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Post by petrolino on Oct 20, 2017 23:03:48 GMT
The feminist fantasy 'Red Sonja' is based on a character created by Robert E. Howard, a tragic Texan author now known as the "Father of Sword & Sorcery". Red Sonja (Brigitte Nielsen) is granted the universal sword arm strength by a ghostly spirit. Sonja must train to fight before she can seek vengeance upon the evil Queen Gedren (Sandahl Bergman) who is threatening to destroy the world if she obtains a special talisman belonging to a superior female tribe. "I know you're a brave girl but danger is my trade."
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Wilt Chamberlain & Richard Fleischer
From its dramatic opening onwards, 'Red Sonja' remains a work of considerable beauty. Cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno captures panoramic landscapes as fearless nomad Kalidor (Arnold Schwarzenegger) rides relentlessly in search of a reason. With Rotunno manning the camera, director Richard Fleischer is able to exercise his penchant for unusual camera positioning that made him a key influence on directors of the 1970s with a love of comic book panelling. There are some enjoyable action sequences filmed with multi-camera set-ups, Rotunno shoots a great precision overhead that condenses scale and the colours are vibrant throughout. This visual clarity is important to bring out the exceptional costumes and set designs created by Danilo Donati and Gianni Giovagnoni. My favourite sequence visually also involves a matte painting - the crossover at skeleton canyon pass. "So it's true, only women can touch it."
Brigitte Nielsen & Sylvester Stallone
 Backing up the designs is an appropriately triumphalist score composed by Ennio Morricone. The combination of stroked strings, clarion horns and decorous choral lines eases in an enjoyable soundtrack that also uses compression, an echo chamber and a wind generator. The script is kinda silly in places (it's co-written by George Macdonald Fraser of 'Flashman') but it's all in fun. Brigitte Nielsen owns Arnold Schwarzenegger in this movie and they strike up a nice partnership, as do kung fu kid Ernie Reyes Jr. as abandoned ruler Prince Tarn and the great Paul L. Smith as his loyal servant Falkon. Also on hand are Pat Roach as misogynistic underground overlord Brytag, Ronald Lacey as cosmic key inventor Ikol and Janet Agren as cult worshipping combatant Red Varna. I think it's more of a family film than some entries in the sword & sorcery cycle of the 1980s, certainly than John Milius' violent fantasy 'Conan The Barbarian' (1982), but Fleischer's role drew immediate comparisons because he'd helmed the sequel 'Conan The Destroyer' (1984), leading 'Red Sonja' to receive resoundingly poor reviews. Give it a try if you enjoy fantasy pictures, I think it's better entertainment than its reputation suggests. |
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Post by teleadm on Oct 21, 2017 15:25:31 GMT
This movie is what it is, and if you look at it like that it's harmless lazy viewing.
Richard Fleischer, son of Max Fleischer of Popeye and Betty Boop fame, was a very uneven director but he turned out a lot of good movies like 20.000 Leagues Under the Sea 1954, Fantastic Voyage 1966, The Boston Strangler 1968, Tora Tora Tora 1970, 10 Rillington Place 1971 and Soylent Green 1973. During Red Sonja I wonder if he just waited for his paycheck.
For those who want to see a very pumped up Arnold, this is a golden opportunity.
As for Brigitte Nielsen, danes woke up one morning and heard that a danish woman in Hollywood made it big, and they had never heard about her. Danes as a sort of love/hate relationship with her, just as Swedes have with Dolph Lundgren. It's fun that someone can sneak under the elite noses un-noticed and become something for a short while, that part I like, sadly both Brigitte and Dolph are horrendiously bad stiff actors/actresses.
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Post by koskiewicz on Oct 21, 2017 17:25:24 GMT
Brigette is definitely a babe in that flik...
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Post by teleadm on Oct 21, 2017 20:31:27 GMT
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Post by wmcclain on Oct 21, 2017 20:38:47 GMT
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Post by politicidal on Oct 21, 2017 22:58:48 GMT
It's surprising that no one has tried to adapt Robert E. Howard's work since that failed Conan reboot in 2011. Something like a Conan series on HBO or STARZ could be a cash cow if done right.
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Post by petrolino on Oct 22, 2017 2:10:16 GMT
This movie is what it is, and if you look at it like that it's harmless lazy viewing. Richard Fleischer, son of Max Fleischer of Popeye and Betty Boop fame, was a very uneven director but he turned out a lot of good movies like 20.000 Leagues Under the Sea 1954, Fantastic Voyage 1966, The Boston Strangler 1968, Tora Tora Tora 1970, 10 Rillington Place 1971 and Soylent Green 1973. During Red Sonja I wonder if he just waited for his paycheck. For those who want to see a very pumped up Arnold, this is a golden opportunity. As for Brigitte Nielsen, danes woke up one morning and heard that a danish woman in Hollywood made it big, and they had never heard about her. Danes as a sort of love/hate relationship with her, just as Swedes have with Dolph Lundgren. It's fun that someone can sneak under the elite noses un-noticed and become something for a short while, that part I like, sadly both Brigitte and Dolph are horrendiously bad stiff actors/actresses. Hi teleadm. I'm a big Richard Fleischer fan, a director who broke new ground many times - for example, his sound designs created with musical inventor Mario Nascimbene, or home studio electronics pioneer Charles Bernstein. His experimentations within the realms of special effects and cinematography - 'Violent Saturday' (1955) has been picking up alot of new fans since its dvd restoration, as it should - it's a fantastic and innovative crime picture. Most of his movies are incredibly entertaining, he's a true genre director, like Don Siegel, or Robert Aldrich, or Sam Fuller. 'Red Sonja' is far from his best but it's not the disgrace it's sometimes been made out to be. For another old master running unfairly foul of the 1980s critical press, I'd suggest Stanley Donen - 'Saturn 3' (1980) is a really entertaining picture. Great to hear about Denmark (largely) embracing the achievements of Brigitte Nielsen (is there a more Danish name that Nielsen)? She's captivating in 'Red Sonja', easy to see why she became a star. |
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Post by pimpinainteasy on Oct 22, 2017 14:02:37 GMT
i dont know what you're talking about but i love the score by morricone.
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Post by petrolino on Oct 22, 2017 14:23:53 GMT
i dont know what you're talking about but i love the score by morricone. Could you not hear the wind blowing through it? It was cooking up a storm. |
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Post by pimpinainteasy on Oct 22, 2017 14:40:00 GMT
i dont know what you're talking about but i love the score by morricone. Could you not hear the wind blowing through it? It was cooking up a storm. im no music critic. wish i could write like you. i just enjoy the music. do you think morricone ripped off JOY DIVISION in his red sonja song? |
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Post by petrolino on Oct 22, 2017 14:44:25 GMT
Could you not hear the wind blowing through it? It was cooking up a storm. im no music critic. wish i could write like you. i just enjoy the music. do you think morricone ripped off JOY DIVISION in his red sonja song? I'm no critic. I've often been criticised for not being critical enough, like your 1/10 'Suspiria' review which takes everyone to the cleaners, whereas I'm more like a fawning movie fanboy. Which Joy Division song? |
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Post by pimpinainteasy on Oct 22, 2017 14:54:12 GMT
i wasnt insulting you. i dont know how to write about music. i will try to find that joy division song. but im really drunk.
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Post by pimpinainteasy on Oct 22, 2017 14:57:55 GMT
gibe me 5 minutes.
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Post by pimpinainteasy on Oct 22, 2017 15:02:01 GMT
listen to TRANSMISSION by joy division from around 1:39 onwards
now listen to this RED SONJA compilation from around 3:00 onwards. im the biggest morricone fan. i hope its a coincidence.
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Post by petrolino on Oct 22, 2017 15:07:16 GMT
listen to TRANSMISSION by joy division from around 1:39 onwards now listen to this RED SONJA compilation from around 3:00 onwards. im the biggest morricone fan. i hope its a coincidence. You might be on to something. If I found out Ennio Morricone was ripping off Joy Division I'd be thrilled. Two great artists. |
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Post by pimpinainteasy on Oct 22, 2017 15:16:29 GMT
listen to TRANSMISSION by joy division from around 1:39 onwards now listen to this RED SONJA compilation from around 3:00 onwards. im the biggest morricone fan. i hope its a coincidence. You might be on to something. If I found out Ennio Morricone was ripping off Joy Division I'd be thrilled. Two great artists. well, it did strike me as similar. the guitar solo in joy division's song sounded so similar to the emphatic trumpets of morricone's composition. i'm surprised nobody else noticed it. |
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Post by koskiewicz on Oct 22, 2017 15:52:51 GMT
...this reminds me of the lawsuit filed by the group Spirit claiming that Led Zeppelin ripped off their tune when they made "Stairway to Heaven."
I have heard both and they share extremely common timbre though the Spirit tune is instrumental.
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Post by petrolino on Oct 23, 2017 3:42:49 GMT
...this reminds me of the lawsuit filed by the group Spirit claiming that Led Zeppelin ripped off their tune when they made "Stairway to Heaven." I have heard both and they share extremely common timbre though the Spirit tune is instrumental. I noticed this similarity myself when I was younger. I like the song 'Taurus' which is on Spirit's first album. I have a friend who's a psychedelic artist and he used to draw Spirit artwork. He pointed out to me that Spirit and Led Zeppelin had played concert bills together in the late 1960s. |
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Post by taylorfirst1 on Oct 23, 2017 15:15:19 GMT
I enjoy this film but I would like to see a well done remake. However, I know that these days "well done remake" is usually an oxymoron.
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