animals during night and day, so they're never together in human form. He becomes a wolf and she becomes a hawk (hence the title). The knight enlists the help of a young thief to break into the cathedral and take his revenge on the bishop. Aside from the basic premise, it's more of a historical movie than a fantasy movie. There's no magic other than the curse, and no trolls or giants or anything, which was partly the reason I enjoyed it so much.

I've also always loved this movie for it's great storyline and interesting characters. Philipe's conversations with God still amuse me, as does the drunken monk played by Leo McKern ... It comes from director Richard Donner, who of course brought us Superman I & II, the Lethal Weapon movies and so on. This is essentially a well-directed movie, although a lot of people have issues with the choice of soundtrack. It's kind of a techno-poppy thing, which I blame NeverEnding Story for. A lot of eighties fantasy movies went with the same idea, but it works with Ladyhawke better than it works with most others, although I would of course prefer a more conventional and less intrusive score. On the whole, the sets and the props are pretty convincing, although some of the fight sequences aren't particularly great.

Here we have an early Matthew Broderick performance which shows how little his acting skills have developed since. Not that he's a bad actor, just an early bloomer I guess. Cult icon Rutger Hauer, of whom I have always been a huge fan (Blade Runner, The Hitcher, The 10th Kingdom) gives a fantastic performance as the outcast knight, and as we all know it's never a bad idea to have Michelle Pfeiffer in a movie.

You should definitely see this movie if you're a fan of the genre, or of any of the actors involved. It's a wonderful fantasy adventure for all ages.

Matthew Broderick stars in Ladyhawke in a role with an oriental setting would have been done by Sabu. There is a lot similaritity between Ladyhawke and the Thief Of Bagdad.

Our juvenile thief is Broderick who is about to be caught by the local troops and pay for his crimes when his capture is interrupted by a strange knight and a hawk. The knight is Rutger Hauer and he's the object of the hate of the local Bishop who runs the town.

Back in the days of The Code this film could never be made. One could not show a clergyman in a bad light and John Wood as the Bishop is as bad as they come. He has an obsession with Michelle Pfeiffer who is the true love of Hauer.

Wood if he couldn't have her, summons the powers of the black arts and curses them both. They can never find happiness because at sunrise Pfeiffer turns into a hawk and Hauer at sunset turns into a wolf and vice versa. Their time together is a moment or two at sunrise and sunset.

This medieval fairy tale is well done and the main players are well cast who also include Leo McKern as a defrocked priest. The sets are outstanding and Ladyhawke got two Oscar nominations in the sound department but lost.

A nice timeless fairy tale from Hollywood.

Let me start with the bad, the score it doesn't fit the time but I'm sure some studio head thought we need this to appeal to younger audiences of the time. Vittorio Storraro Cinematography is stunning, lush colors, locations, no CGI here my friends. The castles and mountains to the costumes and villages just take you back in time adding to this fine, fun, fantasy. Michelle Pfeiffer youth and beauty, Matthew Brodericks awkwardness are all well played throughout,to be honest he's quite funny. Rutger Hauer has always had mixed success be here his presence is fitting, rent it online or watch it in rerun you won't be disappointed they don't make films like this anymore and when they try so filled with CGI they don't have the organic immersive feeling this Romantic Fantasy Adventure delivers.

What a great story. This has been one of my favorite movies since it first came out. (I saw it with my best friend, who had a crush on Matthew Broderick.) Anyway, it's a very stirring, timeless (except for the music) story of love, heartache, hope and redemption. Wonderful.

Rutger Hauer is amazing. Strong, even frightening at times, but still tender and vulnerable. Of course Michelle Pfeiffer is at her absolute most beautiful. She really does seem to possess "the face of love" as Phillipe says. But Matthew Broderick really makes the movie. He's more than just comic relief (although he is hilarious); he keeps the story grounded. Without the character of Philippe the movie would be too ethereal, untethered. Philippe is the everyman--our connection to the magical beauty of Navarre and Isabeau.

I've heard that the story is based on a medieval legend, but I haven't been able to find it. If anyone has a link, please post it as a review on this site; I'd love to read more about it. Thanks!!

I found this movie by browsing Rutger Hauer's filmography. Then I learned there's also Michelle Pfeiffer, and it's directed by Richard Donner (Lethal Weapon). Sounds like a good deal.

The movie is set in imaginary medieval times where both (christian?) religion and magic exist. Hauer plays a former knight captain who has gone renegade and is under a curse that makes him and his beloved lady (Pfeiffer) never be able to meet because they turn into animals. Young Matthew Broderick plays a thieving trickster who accidentally joins in. Then there's of course an old, wise but slightly crazy monk (Leo McKern, he's awesome). John Wood plays the villain, the crooked bishop. He doesn't do much but he has the right kind of coldly staring face. Overall the cast is good.

It's generally a quite typical fantasy adventure, with a little bit of romance and quite a lot of action too. The story and how it unfolds is pretty much what you'd expect from this kind of tale. I'm a bit tired of the genre but if you're a fan of fantasy adventures you should see this one.

What I liked most is how the movie looks. The sets and costumes are amazing and especially Hauer's character is an awesome looking black knight. I mean, you have to see Rutger-warrior swordfighting, he's the coolest!

After a little more than 30 years of only knowing of this movie, I finally watched this online just now. Matthew Broderick plays a petty thief who escapes the medieval prison-a place that no one had escaped before. The evil bishop isn't happy about that and has his men go after him. But a captain from previous battle manages to save the thief. I'll stop there and just say I very much enjoyed this movie, Broderick is both funny and touching when his character goes through some changes. Rutger Hauer is fine as the captain and Michelle Pfeiffer likewise as his true love. If you haven't seen this movie, I don't want to reveal their dilemma but I will say they deserve each other. Oh, and I also loved Leo McKern as someone who knows the history between Hauer and Pfeiffer and tells it to Broderick's character. Nothing more to say except I highly recommend Ladyhawke.

I found this to be an interesting attempt at making a big budget fantasy movie. The visuals in this movie appear to be inspired by the likes of Conan the Barbarian or John Boorman's Excalibur (made a few years previously). The use of fog, woodlands and big sets showed decent production values. However I also found some of this film to be quite jarring and in some places it really screams '1980s'.

Rutger Hauer seems strangely subdued, although Matthew Broderick is good value (despite his strangely strangulated non-descript accent). John Woods priest is almost a prototype for Alan Rickman's Sherriff of Nottingham in 'Robin Hood - Prince of thieves' 6 years later but the up and coming star, Michelle Pfeiffer, seems to be wasted in her role in retrospect.

At the time, Richard Donner was a hot director in Hollywood but I think this film is a slight mis-step in his career. He does a decent enough job even if the photography sometimes goes a bit OTT with the obvious use of filters in places. Also the medieval castle walls seem to be made of modern red-brick, something that just seems out of place.

I really wanted to like this film more but you get the distinct impression it has a B movie script but with A list production values hence why I feel it seems disjointed. Films like Hawk the Slayer or The Beastmaster were also fantasy pics from the same era and also had better than average production values for their genre , but Ladyhawke appears to have had a lot of money thrown at it (it was a Warner Bros/Fox co-production) but it doesn't appear to have worked (hence the disappointing box office).

I wanted to like this film more than I did. I found it a bit laborious, I found the use of 80s synthesizer music to be highly dated now and although the visuals are easy on the eye, the whole package seems strangely out of sorts for me. Sorry.

'Ladyhawke' is a well written adventure with spectacular photography and inventive action scenes. We get to see the prowess of Rutger Hauer in his prime, the beauty of Michelle Pfeiffer (who hasn't aged since 'Grease 2'), and an engaging Matthew Broderick. There is fantasy and intensity in the telling of this fable, made by the director of 'Superman' and 'Lethal Weapon', successfully putting you under it's spell. Even so without any big time special effects.

However, it shares the same fate as Ridley Scott's spectacular 'Legend'. They were both fairy tale movies released in the United States in 1985, and both suffered from a non-traditional soundtrack. In the case of Ladyhawke, which is a period piece, pop music is added. It is a bold but curious decision to take a classic fairy tale and give it music with a modern beat. Was this the decision of the director and producer Richard Donner, to perhaps latch into the MTV craze, which was taking over the earth at the time? Ridley Scott admits when talking about 'Legend', that trashing an orchestral score for modern synthesisers for the US release was a mistake. And here the Alan Parsons pop tunes clash horribly with the more traditional music supplied by Andrew Powell. It also clashes with the swept away feeling of being in another place and time as the frankly dull synthesiser music sounds like somebody switched the radio on while you were watching the movie.

And so this movie as well as 'Legend' flopped in the box office. Perhaps they could have released the DVD with a alternate audio track that omits the Parsons music. It is curious in fact the Alan Parsons is not mentioned anywhere on the DVD box.

If you can forgive the flaws, you will be rewarded with a film that has more character and fun than the new 'Star Wars' movies.

Richard Donner's 'Ladyhawke' tells a fascinating tale of cursed love that separates two lovers like day and night (quite literally). What I loved about this film is that even though it's a wonderful mixture of action, adventure, romance and comedy, it is a simple film. The execution is solid and it shows that Donner and his cast and crew have put a lot of heart in the making of the film.

The score is kind of funny. At times there's a beautiful symphony that expresses the beauty of the settings and then, during the action scenes, there's the typical 80's hip track which brings a smile as it nostalgically reminds me of that wild decade. 'Ladyhawke' is indeed very beautiful to look at. The cinematography is superb as it gives a very spacious view and the composition of the shots are very well arranged.

No CGI has been used and that marvelously stands out as it gives the film a purer look and only reminds one of the days before CGI was overused, when cinema looked pure and authentic. 'Ladyhawke' is a fine example of movies that can look great and sometimes even better and more effective without CGI (other examples being the Star Wars trilogy (80's version), Indiana Jones etc).

The performances are topnotch. A radiant Michelle Pfeiffer completely owns the title role. Her understated performance and quiet yet strong presence (like a hawk) brilliantly contrasts Rutger Hauer's wolfish character. Hauer too does a fine job. An evil Alfred Molino is barely recognizable and Leo McKern wears the menacing look very well. John Wood provides some great comic relief. However, it is Matthew Broderick who stands out. He performs naturally as the vivacious, energetic, deceitful thief who loses his heart to Ladyhawke and at the same time he is determined to reunite the lovers and rescue them from the wrath of the curse.

Overall, 'Ladyhawke' is a beautiful movie that satisfied my filmviewing experience. It gives that nostalgic feel, it amuses, it fascinates and it feels enchanting. No wonder it still feels fresh after more than two decades.

Ladyhawke is an original fantasy film directed by Richard Donner. It tells of two lovers (Rutger Bauer and Michelle Pfeiffer) cursed by a bishop to never meet. The woman living her days as a hawk and her nights as a woman, while the man takes on the form of a wolf as soon as the sun sets. They are joined by a local pickpocket named Mouse (Matthew Broderick) as they travel to confront the bishop.

This film was one of the biggest bombs of the 80s, not even making its money back. This despite the fact that it was nominated for two Academy Awards. It has gathered a minor cult following since then, but is still not a very known film. Which is a shame because there is substance here. This is a film that tries to be its own thing, something new. And that's rarer than you think in film.

The film also largely succeeds. The story is intriguing, the characters are memorable and interesting, the film looks great (though a bit experimental in certain parts) and I'd honestly love to learn more about this world.

Another thing the film is notorious for is the soundtrack. And for a reason. This film has some of the most baffling music choices I've ever encountered in film. There are a few traditional fantasy-ish tracks, but the vast majority of the score is pure synth music. I kept expecting Shaft to bust in any minute or for roller scatters to whiz by boom boxes blasting. That's how bad it is. Although... it is memorable, I'll give it that.

Ladyhawke is not a great film. Largely because of the soundtrack and some other minor hiccups in style and tone. It is however refreshingly new and different. Well worth a watch for all fans of fantasy films.

Like so many other fantasy films of the 1980s, LADYHAWKE has dated badly since first release. The score is particularly jarring, especially when it includes some soft rock that sits oddly out of place with the pseudo-historical world of the storyline. Nevertheless, it proves to be a fairly engaging little movie that reminded me, oddly enough, of the medieval mystery yarn THE NAME OF THE ROSE mixed with WILLOW, conjuring up a dangerous world dominated by corrupt religious figures and throwing some characters and their bizarre adventures into the mix.

The central curse which propels the storyline is cleverly achieved, and the filmmakers employ some talented creatures to bring that story to life. Unable to achieve the effects via limited special effects technology, the reliance instead is on the camera and performing animals to trick the viewer, and it does that pretty well. There's at least one absolutely splendid scene – where Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer meet, just for an instant, as the sun rises – which, I would argue, makes the entire film worth sitting through, just for those spellbinding seconds.

Elsewhere, the film never slows down with a mix of tragedy, romance and knockabout comedy. As a way of introducing American children and youths into this fantasy world, Matthew Broderick is cast as a brash young thief and we see much of the storyline evolve through his eyes. This isn't great, because I've never liked Broderick and he's on particularly brattish form here, but the casting of Hauer as romantic lead more than makes up for Broderick's foibles. Watch out for a fun cameo from Leo McKern (who seems to be having a ball) and John Wood as the particularly obnoxious villain of the piece. The action is hardly spectacular, but the end result is surprisingly watchable, thanks to that inventive and well-thought-out storyline.

This movie, except for the "over-orchestration," deserves critical acclaim, as most of the comments have illustrated. However, no one seems to have addressed another element par excellence....the horses and equestrianship. Only one commentator made a cursory observation that Navarre's mount was a "farm horse." ... not so! That was a Fresian, one of the oldest breed of horse known and the one which the knights of old used for battle....try to train a "farm horse" to prance! Other breeds included the Lipizans, and it was the antagonists who rode them.

If one were to overlook the fine acting, the excellent storyline, the Romance (literary sense), and the romantic which tugs our heart strings in understatement, the appropriate comedy, the breath-taking camera work utilizing almost no special effects (but surpassing just about everything thrust upon us today), a horse-lover would revel in the production.

However, whoever (not the composers) was in charge of allowing the musical score, should have been barbecued at the stake for ruining an almost flawless classic. Never the less, this movie should not be missed...It will leave you in awe and wonder.

Marvin Cohn

With a tongue-in-cheek approach akin to 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' this film bears an anachronistic eighties hard rock score by Andrew Powell. Matthew Broderick's usual incredulous expression serves him well as a wide-eyed young cutpurse with a pudding bowl haircut enlisted by Rutger Hauer as Sancho Panza to his Don Quixote (Leo McKern, of course serving as Falstaff); Hauer being as deadly with a broadsword and crossbow as Clint Eastward was with a six-shooter.

As usual in such nonsense there's a wide range of accents (John Wood's supercilious villain is of course a Brit), Matthew Broderick and Michelle Pfeiffer American drawls being as unlikely as Pfeiffer's eyes' ability to change colour when transformed into the title role.

Photographed in Technicolor by the veteran Vittorio Storaro, the heavies' red tunics stand out vividly against the verdant Italian locations.

I saw this movie when it came out. Even then I thought that the music was terrible. It left me wondering if I could have enjoyed this movie, if someone else had done the score. It almost drove me out of the theatre.

I recently watched it again on tv. After about half an hour, I hit the mute button and watched it with just the captioning. I actually began to like the movie. All the actors did a passable to good job and I'm always a sucker for this kind of story. The scenery was nice and all in all it was a pleasant viewing experience.

No offence intended to Alan Parsons fans, but, I enjoyed this movie, once I had removed the annoying synthesizer drivel.

Unlike many 80s movies this still stands up as well today as it did in 85. Bearing in mind the low budget, this is an example of fantastic movie making and Hollywood would do well to take note. People have critisised the sound track, but you have to remember it fits with the era of the film, and in all honesty provokes a great sense of nostalgia to those who lived through the 80s. I think this just proves that the movie itself is great and people want a modern score, my opinion is that classics should be left alone.

This is a very good film with good acting,love,magic,fighting scenes and Michelle Pfeiffer. The Major flaw is the annoying music. Remake the film with classical music and it should earn one or two points.