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Avalon

  • 2001
  • R
  • 1h 47m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
14K
YOUR RATING
Avalon (2001)
Trailer for Avalon
Play trailer0:57
1 Video
37 Photos
ActionDramaFantasy

In a dystopian world, a woman spends her time playing an illegal and dangerous game, hoping to find meaning in her world.In a dystopian world, a woman spends her time playing an illegal and dangerous game, hoping to find meaning in her world.In a dystopian world, a woman spends her time playing an illegal and dangerous game, hoping to find meaning in her world.

  • Director
    • Mamoru Oshii
  • Writer
    • Kazunori Itô
  • Stars
    • Malgorzata Foremniak
    • Wladyslaw Kowalski
    • Jerzy Gudejko
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.4/10
    14K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Mamoru Oshii
    • Writer
      • Kazunori Itô
    • Stars
      • Malgorzata Foremniak
      • Wladyslaw Kowalski
      • Jerzy Gudejko
    • 149User reviews
    • 71Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 1 nomination

    Videos1

    Avalon (2003)
    Trailer 0:57
    Watch Avalon (2003)

    Photos37

    Malgorzata Foremniak in Avalon (2001)
    Malgorzata Foremniak in Avalon (2001)
    Avalon (2001)
    Avalon (2001)
    Avalon (2001)
    Avalon (2001)
    Avalon (2001)
    Avalon (2001)
    Avalon (2001)
    Avalon (2001)
    Avalon (2001)
    Avalon (2001)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Malgorzata Foremniak
    Malgorzata Foremniak
    • Ash
    Wladyslaw Kowalski
    Wladyslaw Kowalski
    • Game Master
    Jerzy Gudejko
    Jerzy Gudejko
    • Murphy
    Dariusz Biskupski
    Dariusz Biskupski
    • Bishop
    Bartlomiej Swiderski
    • Stunner
    • (as Bartek Swiderski)
    Katarzyna Bargielowska
    Katarzyna Bargielowska
    • Receptionist
    Alicja Sapryk
    • Gill
    Michal Breitenwald
    Michal Breitenwald
    • Murphy of Nine Sisters
    Zuzanna Kasz
    • Ghost
    Adam Szyszkowski
    Adam Szyszkowski
    • Player A
    Krzysztof Plewako-Szczerbinski
    Krzysztof Plewako-Szczerbinski
    • Player B
    • (as Krszysztof Szczerbinski)
    Marek Stawinski
    • Player C
    Jaroslaw Budnik
    • Cooper
    • (voice)
    Andrzej Debski
    • Cusinart
    • (voice)
    Elzbieta Towarnicka
    • Soloist at Philharmonic
    Zdzislaw Szymborski
    Zdzislaw Szymborski
    • Man at Philharmonic
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Mamoru Oshii
    • Writer
      • Kazunori Itô
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      All military vehicles and helicopters were borrowed from the Polish army for free.
    • Goofs
      When Ash starts searching for The Nine Sisters, she enters some keywords and the results show up on the monitor of her computer. However, the reflection on her glasses doesn't match what happens on her screen.
    • Quotes

      Ash: Let me ask you something. Are you accessing from a terminal somewhere or are you part of the system itself?

      Game Master: What does it matter? You couldn't confirm it anyway.

    • Alternate versions
      North American (Region 1) DVD release in 2003 features additional narration by the lead character "Ash" in the English dubbed version -- most notably after the pre-credits battle scene, and at the end of the film, the latter of which initially played out without any dialog. As a result of the added narration, the enigmatic ending becomes easier to understand for North American viewers. The added narration actually creates a very large problem with the 'Polish with English subtitles' option on the Region 1 DVD, since the 'traslantion' subtitles are actually dub-titles (they simply transcribed the Enlgish dub as the Polish dialog). This results in innumerable inaccuracies in the script (almost all mention of the connections to the King Arthur myth are lost on any language of the Region 1 version), and the subtitles also show up during the sequences where the English version has narration, meaning that in the middle of a dialog-less scene, the subtitles will show up anyway. Miramax has not recalled or corrected the DVD, but an uncut anamorphic version with proper subtitles is available from UK company Blue Light.
    • Connections
      Featured in Japanorama: Episode #1.1 (2002)

    User reviews149

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    A brilliant piece of work
    I notice on the rating chart that the younger a person is, the higher this film gets rated. Well, I'm 53 years old and I'm giving it a 9 because it's brilliant. Maybe most "older" people simply aren't intellectually equipped to understand this film's blending of sci-fi, virtual reality, classical mythic archetypes, and terrific film work. Too bad. And I suppose the movie poses a challenge to most Americans with their aversion (provincial fear) of subtitles.

    In any case, this is a Japanese production filmed and set in Poland, using Polish actors. And it is strangely wonderful in all respects: story, theme, characters, style, cinematography. It explores a virtual reality, William Gibson sort of story and theme. The protagonist is a young woman named Ash (Malgorzata Foremniak) who dons a headset and plays virtual reality games. And we, the viewers, go inside the games with her. What is real? What is virtual?

    The director uses special film stock to get dream-like tones and visuals that will knock you out. In that respect, the images often remind me of early B&W American films. Lovely.
    helpful•8
    0
    • clcook2000
    • Mar 14, 2006

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    FAQ1

    • What happened to the dog ?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 20, 2001 (Japan)
    • Countries of origin
      • Japan
      • Poland
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • Polish
    • Also known as
      • Авалон
    • Filming locations
      • Modlin, Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki, Mazowieckie, Poland(fortress)
    • Production companies
      • Deiz Production
      • Bandai Visual Company
      • Media Factory
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $8,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $449,275
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 47 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital EX
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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