Antonio BanderasThe 13th Warrior [DVD] [1999]

As I remember it.

Very good all round, progress at a good pace

Taken from the original Michael Crichton novella, Eaters of the Dead, this movie re-invents the Beowulf and Grendal myth, with the Grendal not a monster, but a cannibalistic tribe so ruthless that even Vikings fear them.From the moment The Arab (Banderas) is plucked by a Norse soothsayer to join the band of Vikings on a quest to defeat the Grendal, the movie is almost constantly overcast, bringing a sense of gloom to the whole proceedings.Some complained that The Arab picked up the Norse language too quickly, but it is rare for movies such as this to acknowledge the language barrier at all.Banderas is the lynchpin in this movie, as the outsider he allows us to see the Norse through his eyes, his confusion at some of the practices of these barbarians, and his growing appreciation and affection for what for all intents and purposes at the start of the movie he regards as savages.The Grendal themselves are well realised, with a realistic depiction of how their methods and the way they dress and act could easily be expanded into legend, and if you want real world examples of this, simply look no further than the exaggerated claims of seventeens and eighteenth century explorers!When the fireworm is revealed, one character even complains that it was a shame he wouldn't be facing a dragon!Although I enjoyed this movie immensely, I can see why financially it wasn't a success. It sits awkwardly in two camps, too thoughtful to be a dumb fun popcorn movie, and not thoughtful enough to be a serious drama.Perhaps, one day, the rumoured Director's Cut will see the light of day, and we'll discover if the original vision would have been a far better movie.

Everything!

just really like this film

The Magnificent Ambersons of the Action genre.There’s a fortune to be made if ever John McTiernan’s original cut of this astonishing film is released. I first saw it about ten years ago on DVD. I liked it well enough, but now know that my judgement had been clouded by my own expectations. I was expecting a lighter, easier, rollercoaster-type film (Touchstone pictures). My eye had been clouded by all the talk of the production troubles, so that I watched it with an unintentional half-eye looking for a film that wasn’t there. Last week I was lucky enough to see it in a huge cinema in Paris as part of the Free John McTiernan campaign, and I saw it for what it was. It is a masterpiece (with two weak special effect shots and a running time shorter than it should be).In the years between my first and second viewing I had probably seen a dozen CGI films with swords and horses. The difference between them and this, is that McTiernan does it all for real. Real men on real horses in real danger in a real landscape. The 13th Warrior makes everything that came after it look like a child’s video game.The thing that impressed me most is his direction of the ensemble. Once the adventure gets going there isn’t a false note in any of the performances. The strength of the ensemble is such that The Thirteen Warriors (with the possible exception of Banderas) are resolutely, and at all times, in period, and that’s an achievement unmatched since the heyday of Kurosawa. (Kulich’s performance ascends to a Mifune-mythic dimension). The ensemble, the behaviour and reactions of the characters within the period setting, is so strong that the film will never age. Unlike its peers, Lord of the Rings, etc... it will never look like a 90s film in dress-up costume. It will always look like a fine artistic representation/interpretation of the time. I loved the wood, the carvings, the ships, the doors, the jewels, the clothes, the mud, the rain, the blood, the fire, the deer on the edge of the frame, the thunder sound of real horses running. I loved the bear skins. I liked the awed truthfulness of the little Norwegian boy whose story starts forth the adventure. I liked the feminine strength of the nurse who fixes Banderas’s cuts (the right role for a woman in a boy’s adventure story) and who reaches out a longing hand when his horse goes by. I liked the black spider art of the Earth Mother in her web, guarded by the extra eyes of the heads of the dead.It is a film that Hollywood should be boasting about. Please release the director’s cut.The DVD itself is fine, but the French blu-ray, Le 13ème guerrier, has much the best transfer.

I bought this film because I enjoyed reading the Michael Crichton book,"Eaters of the Dead", that it was based upon, and I bought that book because I enjoyed the poem/story that it was loosely modelled on: Beowulf. The film was delivered a few days ago and is now one of my favourites. I think I enjoyed it more than I would have done if I hadn't first read the book. The story was pared down quite ruthlessly for the film and the book was pretty slim to start with. So the significance of some of the details in the film would have been entirely lost on me if I hadn't read the book.Ahmed, the Arab narrator, has upset some powerful people in his home city of Baghdad so he is sent by his Caliph as an ambassador to the barbarous north. He encounters a group of Vikings led by Buliwyf (the Beowulf character) camping on the banks of the Volga river and gets press-ganged into their party when they respond to a call for aid from King Rothgar. The kingdom is under attack from a mysterious enemy that cannot be named. To start with, Ahmed doesn't understand the Vikings but he listens carefully to their conversations and over a period (not much more than 5 minutes in the film - but you have to guess weeks or months) he learns the language as a baby would learn language, without translation. The language transition at the beginning of the film is very cleverly done. The band travel north by ship and horse. The scenery is wonderful. I'd be prepared to watch this film again and again even if the story and acting were terrible, just to enjoy the scenery. But the story and the acting are very good. It seems to me that they must have recruited real Vikings for the warrior roles. They seemed very authentic. The fighting is brutal and at the end there is no suggestion of completion and everybody living happily ever after. The job is successfully completed with many warriors killed and then life goes on. Like real life.

Have this movie on VHS but doesn’t play well anymore. Glad to buy this movie! Works awesome.

I’ve watched “The 13th Warrior” for many years via VHS (released in 1999). Now I can watch it on DVD. Although I wish there was a Blu-ray version, this wide screen version looks fine because my Blu-ray player enhances regular DVDs to look more hi-res. Antonio Banderas performs magnificently in this well-made epic. The cinematography, clothing, and sets are very realistic and sets the mood for this adaptation of an historical account. I enjoy this movie even more now, thanks to the DVD’s breathtaking scenery and brilliant surround sound. It is an effective escape with excellent acting and dramatic situations.

La película llegó a tiempo y en buen estado. Está es una grandiosa, una magnífica historia que entretiene de principio a fin, sus actores hacen un gran trabajo, unas de mis películas favoritas. El DVD solo trae subtítulos en inglés, aún así vale mucho la pena, yo espero que en un futuro le hagan justicia y saquen está película en 4K como debe ser.

Bild/Ton TopHandlung sehr gut,Nicht für Kinder/Jugendliche unter 16 Lebensjahr zu empfehlen.

100 % OK Goede verzending en besteld item beantwoorde volledig aan de beschrijvingvan de verkoper ( uiterst tevreden ):-):-):-)