'TRISTAN & ISOLDE' DELIVERS ADVENTURE WITH ITS LOVE STORY.Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic WITH ``TRISTAN & Isolde,'' director Kevin Reynolds Kevin Reynolds may refer to:
Edmond Dantes; wrongly imprisoned in the dungeons of Chateau D’If. . [Fr. Lit.: The Count of Monte Cristo, Magill I, 158–160] See : Imprisonment Count of Monte Cristo ,'' Reynolds has again delivered a lavish adventure for audiences who like their entertainment earnest and their storytelling straightforward. Taking a page from Wagner, ``Tristan & Isolde'' recasts the old Celtic folk tale into a doomed love story full of duty, honor and the inevitable betrayal. There's no magic potion po·tion n. A liquid medicinal dose or drink. potion a large dose of liquid medicine. , though; instead, screenwriter Dean Georgaris plays into every girl's fantasy by having the beautiful Tristan wash up practically in Isolde's back yard. She gets to play nurse, teacher and lover. In the bargain, she receives a boyfriend and a nifty bracelet made from sea glass. Tristan (James Franco) is a knight and part of the fractured English tribes who are persecuted by the Irish. (How's that for a switch?) Isolde (Sophia Myles) is the daughter of the tyrannical Irish king (David Patrick O'Hara). It's the Capulets and Montagues Capulets and Montagues bitter feud between these two houses leads to tragedy. [Br. Lit.: Romeo and Juliet] See : Rivalry writ large, with the added bonus that Tristan's beloved lord, the man who took him in as a boy, Marke (Rufus Sewell, lending the movie the lion's share of its power and conviction), is in the mix as well. Franco, known for, among other things, playing James Dean Noun 1. James Dean - United States film actor whose moody rebellious roles made him a cult figure (1931-1955) James Byron Dean, Dean , seems to be channeling another dead poster boy here, the curly mane, pouty lips and bare chest signaling too much time spent staring at the Doors' album covers. The result: Tristan is the knight who wants to be (the Lizard) King. At least Franco has a character to play, as opposed to his female counterpart. But then, the filmmakers seem more interested in the father- son love story between Tristan and the sympathetic Marke than the sudsy suds·y adj. suds·i·er, suds·i·est Full of or resembling suds. Adj. 1. sudsy - resembling lather or covered with lather lathery pairing of Tristan and Isolde Tristan and Isolde Lovers in a medieval romance based on Celtic legend. The hero Tristan goes to Ireland to ask the hand of the princess Isolde for his uncle, King Mark of Cornwall. . And why not? Betraying one's ideals has a lot more meat than the brooding theatrics the·at·rics n. 1. (used with a sing. verb) The art of the theater. 2. (used with a pl. verb) Theatrical effects or mannerisms; histrionics. of poetry-quoting adulterers, even if the lovers are as fetching as Franco and Myles. Glenn Whipp, (818) 713-3672 glenn.whipp(at)dailynews.com TRISTAN & ISOLDE - Two and one half stars (PG-13: intense battle sequences, some sexuality) Starring: James Franco, Sophia Myles, Rufus Sewell. Director: Kevin Reynolds. Running time: 2 hr. 6 min. Playing: In wide release. In a nutshell: Director Kevin Reynolds follows ``The Count of Monte Cristo'' with another old-school epic; this one is earnest, too, but not as entertaining. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Sophia Myles and James Franco get medieval - and romantic - in director Kevin Reynolds' sudsy but earnest film epic ``Tristan & Isolde.'' |
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