Not as antic or silly as his Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Kevin Reynolds' return to the realm of noble knights, ardent damsels, and grim scoundrels is melodramatic and anachronistic.
Tristan & Isolde (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:120
Fresh:39
Rotten:81
Average Rating:4.9/10
Consensus: Competent but somewhat static, Tristan & Isolde doesn’t achieve the sweeping romanticism that it aims for.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for intense battle sequences and some sexuality.
Runtime: 2 hrs 6 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:Jan 13, 2006 Wide
Box Office: $14,564,306
Synopsis: After the fall of Rome, the warlords of England are brutally kept in line by the forces of Irish King Donnchadh. One of these leaders, Lord Marke (Rufus Sewell) seeks to unite the English tribes to... After the fall of Rome, the warlords of England are brutally kept in line by the forces of Irish King Donnchadh. One of these leaders, Lord Marke (Rufus Sewell) seeks to unite the English tribes to form one strong nation to rule itself. His greatest knight is Tristan (James Franco), whom Marke raised since he was orphaned in an Irish attack that also took Marke's family. With Tristan by his side, Marke believes he can unify his people and rid England of Irish rule. But Tristan harbors a terrible secret… Wounded and left for dead after battle, he is nursed back to health by Isolde (Sophia Myles), a mysterious Irish beauty who hides him from her father, King Donnchadh's, forces and brings him back to life. But their passionate affair is cut short when Tristan must return to England, not knowing if he will see Isolde again. Still seeking to throw the English tribes back into chaos, King Donnchadh gives away his daughter as the prize in a tournament between all the champions of England. Tristan wins the princess' hand for Lord Marke, whose vision of a united England may finally be realized. Tristan is horrified to see that the woman he has won for his Lord, the woman whom Marke will marry, is his Irish savior Isolde. Worse, Marke is a good and worthy future king, whose belief in Tristan has made the young knight who he is. First separated by countries at war, and now by loyalty to King and country, Tristan and Isolde must suppress their emotions for the sake of peace and the future of England. But the more they deny their passion, the more fiercely it burns. Despite their efforts to stay apart, Tristan and Isolde are driven inexorably together, risking everything for one last moment in each other's arms. -- © 20th Century Fox [More]
Starring: James Franco, Sophia Myles, Rufus Sewell, David O'Hara
Starring: James Franco, Sophia Myles, Rufus Sewell, David O'Hara, J.B. Blanc, Jaime King, Bronagh Gallagher, Tiffany Knight, Thomas Morris, Lucy Russell, Ronan Vibert
Director: Kevin Reynolds
Director: Kevin Reynolds
Composer: Anne Dudley
Studio: 20th Century Fox
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Release:
May 26, 2009
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- NTSC
- Keep Case
- Full Frame - 1.33
- Widescreen - 2.35
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
- Dolby Digital Surround - French, Spanish
- DTS - English
- Subtitles - English, Spanish - Optional
Additional Release Material:
- Music Video: Gavin de Graw - "We Belong Together"
- Audio Commentary: Jim Lemley - Executive Producer, Anne Lai - Co-Producer
- Behind the Scenes: Making of Featurette
Text/Photo Galleries:
- Galleries: Image Gallery
Reviews for Tristan & Isolde
It’s never a good sign for a movie when the audience burst into uncontrollable laughter and the movie is not a comedy, but a serious drama.
... a hard film to watch unless you bring your own pre-existing fascination with the material.
Tristan & Isolde wants to be an epic, but it has all the weight of a high school play.
The longer the film ran, the more I wanted to be put out of Tristan and Isolde's misery.
Rather than complementing and intensifying the love story, a parallel tale of raging medieval war only interrupts the action. Alas, our love for this movie is one that can never be.
["Tristan & Isolde"] is trying to be both chick flick and machismo movie. I’m not sure it does either well enough but it is a showcase for Sophia Myles.
There are serious ideas at work here. But in these hands, it's as shallow and glossed-over as Franco's English accent.
Franco lays on mannered tics, like a slurred vocal delivery reminiscent of Benicio del Toro’s mush-mouthed hood from The Usual Suspects.
It's a nice attempt to tell a classic love story with integrity, but the execution falters, leaving the true power of the romance lacking when the film needs it the most.
Part Gladiator, part Braveheart, part Romeo and Juliet, Tristan & Isolde is all boring.
Tristan & Isolde is the first pleasant surprise of 2006...Kevin Reynolds is a pretty good director when he's not associated with Kevin Costner.
Oh, their legend will survive. But this classic comics-style perfume commercial of a re-telling will not.
Franco's curly locks may make the target audience swoon, but his presence never allows the rest of us to completely sink into Tristan & Isolde.
When a war is going down, why are the king and his fiercest lieutenants taking a time-out to attend to the lovesick?
How strange it is to see a film that's supposed to be all about the burning passion and unquenchable exhilaration of true love, and yet is rather passionless and unexhilarating.
Latest News for Tristan & Isolde
August 27, 2007:
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May 08, 2006:
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UGO.com had a chat with master filmmaker Ridley Scott during a press push for his "Tristan + Isolde" DVD, and the topic of "Gladiator 2" briefly came up --... More...
January 17, 2006:
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