5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
"to blave"
Date of Review: Feb 9, 2000
There is no excuse for not having seen this film. If you've never experienced this "true love" story you should go rent it NOW. As Peter Faulk says, "[this story] has everything; chases, escapes, giants, true love, sword fighting..." Tenderly read to his sick grandson, the story often pauses for the childish but humorous interjections of the grandson,
played by a young Fred Savage.
The story itself features an awesome ensemble of actors and actresses, including Mandy Patinkin (truly adept at swordplay) Robin Wright (in what was easily the best role of her career) and of course, Andre the Giant. The giant once related to an interviewer shortly before his death that starring in this film was the highlight of his life. While on the pro wrestling circuit he would carry a copy of the film everywhere he went and watch it at least once a day. His part in this film couldn't have been played adequately by anyone else, but as Fezzig the kind hearted giant,
Andre was superb.
This film excels in almost every aspect. Technically, the sword fighting is superb. It took four months to film the sword fighting scenes alone, and the results are well worth it. Art direction and set design definitely fit the overall mood of the film. Brightly colored settings accent the light hearted comedy and romance that make this film what it is. Most every moment of tension is mitigated through the interjections of Fred Savage's character. His character throws out all the questions
that we want to ask but won't- "What did Fezzig mean 'he's dead.' I mean, he's not DEAD dead, right?" Few filmmakers can segment the plot this way without disrupting the flow of the story, but in this film it works well. At one point, we pick up the story again a bit early, only to get Savage's voice-over, "no grandpa, you read that part already." There is no shortage of acting talent in this film, with several well known players playing their bit parts to the hilt.
Family Video
