Ladyhawke (1985)

Philipe Gastone, a thief, escapes from the dungeon at Aquila, sparking a manhunt. He is nearly captured when Captain Navarre befriends him. Navarre has been hunted by the Bishop's men for ... See full summary »

Director:

Richard Donner

Writers:

Edward Khmara (story), Edward Khmara (screenplay),

Stars:

Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer, Michelle Pfeiffer

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matthew Broderick	...	Phillipe Gaston
Rutger Hauer	...	Captain Etienne Navarre
Michelle Pfeiffer	...	Isabeau d'Anjou
Leo McKern	...	Father Imperius the Monk
John Wood	...	Bishop of Aquila
Ken Hutchison	...	Marquet
Alfred Molina	...	Cezar
Giancarlo Prete	...	Fornac
Loris Loddi	...	Jehan
Alessandro Serra	...	Mr. Pitou
Charles Borromel	...	Insane Prisoner
Massimo Sarchielli	...	Innkeeper
Nicolina Papetti	...	Mrs. Pitou
Russel Case	...	Lieutenant (as Russell Kase)
Donald Hodson	...	Guard on Cart (as Don Hudson)

Storyline

Philipe Gastone, a thief, escapes from the dungeon at Aquila, sparking a manhunt. He is nearly captured when Captain Navarre befriends him. Navarre has been hunted by the Bishop's men for two years, ever since he escaped with the Lady Isabeau who the Bishop has lusted after. Navarre and Isabeau have a curse that the Bishop has placed on them that causes Navarre to be a wolf during the night and Isabeau to be a hawk during the day. Navarre insists that Philipe help him re-enter the city to help him kill the heavily guarded Bishop.

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Plot Keywords:

bishop | hawk | escape | lady | thief | 

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Taglines:

CURSED FOR ETERNITY...No force in Heaven will release them. No power on Earth can save them. [UK Theatrical]

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 April 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Mulher Falcão

Filming Locations:

Campo Imperatore, L'Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the Bishop's garden, he is seen hand-feeding a dancing woman (played by Constume Designer Nanà Cecchi). The pattern on the sleeves of her gown is drawn from the plumage of a hawk, and she employs bird-like motions in her dancing.

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Goofs

When the mouse first escapes the dungeon and pops out of the water, it cuts to two soldiers, one of whom is searching for his moneybag. However, the mouse doesn't steal his moneybag until the next scene

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Quotes

[first lines]
Phillipe: Impossible. Impossible. Nothing is impossible. Come on, Mouse. Dig! Dig, Mouse. Come on.

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Crazy Credits

With Loving Memory to "Little Pasta"

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Connections

Referenced in Conspiracy Theory (1997)

User Reviews

One of my all-time FAVORITE movies

What a great story. This has been one of my favorite movies since it first came out. (I saw it with my best friend, who had a crush on Matthew Broderick.) Anyway, it's a very stirring, timeless (except for the music) story of love, heartache, hope and redemption. Wonderful.

Rutger Hauer is amazing. Strong, even frightening at times, but still tender and vulnerable. Of course Michelle Pfeiffer is at her absolute most beautiful. She really does seem to possess "the face of love" as Phillipe says. But Matthew Broderick really makes the movie. He's more than just comic relief (although he is hilarious); he keeps the story grounded. Without the character of Philippe the movie would be too ethereal, untethered. Philippe is the everyman--our connection to the magical beauty of Navarre and Isabeau.

I've heard that the story is based on a medieval legend, but I haven't been able to find it. If anyone has a link, please post it as a review on this site; I'd love to read more about it. Thanks!!