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 by), Charles Edward Pogue (story by)

Stars:

Dennis Quaid, Sean Connery, Dina Meyer

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dennis Quaid	...	Bowen
David Thewlis	...	Einon
Pete Postlethwaite	...	Gilbert
Dina Meyer	...	Kara
Jason Isaacs	...	Felton
Brian Thompson	...	Brok
Lee Oakes	...	Young Einon
Wolf Christian	...	Hewe
Terry O'Neill	...	Redbeard
Peter Hric	...	King Freyne
Eva Vejmelková	...	Felton's Minx (as Eva Vejmelkova)
Milan Bahúl	...	Swamp Village Chief (as Milan Bahul)
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.

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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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Certificate:

PG-13

Did You Know?

Trivia

Originally, after reading the script, composer Jerry Goldsmith personally requested to write the music for this film when Patrick Read Johnson was set to direct it. However, Goldsmith never got to write any music for the film as things fell through during production and left the project when Johnson was let go.

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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 has just pretended to kill Draco for a second time]
Gilbert of Glockenspur: Well done, Bowen! You've done it again! What a brute! That's even bigger than the last one!
Bowen: Actually, he's about the same size.

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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

References Caligula (1979)

User Reviews

A great dragon flick with a good charm to it.

Ah, how I love Dragonheart. This was made during the dawn of CGI. After Terminator 2 and Jurassic Park pushed the boundaries of special effects to a whole new level, Universal decided to try something different with computer effects and storytelling. The result was this lovable film that has, dare I say it, a burning passion.

The story of a dragon (Sean Connery) and a dragon slayer (Dennis Quaid) becoming friends and teaming up against a tyrannical king is unforgettable. This movie is just full of comedy, action, and drama and the cast, especially Sean Connery, deliver terrific performances. It's not often you see a dragon movie like this and with that, it should be commended.

I give this movie a 7 for entertainment value and a fiery extra point for the effort in which this was made.

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