DragonHeart (1996)

The last dragon and a disillusioned dragonslaying knight must cooperate to stop an evil king who was given partial immortality.

Director:

Rob Cohen

Writers:

Patrick Read Johnson (story), Charles Edward Pogue (story)

Stars:

Dennis Quaid, Sean Connery, Dina Meyer

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dennis Quaid	...	Bowen
David Thewlis	...	King Einon
Pete Postlethwaite	...	Gilbert of Glockenspur
Dina Meyer	...	Kara
Jason Isaacs	...	Lord Felton
Brian Thompson	...	Brok
Lee Oakes	...	Young Einon
Wolf Christian	...	Hewe
Terry O'Neill	...	Redbeard
Eva Vejmelková	...	Felton's Minx (as Eva Vejmelkova)
Milan Bahúl	...	Swamp Village Chief (as Milan Bahul)
Peter Hric	...	King Freyne
Sandra Kovacicova	...	Young Kara
Kyle Cohen	...	Boy in Field
Thom Baker	...	Aislinn's Chess Partner

Storyline

The young, sickly King Einon was wounded in a battle. In order for him to survive, he is healed by Draco, a dragon. Some years later, Bowen, a dragon slayer, encounters Draco. The two team up to form a traveling duo that perform an act, but the act is only known by themselves. Bowen supposedly "slays" Draco and then collects a reward from the town or village that he protects by killing the dragon who had been "terrorizing" them. From there, Bowen and Draco must save the entire kingdom from the rule of the now evil King Einon, who is part of Draco and Draco a part of him.

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Plot Keywords:

dragon | king | knight | human dragon relationship | england | 

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Taglines:

You will believe.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for action/violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 May 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Corazón de dragón

Filming Locations:

Bratislava, Slovakia

Box Office

Budget:

$57,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,238,000, 26 July 1996

Gross USA:

$51,367,375

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$115,267,375

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

DTS-Stereo DTS Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Rob Cohen oversaw post-production and visual effects of this movie in Rome, Italy when he was filming Daylight (1996), via satellite hook-up in one of his Cinecittà offices to Industrial Light & Magic's offices in San Francisco, California.

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Goofs

Lee Oakes as young Einon speaks received (ie. "well brought up" but not posh) accented English - given his mother's accent, one assumes this is his natural accent. David Thewlis, as adult Einon, speaks with a strong north country accent. It is unlikely he would have adopted this accent as an adult.

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Quotes

Bowen: [the villagers pelt Kara when she alls for rebellion] Why waste good food on bad rhetoric?

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Alternate Versions

The UK releases have a sound effect substitution to get a "PG" rating. A neckbreak sound towards the finale of the film has been substituted with a punch sound effect.

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Eddie/DragonHeart/The Arrival/Mission: Impossible/Spy Hard (1996)

User Reviews

pretty good...

Like others, I rate Dragonheart far above most mindless summer blockbusters, loaded with hip witticisms and sarcastic heroes. Dragonheart is not cynical at all, and is lots of fun for kids of all ages (why is this movie PG13?). If you're looking for a really ferocious dragon, Draco isn't it. Draco is much more human than most movie dragons (if you want a scary dragon, watch Dragonslayer), but he is very realistic. In fact, the scenes without him tend to drag, but Dennis Quaid's Bowen is strong as the disillusioned knight. If you are looking for a deep plot, you won't find it, but that's no big deal. Dragonheart is more about adventure and dragons than about plot twists and in depth characterizations. Edelman's music is great for the most part, especially in the final scenes, which I think are the best in the movie. Check it out.