Dragonheart (1996)

Director:

Rob Cohen

Writers (WGA):

Patrick Read Johnson (story) &
Charles Edward Pogue (story) ...

Release Date:

31 May 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Fantasy

Tagline:

You will believe.

Plot:

The last dragon and a disillusioned dragonslaying knight must cooperate to stop an evil king who was given partial immortality.

Plot Keywords:

Dragon | King | Evil King | Battle | Immortality

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 5 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

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for action/violence.

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS-Stereo | DTS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #34567) | France:U | Iceland:12 | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12/9 | Germany:12 (w) | Ireland:PG | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | Netherlands:12 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Bratislava, Slovakia

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The five dragonslayers' names are Uhlric, Cavan, Ivor, Tavis, and Trahern, according to the novelization of the film by Charles Edward Pogue. Also, despite playing a pretty important role in the story, none of the dragonslayers or the actors that played them are listed in the credits.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Kara says in the film that farmers can only throw tomatoes at maidens. In the middle ages in Europe there were not tomatoes, since tomatoes came from America, discovered at the end of the XV century.

Quotes:

[Bowen simply stares as Kara passionately implores him to help lead the rebellion]
Kara: What are you looking at?
Bowen: Myself, once upon a time.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in South Park: Imaginationland (2008) (V)

pretty good...

Like others, I rate Dragonheart far above most mindless summer blockbusters, loaded with hip witticisms and sarcastic heroes. Dragonheart is not cynical at all, and is lots of fun for kids of all ages (why is this movie PG13?). If you're looking for a really ferocious dragon, Draco isn't it. Draco is much more human than most movie dragons (if you want a scary dragon, watch Dragonslayer), but he is very realistic. In fact, the scenes without him tend to drag, but Dennis Quaid's Bowen is strong as the disillusioned knight. If you are looking for a deep plot, you won't find it, but that's no big deal. Dragonheart is more about adventure and dragons than about plot twists and in depth characterizations. Edelman's music is great for the most part, especially in the final scenes, which I think are the best in the movie. Check it out.