Tristan & Isolde (2006)

The legend of Tristan and Isolde is apparently even older than the legend of King Arthur. With all this time to work the kinks out of the story, and all the variations to read when one is adapting the story for the screen, perhaps I shouldn't be surprised that the story is the strongest part of the movie Tristan & Isolde. The rest of the film is solid, but has some distracing technical elements. Nevertheless, I eagerly looked forward to see how the story would end.

The story and screenplay are definitely the strongest elements of this movie. The plot is historically viable, and has no gaping holes. The characters are well-rounded and realistically motivated. There are no "good guys" and "bad guys"; everyone acts in a way consistent with their life circumstances, motivated by their fears and loves, and aided (or hindered) by their talents (or lack thereof).

I never thought twice about the costume design of the film, which means it was doing its job. The lighting, while taking the usual liberties during night scenes, was equally transparent. More obtrusive was the editing; there were some rough transitions back and forth between takes, and some slightly goofy stuff in which people and elements faded in and out of a static shot to show the passage of time. The movie does a good job of explaining who is who and where the action is taking place. I appreciated that near the beginning the filmmakers weren't afraid to put lots of text, and even maps, on screen to explain the history of the conflict and the locations.

I may have already attributed the "best casting of a character played by two different actors" in one of my earliest movie reviews, but the casting of the young and older Tristan is also among the best I've seen. What impressed me as much as the similarity between them was the sheer talent of the child actor. I've never seen children engage in fight sequences; the young Tristan did, and I knew instantly that his character was going to be an amazing warrior (which, indeed, he turns out to be). His ability to convey fear, anger, and confusion was equally impressive.

Before watching the film, I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to take James DeFranco (Tristan) seriously in a medieval setting (he plays Peter's friend Harry in Spider-Man). I almost couldn't, but he did an excellent job none-the-less. Sophia Myles as Isolde was sublime (in beauty and acting), but the real acting award would go to Rufus Sewell, as Tristan's lord and adopted father. What could have been a generic "king" role has more depth of personality than the main characters in some movies I can think of.

Tristan & Isolde is an excellent love story, and a strong medieval-setting film. It should appeal to anyone who likes films in either of these genres.