"LADYHAWKE"

• 1985 - ACTION/ADVENTURE...PG-13 Rating...COLOR/124 Minutes

• DIRECTOR: Richard Donner

• CAST: Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Leo McKern, John Wood, Ken Hutchinson, Alfred Molina

• A beautiful love story complete with all the trappings! A beautiful princess, a handsome hero, an evil bishop, a magical curse, a helpful and romantic thief! What more could one ask!?! Not much, really. This tale of cursed lovers is filled with dramatic moments. The story is fresh, the action a'plenty, and the photography is out of this world!

• Films like this are hard to come by. If Michelle had made this film after her career had exploded, then more attention might have been paid to this little gem. Rutger, an extremely fine actor, has too often been cast in "lesser" movies. He always brings something to the roles he plays, despite the quality of the script, or Director. Matthew shows us, once again, that he is a diversified talent.

• It is refreshing to see something "new". The fantasy genre has been over-loaded with the same old pablum. The day-to-night metamorphoses are a new slant on the "Sleeping Beauty" myth, and the frustration and helplessness of the victims, is clearly delineated. It particularly pleased me to see the Catholic church get its due! For to long, the church has "pooh-poohed" its responsibilities, and ignored its barbarous participation in the history of western man. (The Bishop in this film reminds me of a similiar character in one of my short stories, "The Tax Collector"). The church likes to forget its wonderful contributions to the medievel world. Such lovely gifts as, the Spanish Inquisition, the Children's Crusade, and the torture and subsequent slaying of "witches" and "heretics".

• This wonderful fable did something for me that hasn't happened in a long time. I was swept aloft into their world, and found myself really caring about the protagonists. This is an heroic deed, in and of itself; for I have not felt that way in many a day, or night for that matter!