Flesh+Blood (1985)

In medieval Europe, a young girl from a noble family is obsessed with her captors - commoners.

Director:

Paul Verhoeven

Writers:

Gerard Soeteman (screenplay), Gerard Soeteman (story)

Stars:

Rutger Hauer, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Burlinson

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rutger Hauer	...	Martin
Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Agnes
Tom Burlinson	...	Steven
Jack Thompson	...	Hawkwood
Fernando Hilbeck	...	Arnolfini (as Fernando Hillbeck)
Susan Tyrrell	...	Celine
Ronald Lacey	...	Cardinal
Brion James	...	Karsthans
John Dennis Johnston	...	Summer
Simón Andreu	...	Miel
Bruno Kirby	...	Orbec
Kitty Courbois	...	Anna
Marina Saura	...	Polly
Hans Veerman	...	Father George
Jake Wood	...	Little John

Storyline

A band of medieval mercenaries take revenge on a noble Lord who decides not to pay them by kidnapping the betrothed of the noble's son. As the plague and warfare cut a swathe of destruction throughout the land, the mercenaries hole up in a castle and await their fate.

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Plot Keywords:

rape victim | gang rape | rape | nudity | castle siege | 

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Taglines:

Betrayed by power. Corrupted by love. Bound by honor.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie was awarded two prizes at the Dutch Film Festival (Best Picture and Best Director), but several jury members publicly attacked this decision afterwards, stating that the vote had not been unanimous.

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Goofs

At the end of the film, a flaming ceiling beam falls and bounces in a way that belies its ostensible weight.

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Quotes

Agnes: Will you show me how it's done? Then I'll know how to go about it.
Kathleen: Right here?
Agnes: No. Behind the bushes.
Kathleen: I don't feel like doing it right now.
Agnes: I insist you feel like it right now. You're my maid. You'll do as I say.

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Alternate Versions

UK cinema and video versions were cut by 38 secs by the BBFC with edits to the rape of Agnes. The cuts were waived for the 2005 MGM DVD.

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Connections

Featured in You Don't Nomi (2019)

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Soundtracks

Throughout the Years
Composed by Charles Williams

User Reviews

Good film, if you don't expect the wrong things from it.

This film is definitely off the beaten track. I enjoyed it a lot, and thought that there were some truly stand-out performances here, notably Rutger Hauer and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Some other actors and actresses that I didn't recognize were excellent. The tone is relentlessly bleak as befits the times. A couple of scenes put the times in perspective. One is where Agnes and Stephen talk and flirt beneath the hanging corpses without giving much thought to what we would consider today the horrid nature of such a sight. Another is towards the end, when one of the women has been captured (Polly, I think) and is being raped, and the lord (Stephen's father) simply walks past, barely noticing. I don't know if they are simply there for shock value, or if Verhoeven is making the point that one cannot judge mores, morals, and customs of past ages by the standards of today. (Something done quite a bit these days, most notably about slavery.)

Some of the criticisms in other comments are valid. True, none of the characters are very likeable. I was sort of hoping that they would all be dead by the end of the movie. But, again, I'm judging them by 21st century standards. Also, about the plague. I'm sure Verhoeven knows that plague is spread by rat fleas, so all of the machinations about the plague has to be from people's points of view in 1501-2.

This film is worth viewing, but don't expect gallantry, chivalry, or even decency. And no, it's really not a "date movie" Grade: A

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

Netherlands Spain

Language:

English Latin

Release Date:

30 August 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Flesh & Blood

Filming Locations:

Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$6,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Riverside Pictures, Impala

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min 128 min (uncut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1