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 dragonslayer, encounters Draco. The two team up to form a travelling 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.

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Taglines:

You will believe.

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy

---

Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 May 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

DragonHeart

Filming Locations:

Bratislava, Slovakia

Box Office

Budget:

$57,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$15,027,150, 2 June 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

Excerpts from the music score have been used in dozens of movie trailers and even for a special projection at the 1997 Oscars. The main theme was also used as interstitial and credits music during the U.S. telecast of the 2004 Olympics.

---

Goofs

Young Prince's braces visible when he screams trying to help his father.

---

Quotes

Bowen: [teaching Gilbert to shoot] Draw your bow, sight along the arrow, release!
[releases the arrow, arrow sticks in the dummy's head]
Hewe: Beginner's luck. Try again.
Bowen: Steady...
Bowen: [Gilbert releases the arrow, which sticks in the wooden dummy's crotch; laughing impressed] Brother Gilbert. You're a natural.

---

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.

---

Connections

Featured in Maltin on Movies: Medieval Special 1 (2012)

User Reviews

Dragon Fun To Watch In This Mostly-Enjoyable Fantasy

This was kind of a hokey Class-B fantasy-adventure story but with Grade A special effects (with the dragon) and sound. Those visual and audio treats make it worth watching. This was early "demo"-type DVD disc, exhibiting some excellent surround sound when very few other DVDs were as audibly as good.

The story begins a bit slowly but once the dragon appears it's a fun and fascinating movie to watch. A decade ago when this came out, I marveled, "It's amazing how they can make strange creatures so lifelike." Of course, FX has only gotten better and better.

For me, the dragon was the only endearing character in the movie. Dennis Quaid plays the good guy, but he's mostly annoying in here. I think it was his fake raspy voice that was irritating. In all, a fun movie.

At any rate, the movie is pure medieval fantasy and theology but entertaining enough for kids and adults. There is no bad language in here.