Tristan & Isolde

A week ago, Trisha and I went to Tristan & Isolde. Lady Lori and I had been looking forward to the release of this movie for over a year, so we were excited it was finally coming out (we didn't see it together because Lady Lori lives in another city).

I already knew the myth, so I knew what to expect. It was a very well done movie. James Franco was excellent as Tristan. He did an excellent job in the fight scenes. I had never seen Sophie Myles, who played Isolde, in anything before, but she was lovely. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking and the score was full of beautiful Celtic music. The colors used were very muted and earthy, which fits well with the time period: no false brightness and glamour.

The tagline of the movie is "Before Romeo & Juliet, There was Tristan & Isolde." And (SPOILER, sort of) it has the same sort of sad ending.

Over at Townhall.com, Katie Favazza has a great review. You can find it here.

Here is an excerpt:

The combination of both personal and external conflicts provides an appropriate context for the movie’s primary theme: duty versus love. Tristan and Isolde does not glamorize the repercussions of betrayal, a facet that strengthens this movie. Characters are legitimately tortured by their own desires in the face of their duties. Their actions are not always virtuous, but Tristan and Isolde take responsibility for what they do.

I recommend seeing Tristan & Isolde.

More here.