Details
Movie Description
Sean Connery provides the voice of the last dragon on earth in this medieval tale of a freelance knight who's forced to turn against the tyrant king he tutored as a boy. In order to bring the king to justice the noble warrior must kill him, but in doing so he would also end the gentle dragon's life. The Signature Laserdisc edition also includes a feature on the film's making. Academy Award Nominations: Best Visual Effects.
Synopsis
In medieval England, Bowen, a gallant dragonslayer, comes upon Draco, the last dragon on Earth (who can talk). In a scheme that keeps Draco alive and earns money for Bowen, the dragon terrorizes a town, and Bowen "kills" him to earn a reward. In the process, the two become close friends.
But when King Einon, the evil ruler of the land, goes one step too far, Bowen and Draco -- both of whom have been betrayed by the despot in the past -- set out to defeat him. However, years ago the noble Draco gave half his heart to Einon in order to save the ruler's life. Therefore, if Einon dies, so does Draco. Can Bowen find a way to kill Einon without losing his beloved, fire-breathing partner?
Film Notes
Released theatrically in the USA May 31, 1996.
Shot in Panavision widescreen. Color by DeLuxe. In DTS sound.
Additional cast: Lee Oakes (Young Einon), Wolf Christian (Hewe), and Terry O'Neill (Redbeard).
Additional credits: Jano Svoboda (art direction), Thomas Casterline (costume designer), James Straus (character animation supervisor), and Judith Weaver (visual effects producer).
Director Rob Cohen cast Sean Connery as the voice of Draco the dragon "because he has represented various aspects of masculinity that were a perfect overlay for this dragon." In addition, animators used close-ups of the actor's face to morph Connery into Draco.
The budget for the film was reportedly $57 million -- $22 million of which went towards the special effects and animation needed to create Draco the dragon (182 shots of the dragon are seen in the film).
Rated BBFC PG by the British Board of Film Classification.
Copyright 1996 Universal City Studios, Inc.
Industry Reviews
"...DRAGONHEART delivers the goods..."
Rolling Stone - p.62 - Peter Travers (06/27/1996)
"...Draco is certainly impressive....A wonder of technology..."
Sight and Sound - p.47-8 - Kim Newman (11/01/1996)
"...In [many] respects, DRAGONHEART is a corker....Quaid has a knack for pulling off this sort of acting challenge..." -- Rating: B
Entertainment Weekly - pp.37-8 - Ken Tucker (06/07/1996)
"...Excellent dragon effects....[The dragon is] beneficent, intelligent and expressive..."
Variety - Todd McCarthy (05/27/1996)
"...It's swashbuckling adventure, blood-soaked romance and villainous cretins against colorful heroes. And it has remarkable special effects..."
Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (05/31/1996)
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