Ladyhawke - A Love Stronger than All Evil - #FanFridays 17

So in honour of Valentine's Day on Sunday, for Fan Fridays 17 I have chosen to geek out about one of my all time favourite fantasy movies, because it is also a gorgeous love story.

Ladyhawke - A Love Stronger than All Evil

Now if you haven't seen Ladyhawke then you are missing out. This is a film from 1985, but it's a fantasy film, so it hasn't dated. It is a wonderful story of a curse, an epic romance and bravery.

First of all this film has a magnificent cast:

• Rutger Hauer as Etienne Navarre
• Michelle Pfeiffer as Isabeau d'Anjou
• Matthew Broderick as Philippe  "The Mouse" Gaston
• John Wood as the Bishop

Ladyhawke is medieval fantasy where the only magic is a dreadful curse cast by a man who is supposed to be holy.

• Navarre is a brave knight on a black steed who carries his family sword, travels in the company of a hawk, and is seeking revenge.
• Isabeau is a beautiful young woman who is only seen at night, and can calm the huge black wolf which is always close by.
• Gaston is a very clever thief, known as "the Mouse" who escapes the dungeons of Aquila.
• The Bishop of Aquila is a man fallen from grace, but with incredible power, which he abuses, killing all those who oppose him.

At it's heart Ladyhawke is a love story between Navarre and Isabeau. Their love created their predicament and their love is all that sustains them. When Navarre was Captain of the guard at Aquila, Isabeau came to live there and they fell in love. But the Bishop was obsessed with her and would let no man have her. In his rage at their love, the Bishop cursed them cruelly: Isabeau to be a hawk by day and a woman by night and Navarre to be a man by day and a wolf by night, only giving them the briefest of glimpses of each other every dawn and sunset.

When Navarre meets Philippe he is on his way back to Aquila to take his revenge on the Bishop, finally having decided it is time to end it. After he meets Philippe he asks him to help him get in to the fortress at Aquila to fulfil his plan. Philippe refuses, but through a mixture of circumstances he comes to find out Navarre and Isabeau's secret and from the monk Imperius, that there may be a chance to break the curse.

The theme throughout the whole film is love against evil, and the Bishop is a very evil man. He was going to hang Philippe before he escaped, along with the tens of others in the dungeons. He is a man without mercy.

The whole cast are superb. Matthew Broderick is brilliant as Mouse, sometimes funny, sometimes a little bit tragic and always loveable. Rutger Hauer is superb as Navarre, focused on his revenge and yet willing to do anything for Isabeau, even though he cannot touch her and believes he never will again. And Michelle Pfeiffer is gentle and sweet as Isabeau and yet also strong as she copes with their curse all but alone until Philippe comes along.

I cannot stress how good this film is and if you are looking for something romantic, but also with action and a great plot for Valentine's Day, you can't go wrong with this one.

What films would you recommend for Valentine's Day?

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