Morgue

e-mail

Faculty/Staff

Student

Resources

WebCT

Faculty/Staff directory

Search Engines

Movie Perfect for Valentine's Day

---

   If you're looking for a great movie to see for Valentine's Day, then "Tristan & Isolde" is the movie for you.

   "Tristan & Isolde" is the perfect combination of action and romance. The director, Kevin Reynolds, wanted to tell a story about the Dark Ages because records were not kept back then, so not a lot is known from that era.

   The tagline of the movie reads, "Before Romeo & Juliet, there was …" The story is very similar to that of "Romeo & Juliet" except that instead of coming from two feuding families, Tristan, played by James Franco, and Isolde, played by Sophia Myles, come from two feuding countries.

   The movie takes place during the Dark Ages after the fall of the Roman Empire. The barons of Britain meet to come to an agreement to unite to stop Ireland's control of them. The Irish attack the village and kill most of its occupants while the barons are trying to agree on signing a treaty. Tristan, the son of the lord who wants the barons to unite, watches both of his parents die during the attacks. He is saved from being killed by the Irish and taken in by Lord Marke, another British baron.

   Across the ocean, Isolde watches as her mother is cremated. Both Tristan and Isolde grow older. Isolde's father, King Donnchadh, tells Isolde that she will marry an Irish warrior whether she wants to or not. Isolde's betrothed goes with others to Britain for another attack. Tristan's village is raided again. This time, the Irish take the women as prisoners. Tristan leads the rest of the men against the Irish and frees the women and kills all the Irish warriors, except for the leader and two men. They spare these three Irish warriors so they can go home and tell their king what happened.

   By a twist of fate, Tristan makes it to Ireland, and circumstances cause Isolde to find him and take care of him. Isolde refuses to tell Tristan her true identity, so he thinks she is a lady in waiting at the king's court. Tristan and Isolde grow close as she risks her safety everyday to care for him. Tristan finds out that Isolde is promised to another man, but their love continues to grow. Yet it cannot end that way.

   This tale of love and war should satisfy everyone. Not only does it have tons of battle scenes, but it also has a story of how love truly does conquer all and the sacrifices people make for love.

Have a comment? Please e-mail us.