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

Sir Kenneth Branagh was involved for a while as director in the early stages of production, and then Richard Donner, who was so keen, that he spent six months on the development, before moving on to other projects.

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Goofs

During the scenes early in the film when Kara is being held prisoner, you can clearly see Dina Meyer is wearing a very bad wig, indicating these scenes were most likely added during re-shoots.

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Quotes

Bowen: Dreams die hard and you hold them in your hands long after they've turned to dust.

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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

Referenced in Film School Confidential (2002)

User Reviews

An entirely enjoyable movie by any standards!

Dragonheart is, in my humble opinion, one of the best-ever dragon movies I have seen. And believe me, I have seen a lot of them. Most are poorly made with lagging stories and characters you cannot get into. I found that was not the case for Dragonheart. Draco, the dragon, was in my opinion a gorgeous creature and it didn't make it worse that he sounded like Sean Connery. :) Dennis Quaid is always enjoyable, a gorgeous man with an infectious smile. Dina Meyer is lovely as Kara. So what if some of the plot is not 'believable'. It's a fairytale. Anything goes in fairy tales. Heck, that's what fairy tales are all about. Fantasy, imagination. So, when and if you watch/re-watch this movie, do so with an open heart and suspend your disbelief and analytical minds. This is fantasy in the truest sense.