Heart, Faith, and Steel: The Legacy of Highlander
It was my intention from the very beginning to write
a review of the new Highlander film "Endgame", but as
I sat down to hammer it out I realized there was
nothing I could possibly say about it that any
rational-minded, partially-educated homo sapien
couldn't conclude on his or her own. It sucked. It
really, really sucked. Dare I say it took the
Highlander franchise to a new kind of low. Not a low
like the valleys and depths explored in Highlander II:
The Quickening, but a low that was roughly adjacent to
it, skirting on the edge, flirting with it. This is
not a surprise. I expected no less from an
establishment that has been brutally, bloodily raping
its source material for more than fifteen years now
(Still, I wish I hadn't had to spend $8.75 for nearly
two hours of suckage). No, I will not bore our readers
with another lambasting review of a Highlander film.
I wish instead to discuss that source material I
referred to: the original Highlander film what made
it such a great film, and what it taught us about the
lives of the immortals. Later, in a few successive
parts, I'll talk about the other films and yes, even
the TV series, and what they did to contradict the
original Highlander doctrine and essentially
annihilate the integrity of the original film.
Without further ado, here is Part One.
"Highlander" was released in 1986, an era of extreme
experimentation in the movie industry, and,
surprisingly, a very good decade for science fiction
films thus far, most notably "The Empire Strikes Back"
(1980), "Blade Runner" (1982), "The Return of the
Jedi" (1983), and "The Terminator" (1984). Like
"Terminator" and "Blade Runner", "Highlander" was not
intended to be a box office success, but was rather a
nail-biting, high-budget longshot with very limited
audience appeal. The recent successes of the
aforementioned films, however, were enough to inspire
the makers of "Highlander" to go for it. Their gamble
paid off big time, as Highlander took in big bucks and
engendered a mass appeal spread mainly by word of
mouth. And what's not to like?
"Highlander" presented us with the story of Connor
MacLeod, a Scottish warrior who has stayed alive for
over 460 years, fighting a never-ending battle with
other immortals like him for The Prize: complete
control over The Quickening, the mysterious power that
keeps them alive indefinitely enough power to rule
the world. We come in just as The Gathering has begun
the few remaining immortals left on the planet are
congregating in New York City (where else?) to battle
to the last. It is never in doubt that the final
conflict will occur between MacLeod and Kurgan a
3,000 year old behemoth who boasts that he has raped
the daughters of Atilla the Hun and slaughtered infant
Phoenecian princes for amusement. Featuring the
decidedly unique idea of sword fights in a modern day
setting, the battles are spectacular, and the action
lets up only occasionally. When we are faced with a
slower moment, it is a treat, not a trial. This film
not only provides us with an original story and heart
pounding excitement, but also a profound and very
often tragic examination of the question "What if we
could live forever?" MacLeod is a dark, brooding
character, burdened with centuries of regret and jaded
from a lifetime of self-imposed isolation from
humanity. He hates his eternal life, but his will to
survive is stronger even than his desire for death.
Thus, at the end of the film when he triumphs over
Kurgan and receives the Prize, it is fitting that he
should receive the only thing he has ever wanted:
mortality. Fade out, the end.
"Highlander" is a beautiful film. From sweeping
shots of the glorious Scottish countryside to
intimidating pan-overs of Manhattan, the camera work
was superb, and lent itself to fantastic imagery and
editing tricks, such as when a scene instantly
jump-cuts from a stormy, rain-soaked Scottish cliff
side to the stormy, rain-soaked concrete valleys of
New York, complete with crashing thunder and lightning
bolts, or when the camera does an extreme close-up of
a fish tank, then pans up to reveal the fish tank is
actually an underwater shot of a huge loch. Evocative
music enhanced the unique feel of this film, including
stirring bagpipes, lulling flute pieces and, of
course, Queen, blasting the Highlander theme "Princes
of the Universe" as well as others like "Master of
Your Destiny", also called the "Kurgan Theme."
There are two actors to speak of in this film:
Christopher Lambert, playing the title character, and
Sean Connery, playing Juan Ramirez, MacLeod's 2,500
year old mentor. Now let's face facts: Lambert has
appeared in number of excellent films, including
"Highlander", "Knight Moves", and "Fortress".
Lambert, however, is no Anthony Hopkins or Alec
Guinness. He simply is Christopher Lambert, no two
ways about it. He was born on Long Island, raised by
French parents, and lived most of his life in
Switzerland and Canada. Consequently he has the most
horrid mish-mash of an accent ever to pass across
human ears he sounds like a citizen of Quebec who's
had his vocal chords torn out. Perhaps this was for
the best, however, as no doubt a man who's lived for
nearly five centuries would probably talk differently
from most folks. Yeah, right. Anyway, he's perfect
for this part, and it's not often you'll find me
saying that about Lambert. By now he's taken on the
same acting invincibility as Bruce Campbell, in that
he's pretty much aware of the limits of his abilities
and chooses appropriate parts. More astute movie
critics have often blasted Lambert for his glazed-over
appearance in every film he does, but I've come to
kind of enjoy it. Now I want to cast him in
everything I ever do. Connery is worth noting simply
because he's just so damn good, and does not
disappoint in this film either. Playing the Obi-Wan
Kenobi to Lambert's Luke Skywalker, Connery, who was
only available to shoot for six days of principal
photography, instills in MacLeod all the values and
skills needed to survive life as an immortal, and
defeat Kurgan. This is done entirely in flashback,
along the majestic Scottish coast, and makes for some
of the film's most magical moments. It is at this
point we first learn the rules of living life as an
immortal. All Highlander-related material hereafter
would be based around these rules:
1) There can be only one. This is the Alpha and Omega
rule the code that governs every immortal's life.
No rule is more important than this. When the battle
is over and the clash of steel no longer echoes across
time, there can be only one immortal left standing.
There can be no alliances, no ceasefires, no peace.
2) No immortal may fight on holy ground. Churches,
monasteries, cemeteries, etc. You could have a
convention of immortal blood enemies on holy ground
and not a single one of them could draw a sword.
3) When only a few immortals remain, the survivors
will feel an irresistible pull toward a far away land,
where they will assemble and fight to the last. This
is The Gathering.
That's it. In the original film, we received only
three major governing points on the subject of
immortal life. The origins of these rules were as
mysterious as the immortals themselves. Who invented
them and how they were enforced was left uncovered,
Ramirez merely saying "None of us will violate these
laws. It's tradition." In addition to these rules,
we also received some base information about specific
aspects of immortality: Immortals are sterile, unable
to produce children. Immortals have the ability to
sense one another when in close proximity. When an
immortal takes another's head, he must absorb his
victim's portion of the Quickening, and thus become
stronger this is a loud, violent, painful,
nauseating experience that destroys anything nearby.
And most importantly, the only way to kill an immortal
is to decapitate him.
Abiding by these rules, we witness MacLeod as he
battles through the centuries. He is accused of being
a demon and driven from his village after recovering
from a seemingly fatal wound. He becomes a fantastic
swordsman thru the teachings of Ramirez. He watches
his wife, Heather, grow old, whither, and die in his
arms. He makes a drunken boast and is challenged to a
duel by a snobbish lawyer in 1783. He rescues a
little girl from a sadistic Nazi in 1941. And in 1985
he takes the head of Kurgan and wins the Prize.
Retiring to the Scottish countryside to enjoy his
newfound mortality, the voice of Ramirez speaks to
MacLeod from beyond the grave: "You have power beyond
imagination. Use it well. Don't lose your head." A
fitting ending to a phenomenal movie. "Highlander" is
a profoundly original film with an incredible sense of
adventure and excitement, an intelligent and sobering
speculation of what eternal life is truly like, and a
fantastic use of imagery, lighting, and sound/music to
enhance the spectacular story and visuals. Now here's
the clincher: One other thing that was unique about
this film was that the end left absolutely no room
whatsoever for a sequel. In so doing it gave the film
a new level of integrity. It's finality was it's
greatest and most impressive asset.
But wait, gentle readers, 'til I tell you what
happened next!
---
John Paige
10.1.2000
Dairy Farmers For Quebec's Independence