1 00:00:11,720 --> 00:00:12,879 Yah! 2 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:23,999 Highlander is one of a kind, 3 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:26,519 a strange and arousing fantasy epic 4 00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:29,199 about immortality and sword fights. 5 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:33,519 Rediscovered again and again since its release in 1986, 6 00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:36,079 it has the soul of a true cult classic. 7 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:38,439 I think that Highlander lives up to the status 8 00:00:38,440 --> 00:00:41,479 of being a cult classic because it is... 9 00:00:41,480 --> 00:00:44,759 I mean, it's very much in the eye of the beholder with these films, 10 00:00:44,760 --> 00:00:46,799 but it is about enjoyment. 11 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:50,279 It's about the kind of thing that you get from having home video, 12 00:00:50,280 --> 00:00:52,999 versus in a cinema, where you can watch something with friends 13 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:54,599 and laugh about little things, 14 00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:57,159 and it doesn't take away from your enjoyment of the film. 15 00:00:57,160 --> 00:01:00,439 It doesn't mean that you're completely not taking the film seriously. 16 00:01:00,440 --> 00:01:03,799 Something happened to Highlander that actually made people 17 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:07,399 who'd actually seen it in the cinema and perhaps dismissed it, 18 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:09,479 suddenly want to reassess it 19 00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:12,399 because the cult was growing fairly steadily. 20 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:16,279 So how would you say Highlander lives up to its billing 21 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:18,440 as a true cult classic? 22 00:01:19,320 --> 00:01:23,999 I think a true cult film has to be... 23 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:27,319 they will never, ever, ever become truly mainstream, 24 00:01:27,320 --> 00:01:30,919 and they mustn't because they must be loved by those who love it. 25 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:33,399 This thing we love, this thing that is ours, 26 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:36,119 that we cherish and nurture, 27 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:39,239 and we will pass it very carefully on to select people 28 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:41,319 but we can't let everybody into this. 29 00:01:41,320 --> 00:01:42,919 It needs to have its secrecy. 30 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:46,319 The plot tumbles back and forth in time, 31 00:01:46,320 --> 00:01:50,159 from contemporary New York, to 16th-century Scotland. 32 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:53,679 The tale of deathless warriors who must fight one another 33 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:57,840 until only one remains to receive a magical gift from the universe. 34 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:02,079 There is only one way these living gods can perish - 35 00:02:02,080 --> 00:02:03,839 by losing their head. 36 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:05,039 Now! 37 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:07,000 Get out! No! 38 00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:10,999 Help! Help! 39 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:12,400 Help! 40 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:16,319 Help! 41 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:17,999 Help me, I'm drowning! 42 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:20,920 You can't drown, you fool! You're immortal! 43 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:26,279 I'm drowning! 44 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:55,679 You cannot die, MacLeod. 45 00:02:55,680 --> 00:02:56,839 Accept it. 46 00:03:01,640 --> 00:03:03,959 I hate you. Good. 47 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:06,080 That is a perfect way to start. 48 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:11,079 The enigmatic French actor Christopher Lambert 49 00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:13,039 stars as Connor MacLeod, 50 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:16,599 the Highland clansman who learns he will never grow old, 51 00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:20,239 while an ebullient Sean Connery almost steals the show 52 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:22,519 as his mentor Ramirez. 53 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:25,759 Few films can boast a Frenchman playing a Scot, 54 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:29,559 and a Scot playing a Spaniard who is actually an ancient Egyptian. 55 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:32,879 The following around Highlander, which came out in 1986, 56 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:35,559 has only grown over the decades. 57 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:38,679 It was one of the early VHS sensations 58 00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:41,919 and has kind of gained this cult status 59 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:45,239 where people rewatch the movie again and again, 60 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:48,319 they quote it at length, they know all the dialogue. 61 00:03:48,320 --> 00:03:50,439 And you know, I think there's like a sense 62 00:03:50,440 --> 00:03:52,559 of older people who are fans of it 63 00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:54,839 then introducing it to a younger generation, like, 64 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:56,999 "You've never seen Highlander? It's so much fun." 65 00:03:57,000 --> 00:03:59,319 I remember it at the time when it came out, 66 00:03:59,320 --> 00:04:01,159 and it got very badly reviewed. 67 00:04:01,160 --> 00:04:03,519 I probably reviewed it not very well myself, 68 00:04:03,520 --> 00:04:06,959 but at the same time, there are elements in it 69 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:09,519 that are very praiseworthy, you know, 70 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:11,199 and it has great people in it. 71 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:15,279 It just didn't seem to sort of come together as a film. 72 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:17,719 However, over a period of time, 73 00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:22,439 people have basically started to see different things in it. 74 00:04:22,440 --> 00:04:24,799 They have been viewing it with different eyes, 75 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:30,079 to the point where it has become a very successful cult movie 76 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:33,040 and in fact, changed people's minds. 77 00:04:33,760 --> 00:04:37,039 Add to the exotic mix... hyperactive action, 78 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:40,319 a set of songs by the ever-enthusiastic Queen, 79 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:44,759 and Clancy Brown playing an ice-cold Barbarian known as The Kurgan, 80 00:04:44,760 --> 00:04:47,279 whose blade is almost as tall as he is. 81 00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:01,720 At last... the gathering. 82 00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:08,719 Hi. I'm Candy. 83 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:14,280 Of course you are. 84 00:05:15,960 --> 00:05:17,679 For better or for worse, 85 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:22,039 the myth of the Highlander is never really fully explored in the film. 86 00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:25,279 This is a film which has heard of the concept of exposition, 87 00:05:25,280 --> 00:05:27,399 but decided to abandon it completely. 88 00:05:27,400 --> 00:05:30,559 There is no... We're not told why these immortals exist, 89 00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:33,239 and we're not told why they're fighting for this prize. 90 00:05:33,240 --> 00:05:36,879 What we do is we accept this concept as just being there. 91 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:39,199 It's a little bit, if you like... 92 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:41,519 fairies, you know, running alongside us. 93 00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:44,479 This community of people who live amongst human beings 94 00:05:44,480 --> 00:05:46,039 and aren't of them. 95 00:05:46,040 --> 00:05:48,919 And the final goal is really 96 00:05:48,920 --> 00:05:51,519 the fate of humanity is in the balance. 97 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:54,759 These people are fighting. There is a good side and a bad side. 98 00:05:54,760 --> 00:05:57,039 If the bad side win the prize, 99 00:05:57,040 --> 00:05:59,039 then we will fall under the dominion 100 00:05:59,040 --> 00:06:03,479 of this absolutely just outrageous character called The Kurgan, 101 00:06:03,480 --> 00:06:05,319 who is just terrifying, 102 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:07,199 or we could fall under the aegis 103 00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:10,679 of the decent, strangely-accented Highlander. 104 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:12,119 And that's sort of... 105 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:14,999 They are fighting for our souls, but we don't know that. 106 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:17,559 This is a blockbuster fuelled by anachronism. 107 00:06:17,560 --> 00:06:21,559 Where else would you see a duel to the death in a Manhattan car park? 108 00:06:36,600 --> 00:06:39,759 It's a film about a man who is ostensibly an antiques dealer 109 00:06:39,760 --> 00:06:41,239 living in '80s New York, 110 00:06:41,240 --> 00:06:43,359 who we learn, through a series of flashbacks, 111 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:45,919 that his real identity is that he is a warrior 112 00:06:45,920 --> 00:06:50,879 who is set on a mission to fight other immortal warriors 113 00:06:50,880 --> 00:06:54,199 and to sort of battle for the future of the Earth. 114 00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:57,919 There is going to be a time at some stage in the future, 115 00:06:57,920 --> 00:07:03,359 according to the mythology of their kind, 116 00:07:03,360 --> 00:07:07,999 that they will have to reduce their numbers down to one. 117 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:12,079 That one will be the sort of master of the universe. 118 00:07:12,080 --> 00:07:15,199 But in order to do so, they have to, over the centuries, 119 00:07:15,200 --> 00:07:17,879 basically eliminate their competitors. 120 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:21,999 It's almost in the nature of a kind of mythical game. 121 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:23,879 And it has, of course, you know, 122 00:07:23,880 --> 00:07:28,079 certain undertones of seeking nirvana. 123 00:07:28,080 --> 00:07:30,919 I mean, you know, once you're down to one, it becomes, 124 00:07:30,920 --> 00:07:34,239 and you are all knowing, whenever you kill an opponent - 125 00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:37,799 and the only way to do that is to decapitate them - 126 00:07:37,800 --> 00:07:40,479 you absorb their power 127 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:44,079 through something which is kind of lightning that comes out... 128 00:07:44,080 --> 00:07:47,319 It's almost like the soul of the person who's dead pours into them, 129 00:07:47,320 --> 00:07:50,440 which increases the power of the victor. 130 00:07:55,440 --> 00:08:00,239 The concept of Highlander is, there is a young Scottish... 131 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:02,039 well, he's not quite a warrior, 132 00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:04,119 because the clans don't go to war full time, 133 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:05,919 but he's about to go into his first battle. 134 00:08:05,920 --> 00:08:10,599 And this is 16th-century Scotland? 16th-century Scotland. Kilts and claymores and so forth. 135 00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:13,279 And he's marching out of the castle with his clan, 136 00:08:13,280 --> 00:08:15,879 off to the first battle, and they're asking if he's scared. 137 00:08:15,880 --> 00:08:18,519 He goes into battle and no-one will fight him, 138 00:08:18,520 --> 00:08:21,199 and he can't work out why this is until he discovers 139 00:08:21,200 --> 00:08:23,239 that there is a knight who is after just him. 140 00:08:23,240 --> 00:08:26,039 This turns out to be the baddie of the piece. 141 00:08:26,040 --> 00:08:27,559 The Kurgan. Yes. 142 00:08:27,560 --> 00:08:29,359 And the... 143 00:08:29,360 --> 00:08:32,199 So when he's stabbed, but not beheaded - 144 00:08:32,200 --> 00:08:34,999 and this is the critical part about the Highlander - 145 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:37,439 the immortal characters in Highlander, 146 00:08:37,440 --> 00:08:40,679 have to be beheaded to die, otherwise they cannot die. 147 00:08:40,680 --> 00:08:43,839 So he is stabbed but not beheaded, gets better, 148 00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:46,519 and everyone in the town says, "This is a bit spooky, you're"- 149 00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:48,679 The devil's work. Clearly the devil's work. 150 00:08:48,680 --> 00:08:50,519 And they hurled him out of town. 151 00:08:50,520 --> 00:08:53,839 And he is then visited by Sean Connery, 152 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:57,319 who plays a Spaniard who's really Egyptian, 153 00:08:57,320 --> 00:08:58,919 who then educates him. 154 00:08:58,920 --> 00:09:00,799 And what he says is all across this world 155 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:03,239 there are immortals just like you and me, 156 00:09:03,240 --> 00:09:06,159 who have to wander the world fighting each other, 157 00:09:06,160 --> 00:09:07,959 cutting off each other's heads, 158 00:09:07,960 --> 00:09:11,159 until there comes a time, the end, 159 00:09:11,160 --> 00:09:14,639 and then we gather together at an unspecified location 160 00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:16,159 and there will be only one. 161 00:09:16,160 --> 00:09:17,639 Only one of us will survive 162 00:09:17,640 --> 00:09:20,319 and that will be the determining point in this story. 163 00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:22,879 Directed by the Australian, Russell Mulcahy, 164 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:26,639 it is a film of contrasting locations and contrasting styles. 165 00:09:26,640 --> 00:09:30,839 New York is enveloped in a neo-noir cool. 166 00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:33,559 The breathtaking Scottish mountains and lochs 167 00:09:33,560 --> 00:09:36,439 are resonant with historical realism. 168 00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:39,999 The film pulls together motifs and myths 169 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:44,959 from King Arthur to Count Dracula, from Jung to Bladerunner, 170 00:09:44,960 --> 00:09:49,039 while beneath the dashing surface, it ponders life and loss. 171 00:09:49,040 --> 00:09:50,839 Who wants to live forever? 172 00:09:50,840 --> 00:09:53,839 Highlander has become its own metaphor, 173 00:09:53,840 --> 00:09:57,040 the striking adventure story that will never die. 174 00:10:00,680 --> 00:10:04,479 There is one called Connor among them. 175 00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:06,080 Aye. 176 00:10:10,880 --> 00:10:12,880 Remember our agreement, Murdoch. 177 00:10:14,440 --> 00:10:16,320 The boy is mine. 178 00:10:17,120 --> 00:10:19,079 It's begun. 179 00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:21,599 Death to the MacLeods! 180 00:10:31,960 --> 00:10:34,800 Fight me, damn you! 181 00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:47,120 Connor! No! 182 00:10:48,680 --> 00:10:50,119 Come on! Quick! 183 00:10:50,120 --> 00:10:51,920 There can be only one. 184 00:10:54,760 --> 00:10:56,879 Another time, MacLeod! 185 00:11:02,760 --> 00:11:06,319 It all started when a former firefighter from California 186 00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:07,839 named Gregory Widen 187 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:11,159 took a tour of the Royal Armouries in the Tower Of London. 188 00:11:11,160 --> 00:11:13,039 He imagined what it would have been like 189 00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:14,799 to have owned all these weapons 190 00:11:14,800 --> 00:11:18,239 and somehow to still be alive to tell the stories. 191 00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:21,839 Those daydreams took shape in a class assignment 192 00:11:21,840 --> 00:11:24,759 while on a screenwriting programme at UCLA. 193 00:11:24,760 --> 00:11:28,039 It was not always as easy as it is today. 194 00:11:28,040 --> 00:11:31,639 Sometimes in our modern journey, we see a reminder of a past 195 00:11:31,640 --> 00:11:35,720 when it took many days or sometimes weeks to cross this countryside. 196 00:11:36,440 --> 00:11:38,159 This is the old road, 197 00:11:38,160 --> 00:11:40,879 which was built in an attempt to pacify the Highlands 198 00:11:40,880 --> 00:11:44,400 by General Wade after the rising of 1715. 199 00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:48,679 Today a new road capable of carrying 200 00:11:48,680 --> 00:11:52,039 tens of thousands of buses and motorcars a year, 201 00:11:52,040 --> 00:11:54,959 leaps and stretches across the moor of Rannoch 202 00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:59,120 and into the dark defile of Glencoe, the glen of weeping. 203 00:12:00,320 --> 00:12:03,959 Beside it, and like a ghost from the past, 204 00:12:03,960 --> 00:12:08,239 the old road meanders and turns its ancient way. 205 00:12:08,240 --> 00:12:10,079 This is about myths, isn't it? Yeah. 206 00:12:10,080 --> 00:12:12,159 They're playing around with big concepts. 207 00:12:12,160 --> 00:12:14,999 King Arthur, Count Dracula, you know, the major myths. 208 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:19,639 Yes, absolutely. These warriors that are fighting great fights. 209 00:12:19,640 --> 00:12:23,039 I mean, there are the concepts of the swords that they all have, 210 00:12:23,040 --> 00:12:24,759 the sword that's passed on - 211 00:12:24,760 --> 00:12:27,319 Sean Connery's amazing Japanese Samurai sword, 212 00:12:27,320 --> 00:12:30,519 which then MacLeod takes on after Sean Connery's character dies. 213 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:33,639 These sort of... almost Excalibur-style swords 214 00:12:33,640 --> 00:12:35,479 that they're carrying around, 215 00:12:35,480 --> 00:12:39,079 it's very, very epic in its backroom conceit, 216 00:12:39,080 --> 00:12:43,919 even though the scenes and the moments are actually oddly domestic 217 00:12:43,920 --> 00:12:45,919 and oddly incredibly normal, incredibly... 218 00:12:45,920 --> 00:12:48,799 well hyper-real perhaps, in certain scenarios. 219 00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:52,479 But when we're dealing with the day to day life of people, very real. 220 00:12:52,480 --> 00:12:55,159 And then just all around it there are these quite insane 221 00:12:55,160 --> 00:12:59,160 spark-filled clashes between these warriors with mighty swords. 222 00:13:04,120 --> 00:13:06,199 The sword, the sword. 223 00:13:16,120 --> 00:13:18,439 Known at first as Shadow Clan, 224 00:13:18,440 --> 00:13:22,799 a key inspiration was Ridley Scott's gorgeous Joseph Conrad adaptation, 225 00:13:22,800 --> 00:13:25,719 The Duellists, about two Napoleonic soldiers 226 00:13:25,720 --> 00:13:28,999 trapped in a series of ever-escalating duels. 227 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:31,359 Widen had also read Joseph Campbell's 228 00:13:31,360 --> 00:13:34,039 seminal study of mythical archetypes, 229 00:13:34,040 --> 00:13:36,599 The Hero With A Thousand Faces. 230 00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:38,639 Renaming his script Highlander, 231 00:13:38,640 --> 00:13:40,319 agents began to take notice. 232 00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:44,359 In '80s Hollywood, fantasy with a twist was bankable. 233 00:13:44,360 --> 00:13:47,359 So Gregory Widen was actually a student at UCLA 234 00:13:47,360 --> 00:13:49,079 when he was working on the screenplay 235 00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:50,679 for what would become Highlander. 236 00:13:50,680 --> 00:13:53,799 And partly he was inspired by a trip to the Tower Of London, 237 00:13:53,800 --> 00:13:58,119 where he was on a tour and he was looking at all the medieval armour and swords and so forth, 238 00:13:58,120 --> 00:14:00,159 and he wondered what would it be like 239 00:14:00,160 --> 00:14:03,359 if there was simply one person who owned all of these different items 240 00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:06,639 and had worn them all throughout these various periods of history, 241 00:14:06,640 --> 00:14:09,679 a sort of a time traveller, who was then taking someone through 242 00:14:09,680 --> 00:14:12,039 as though it was his personal wardrobe and saying, 243 00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:16,599 "These are all the different times and situations I wore this armour in." 244 00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:19,919 And so that was a big part of his inspiration for Highlander, 245 00:14:19,920 --> 00:14:23,279 along with the film - the first film of Ridley Scott - The Duellists, 246 00:14:23,280 --> 00:14:26,199 which also features two characters who are kind of locked in 247 00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:28,559 a lifelong battle duelling one another. 248 00:14:28,560 --> 00:14:30,999 So he presented this to his professor 249 00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:34,399 and his professor said, "You should sell this screenplay. 250 00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:35,959 It deserves an agent." 251 00:14:35,960 --> 00:14:38,079 And he went on and did so. 252 00:14:38,080 --> 00:14:40,119 He had also taken a trip to Scotland 253 00:14:40,120 --> 00:14:42,879 and was very impressed with the Scottish Highlands. 254 00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:45,879 There's a wonderful scale on the Highlands 255 00:14:45,880 --> 00:14:48,159 and that sort of stuck in his mind. 256 00:14:48,160 --> 00:14:52,599 And all these things sort of came together in his head. 257 00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:55,199 I think he said, "What would happen, you know, 258 00:14:55,200 --> 00:14:57,279 if you had someone in a suit of armour 259 00:14:57,280 --> 00:15:01,679 who actually sort of had to live in that, you know, create... 260 00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:04,639 "What would happen if they went across time in that?" 261 00:15:04,640 --> 00:15:09,639 And he created the idea of an immortal, 262 00:15:09,640 --> 00:15:11,599 or a race of immortals. 263 00:15:11,600 --> 00:15:15,919 The film also has a very unusual, almost anachronistic structure 264 00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:18,799 and it makes a benefit of it because it's set in two... 265 00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:22,119 or along two timelines. A number of timelines, yeah. 266 00:15:22,120 --> 00:15:24,279 But principally contemporary New York, 267 00:15:24,280 --> 00:15:27,199 and the 16th-century story you've been talking about, 268 00:15:27,200 --> 00:15:28,679 the back story of MacLeod. 269 00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:30,999 How do those two timelines kind of relate? 270 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:34,799 I mean I suppose the back story in the Highland era 271 00:15:34,800 --> 00:15:37,079 sets up the tragedy of the film, 272 00:15:37,080 --> 00:15:40,559 which is that if you are immortal and born to live forever, 273 00:15:40,560 --> 00:15:43,239 then you will lose everyone who you love. 274 00:15:43,240 --> 00:15:47,039 And so we see him discover that he's immortal, train, 275 00:15:47,040 --> 00:15:49,079 but lose Sean Connery, 276 00:15:49,080 --> 00:15:51,359 and then the woman he falls in love with, 277 00:15:51,360 --> 00:15:54,279 who gradually grows old and dies. 278 00:15:54,280 --> 00:15:57,799 And they have this very, very sad final sequence 279 00:15:57,800 --> 00:16:00,719 where he says, you know... She doesn't want him to see her die, 280 00:16:00,720 --> 00:16:03,079 she wants him to light a candle on her birthday every year, 281 00:16:03,080 --> 00:16:04,319 and he promises he will. 282 00:16:04,320 --> 00:16:07,959 But that sort of ends off this... bites off that story. 283 00:16:07,960 --> 00:16:10,999 Then, in New York, we see the burgeoning of a romance. 284 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:12,879 The love of a woman, I suppose, 285 00:16:12,880 --> 00:16:15,079 is the two kind of contrasting themes. 286 00:16:15,080 --> 00:16:18,119 One love which is doomed and one love which is the purpose 287 00:16:18,120 --> 00:16:22,199 that will in fact give him a meaning and a reason to fight. 288 00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:24,439 Because otherwise, really, 289 00:16:24,440 --> 00:16:27,999 if you do win - we discover at the end - 290 00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:30,039 you are finally given the power of fertility, 291 00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:31,799 which means that you can have children. 292 00:16:31,800 --> 00:16:34,679 But of course, if you don't have... if you're entirely single, 293 00:16:34,680 --> 00:16:36,679 then it's a fairly wasted gift because... 294 00:16:36,680 --> 00:16:40,279 So he has this love affair, which develops in contemporary New York. 295 00:16:40,280 --> 00:16:42,519 So they sort of... they run parallel 296 00:16:42,520 --> 00:16:45,599 but in opposite directions in terms of that love. 297 00:16:45,600 --> 00:16:48,039 By the time we get to New York, he's very skilled, 298 00:16:48,040 --> 00:16:50,119 he's very knowing, he's very world-weary, 299 00:16:50,120 --> 00:16:52,599 and there are a couple of very rapid - 300 00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:56,439 and quite funny in one case, quite dark in another case - 301 00:16:56,440 --> 00:16:58,119 flashbacks to other periods. 302 00:16:58,120 --> 00:17:01,159 We see him fight a duel in 16th century France, 303 00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:02,679 where he's drunk, 304 00:17:02,680 --> 00:17:05,759 and the guy who he's fighting keeps stabbing him 305 00:17:05,760 --> 00:17:08,279 and he keeps falling over and he keeps getting up 306 00:17:08,280 --> 00:17:10,039 and going back into the combat. 307 00:17:10,040 --> 00:17:12,199 And another time he's in the Second World War 308 00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:14,519 and he finds a young girl hiding from the Nazis. 309 00:17:14,520 --> 00:17:19,279 And so, you know, he sort of dots around the history of combat really. 310 00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:22,279 He's always fighting, always involved in combat. 311 00:17:22,280 --> 00:17:24,719 We never see him chilling by the pool. 312 00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:28,439 Backed by Thorn EMI, the script gained emotional depth 313 00:17:28,440 --> 00:17:32,079 through the input of writers Larry Ferguson and Peter Bellwood. 314 00:17:32,080 --> 00:17:34,719 The character of Ramirez became crucial, 315 00:17:34,720 --> 00:17:38,119 mentoring Connor MacLeod in the ways of the immortals. 316 00:17:38,120 --> 00:17:40,479 The idea of the gathering was added, 317 00:17:40,480 --> 00:17:43,599 a final showdown destined to happen in New York. 318 00:17:43,600 --> 00:17:45,559 So when Thorn EMI got involved 319 00:17:45,560 --> 00:17:47,999 and it was clear that the film was going to be made, 320 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:50,079 Widen was asked to sort of collaborate 321 00:17:50,080 --> 00:17:53,079 and change the concept a bit with other screenwriters 322 00:17:53,080 --> 00:17:56,679 because, frankly, it was already a very ambitious project 323 00:17:56,680 --> 00:18:00,159 with a big scope, big historical settings, a lot of extras. 324 00:18:00,160 --> 00:18:03,039 And he was interested in it from an historical perspective, 325 00:18:03,040 --> 00:18:05,559 where he wanted to give it a real kind of sense 326 00:18:05,560 --> 00:18:09,399 of crunchy, dark reality, and back history for these characters. 327 00:18:09,400 --> 00:18:11,719 And ultimately, some of that kind of had to go 328 00:18:11,720 --> 00:18:15,199 because the film is an action movie, a fantasy movie, 329 00:18:15,200 --> 00:18:18,439 and it is sort of a good versus evil narrative in many ways. 330 00:18:18,440 --> 00:18:22,759 So some of the complexity, I think, probably went by the wayside. 331 00:18:22,760 --> 00:18:26,799 Thorn EMI had put up the money for the film, 332 00:18:26,800 --> 00:18:29,639 and then got Larry Ferguson 333 00:18:29,640 --> 00:18:32,959 and Peter Bellwood, as writers, on board, 334 00:18:32,960 --> 00:18:35,359 to basically shape the script, 335 00:18:35,360 --> 00:18:37,679 which was, you know, in an interesting form, 336 00:18:37,680 --> 00:18:40,159 but needed to sort of be fine-tuned 337 00:18:40,160 --> 00:18:43,719 into an actually working script, shooting script. 338 00:18:43,720 --> 00:18:47,399 So, between the three of them, including Widen, 339 00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:49,279 they hammered it out. 340 00:18:49,280 --> 00:18:53,079 A lot of the things from Widen's original script went. 341 00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:56,439 His original script was much darker, much more violent. 342 00:18:56,440 --> 00:18:59,239 I mean it was a pretty gloomy prospect, 343 00:18:59,240 --> 00:19:00,999 according to everybody else. 344 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:04,919 And they injected... They toned it down. 345 00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:06,959 They brought in female characters - 346 00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:09,439 Hannah wasn't in the original screenplay - 347 00:19:09,440 --> 00:19:12,119 and basically made it more sort of, I suppose, 348 00:19:12,120 --> 00:19:14,319 palatable, audience-friendly, more... 349 00:19:14,320 --> 00:19:17,919 something that would actually make a film that, you know, 350 00:19:17,920 --> 00:19:19,839 might be considered commercial. 351 00:19:19,840 --> 00:19:22,759 The producers decided that Highlander needed a director 352 00:19:22,760 --> 00:19:25,119 who could boldly mythologise reality. 353 00:19:25,120 --> 00:19:28,079 While inspired by Ken Russell and Fellini, 354 00:19:28,080 --> 00:19:32,080 Mulcahy had gained a reputation for his stylised music videos on MTV... 355 00:19:32,920 --> 00:19:37,439 ...a realm infused with the retro futuristic palate of Ridley Scott. 356 00:19:37,440 --> 00:19:40,679 Mulcahy was responsible for the iconic imagery 357 00:19:40,680 --> 00:19:42,439 of Ultravox's Vienna, 358 00:19:42,440 --> 00:19:45,199 and Bonnie Tyler's Holding Out For A Hero, 359 00:19:45,200 --> 00:19:47,439 and had stepped up into feature films 360 00:19:47,440 --> 00:19:49,440 with giant boar horror Razorback. 361 00:19:50,320 --> 00:19:53,559 So Russell Mulcahy was perfectly placed to make a film 362 00:19:53,560 --> 00:19:57,079 so synonymous with 1980's kind of pop culture 363 00:19:57,080 --> 00:20:01,879 because he was in on the ground floor at MTV and the rise of MTV. 364 00:20:01,880 --> 00:20:05,359 He was a music video director who had worked with Elton John 365 00:20:05,360 --> 00:20:07,919 and Duran Duran, and countless other... 366 00:20:07,920 --> 00:20:10,959 sort of heavy-hitters in the music industry at that time. 367 00:20:10,960 --> 00:20:15,719 And he adapted that style to his filmmaking. 368 00:20:15,720 --> 00:20:18,399 He made films that were quickly edited, 369 00:20:18,400 --> 00:20:22,199 that had a lot of kind of visual information in each moment, 370 00:20:22,200 --> 00:20:24,879 that were often about imagery and about look 371 00:20:24,880 --> 00:20:27,239 as much as they were about content. 372 00:20:27,240 --> 00:20:28,759 And it spoke to people. 373 00:20:28,760 --> 00:20:30,559 People were interested in seeing that 374 00:20:30,560 --> 00:20:32,999 because they were becoming acclimated to MTV culture. 375 00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:37,159 The search for the ideal Connor MacLeod had led to Kurt Russell... 376 00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:40,519 but myth has Goldie Hawn talking him out of it. 377 00:20:40,520 --> 00:20:43,399 Then Mulcahy saw a picture of Christopher Lambert 378 00:20:43,400 --> 00:20:47,319 as the hero of revisionist Tarzan epic Greystoke. 379 00:20:47,320 --> 00:20:50,919 The director claimed that these were the eyes of an immortal. 380 00:20:50,920 --> 00:20:55,639 Lambert's quirky intensity in Luc Besson's thriller Subway, 381 00:20:55,640 --> 00:20:57,399 added to his appeal. 382 00:20:57,400 --> 00:21:01,520 He was both heroic and not exactly of this world. 383 00:21:39,440 --> 00:21:41,000 Whoa! 384 00:21:45,840 --> 00:21:47,320 Greetings. 385 00:21:48,560 --> 00:21:52,039 I am Juan Sanchez-Villalobos Ramirez, 386 00:21:52,040 --> 00:21:54,959 chief metallurgist to King Charles V of Spain, 387 00:21:54,960 --> 00:21:57,240 and I'm at your service. 388 00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:06,199 Tonight, he's due to be made a Freeman of the city, 389 00:22:06,200 --> 00:22:09,439 joining distinguished ranks that have included Winston Churchill, 390 00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:11,719 but excluded the Prince of Wales. 391 00:22:11,720 --> 00:22:14,679 Every time I come back, I always get a terrific charge 392 00:22:14,680 --> 00:22:17,679 coming back to Scotland, and... 393 00:22:17,680 --> 00:22:21,759 But the reality is that as long as I am still enthusiastic 394 00:22:21,760 --> 00:22:26,759 about what I do in work... I don't live anywhere, really. 395 00:22:26,760 --> 00:22:31,039 The mature Sean Connery was cast as much for his mythological heft 396 00:22:31,040 --> 00:22:33,439 as his fit for the character. 397 00:22:33,440 --> 00:22:35,639 He was already immortal. 398 00:22:35,640 --> 00:22:40,879 The droll Ramirez might be a 2,437-year-old Egyptian, 399 00:22:40,880 --> 00:22:42,599 by way of Spain, 400 00:22:42,600 --> 00:22:46,199 but here was the former 007 with a van Dyck beard 401 00:22:46,200 --> 00:22:49,759 and a lightness of touch, for which he is rarely given credit. 402 00:22:49,760 --> 00:22:53,479 So Sean Connery was a great get for the filmmakers of Highlander, 403 00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:56,359 and was, by all accounts, only on set for seven days, 404 00:22:56,360 --> 00:22:59,079 and that was for a million pounds. 405 00:22:59,080 --> 00:23:01,999 But he brings such a lot to this film. 406 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:04,639 It's kind of like the key scenes in the film 407 00:23:04,640 --> 00:23:08,279 in which our hero learns his destiny 408 00:23:08,280 --> 00:23:11,039 and becomes equipped to fight for his destiny 409 00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:13,959 because he's been trained in sword fighting and so forth 410 00:23:13,960 --> 00:23:15,599 by this mentor character. 411 00:23:15,600 --> 00:23:21,679 And he's having a bit of a laugh with his accent and his costuming 412 00:23:21,680 --> 00:23:23,879 and it's all very flamboyant 413 00:23:23,880 --> 00:23:28,079 and all very kind of maximalist and very high 1980s style. 414 00:23:28,080 --> 00:23:31,479 But it's also kind of... it's quite a lovely role. 415 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:35,239 Like, he's this paternal presence 416 00:23:35,240 --> 00:23:40,720 and the loss of his character is another huge part of the tension. 417 00:23:41,520 --> 00:23:44,399 And the one who, in a sense, brings the fun 418 00:23:44,400 --> 00:23:47,519 and brings a sense of entertainment and says, "This is nonsense 419 00:23:47,520 --> 00:23:50,319 but you've got to kind of live up to it," is Sean Connery. 420 00:23:50,320 --> 00:23:52,519 It's one of his most pleasurable roles, isn't it? 421 00:23:52,520 --> 00:23:55,199 For me - and I know this is a controversial statement - 422 00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:57,559 this is my favourite Sean Connery role. 423 00:23:57,560 --> 00:23:59,599 I just... I think he is superb in this. 424 00:23:59,600 --> 00:24:01,399 He doesn't... In his career, 425 00:24:01,400 --> 00:24:05,359 Sean Connery does not play light comedy, really, as a rule. 426 00:24:05,360 --> 00:24:08,079 He doesn't play mischievous and impish as a rule. 427 00:24:08,080 --> 00:24:10,519 He plays hard and dark, you know. 428 00:24:10,520 --> 00:24:13,199 And so the idea of him in eyeliner, 429 00:24:13,200 --> 00:24:15,759 running barefoot across a Scottish beach, 430 00:24:15,760 --> 00:24:19,239 whooping and cheering and having clearly the time of his life, 431 00:24:19,240 --> 00:24:21,439 it's an absolute joy. 432 00:24:21,440 --> 00:24:23,319 He's smiling throughout the film. 433 00:24:23,320 --> 00:24:25,839 Sean Connery doesn't smile enough in his career. 434 00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:28,479 When he smiles in this film, he's so charming. 435 00:24:28,480 --> 00:24:30,279 And he lifts the film. 436 00:24:30,280 --> 00:24:32,879 I mean, this absolutely effervescent character. 437 00:24:32,880 --> 00:24:35,119 Now this is Sean Connery who has been 438 00:24:35,120 --> 00:24:38,519 out of Scotland for a long time, invited back into Scotland to shoot. 439 00:24:38,520 --> 00:24:41,999 He's only in the film for... They've got seven days to shoot 440 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:44,679 and they're gonna pay him a million pounds for seven days. 441 00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:46,639 He's clearly having a good time with that. 442 00:24:46,640 --> 00:24:50,639 The crew, legendarily, would turn up to work with whisky 443 00:24:50,640 --> 00:24:53,879 and they would, you know, hand it out during filming. 444 00:24:53,880 --> 00:24:56,999 So it is possible that he was a little tipsy in some scenes. 445 00:24:57,000 --> 00:24:59,719 And it just looks like an enormous ball of fun 446 00:24:59,720 --> 00:25:02,519 that they're all having, particularly in the Scottish scenes, 447 00:25:02,520 --> 00:25:06,359 when Sean Connery is sort of lifting up the whole vibe of it. 448 00:25:06,360 --> 00:25:10,599 And he kind of picks up the swash and the buckle of the film. 449 00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:14,479 There's a way in which this film could be quite Terminator-y, 450 00:25:14,480 --> 00:25:16,799 which it does have those elements to it, 451 00:25:16,800 --> 00:25:19,279 but what Sean Connery adds is the Errol Flynn 452 00:25:19,280 --> 00:25:21,359 and he adds the Inigo Montoya. 453 00:25:21,360 --> 00:25:25,399 He's got that kind of charm and suave and debonair 454 00:25:25,400 --> 00:25:27,199 that I think the film really needs 455 00:25:27,200 --> 00:25:30,079 otherwise it becomes a bit mechanistic in its destruction. 456 00:25:30,080 --> 00:25:32,000 Get out! What's wrong? 457 00:25:37,760 --> 00:25:40,079 Get out! 458 00:25:42,040 --> 00:25:43,320 Kurgan! 459 00:25:44,840 --> 00:25:46,320 Ramirez. 460 00:25:47,480 --> 00:25:50,159 An approach had been made to Arnold Schwarzenegger 461 00:25:50,160 --> 00:25:52,239 for sadistic immortal, the Kurgan, 462 00:25:52,240 --> 00:25:54,759 but he was getting out of the villain business. 463 00:25:54,760 --> 00:25:57,879 Sting, of all people, recommended Clancy Brown. 464 00:25:57,880 --> 00:26:02,119 The singer had played opposite the Ohio-born actor's monster 465 00:26:02,120 --> 00:26:04,759 in Frankenstein adaptation, The Bride. 466 00:26:04,760 --> 00:26:08,279 As with Connery, Brown adds a dose of irony 467 00:26:08,280 --> 00:26:10,879 to Highlander's potentially deadpan conceit. 468 00:26:10,880 --> 00:26:13,799 It's very important in a movie like Highlander, 469 00:26:13,800 --> 00:26:16,279 where the stakes are very good-versus-evil, 470 00:26:16,280 --> 00:26:19,559 that the villain is scary and fun to watch 471 00:26:19,560 --> 00:26:21,879 and that we believe that he is, you know, 472 00:26:21,880 --> 00:26:23,719 this kind of cackling psycho. 473 00:26:23,720 --> 00:26:26,119 And Clancy Brown brings that. 474 00:26:26,120 --> 00:26:29,119 He brings a real sadism to this part. 475 00:26:29,120 --> 00:26:31,559 You know, you believe this person is a ruthless, 476 00:26:31,560 --> 00:26:34,439 ancient warrior who is dead set on power, 477 00:26:34,440 --> 00:26:37,439 and does not care who gets in his way, 478 00:26:37,440 --> 00:26:39,239 and will behead anybody. 479 00:26:39,240 --> 00:26:42,239 And, you know, there is not a lot of shading to that. 480 00:26:42,240 --> 00:26:43,999 And apparently Clancy Brown - 481 00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:46,319 and the original writer, Gregory Widen - 482 00:26:46,320 --> 00:26:50,119 both wanted a little bit more to the idea of the character. 483 00:26:50,120 --> 00:26:52,639 You know, they wanted more psychological complexity, 484 00:26:52,640 --> 00:26:55,159 they wanted it to be more about the darkness of a person 485 00:26:55,160 --> 00:26:58,279 who had lived across centuries being in this kind of, you know, 486 00:26:58,280 --> 00:26:59,879 within this kind of role, 487 00:26:59,880 --> 00:27:03,679 but ultimately, the character is, you know, 488 00:27:03,680 --> 00:27:08,079 I think, a fairly cartoonish depiction of evil. 489 00:27:08,080 --> 00:27:09,639 Still good fun though. 490 00:27:09,640 --> 00:27:13,199 Now I think there's something about Brown's performance also 491 00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:15,599 that he, rather like Connery, 492 00:27:15,600 --> 00:27:18,199 thinks, "I've got to send this stuff up a bit 493 00:27:18,200 --> 00:27:20,079 otherwise it's gonna become deadpan." 494 00:27:20,080 --> 00:27:23,639 You've got to give it a bit of - as you say - comic-book energy. 495 00:27:23,640 --> 00:27:28,039 Yes, he is... I mean, it's almost as if he's seen Terminator 496 00:27:28,040 --> 00:27:29,839 and he thinks, you know, 497 00:27:29,840 --> 00:27:32,959 "I've seen the moments that this film gets laughs, 498 00:27:32,960 --> 00:27:36,079 and it's when the Terminator does the odd funny line. 499 00:27:36,080 --> 00:27:38,879 I'm gonna push those funny lines." So he does. 500 00:27:38,880 --> 00:27:42,359 He checks into a deadbeat hotel in New York for the gathering, 501 00:27:42,360 --> 00:27:46,799 which... surely he's had time over the countless years to do some long-term investments, 502 00:27:46,800 --> 00:27:49,319 he could stay somewhere more expensive, but he doesn't. 503 00:27:49,320 --> 00:27:51,359 He chooses to stay in the deadbeat place. 504 00:27:51,360 --> 00:27:53,799 And he just generally throws people around. 505 00:27:53,800 --> 00:27:57,079 He really does enjoy being awful. 506 00:27:57,080 --> 00:28:01,639 And he's also helped a lot by the director, 507 00:28:01,640 --> 00:28:05,719 who just gives him these sequences where he's fighting in sparks. 508 00:28:05,720 --> 00:28:09,159 I mean, every time he fights, there's sparks all around him, 509 00:28:09,160 --> 00:28:13,240 so he's almost like a 1980s pop video version of a villain. 510 00:28:14,040 --> 00:28:16,159 And he really rises to that. 511 00:28:16,160 --> 00:28:19,479 And he's not taking it seriously in any way at all. 512 00:28:19,480 --> 00:28:21,279 He uses his tongue quite a lot, 513 00:28:21,280 --> 00:28:25,439 you know, in a kind of way to show his depravity. 514 00:28:25,440 --> 00:28:29,519 And I think that he's just incredibly dark, beautifully dark. 515 00:28:29,520 --> 00:28:33,080 It's as if Arnold Schwarzenegger was, as The Terminator, going... 516 00:28:34,440 --> 00:28:36,520 Oh, please, put it away! 517 00:28:37,240 --> 00:28:38,719 What do you want? 518 00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:40,879 Your head. 519 00:28:40,880 --> 00:28:42,800 And the prize. 520 00:28:43,520 --> 00:28:46,439 For a series of inventive transitions, 521 00:28:46,440 --> 00:28:48,399 the film flashes back from New York 522 00:28:48,400 --> 00:28:51,039 to tell MacLeod's origin story in Scotland. 523 00:28:51,040 --> 00:28:53,959 Filmed in the remains of Eilean Donan Castle 524 00:28:53,960 --> 00:28:55,799 in the Western Highlands, 525 00:28:55,800 --> 00:28:58,799 and such scenic treasures as Glencoe, 526 00:28:58,800 --> 00:29:03,119 the emphasis is on battle-torn authenticity. 527 00:29:03,120 --> 00:29:07,519 It is in the autumnal highlands that MacLeod meets Ramirez. 528 00:29:07,520 --> 00:29:10,159 Connery looks thrilled to be home, 529 00:29:10,160 --> 00:29:14,800 running barefoot on the chilly beach of Loch Duich, his grin a mile wide. 530 00:29:18,080 --> 00:29:21,639 Mulcahy consciously leaned into his MTV skill set 531 00:29:21,640 --> 00:29:26,919 for a New York all dry ice, neon and silhouettes. 532 00:29:26,920 --> 00:29:29,999 His cutting was faster and more expressionistic. 533 00:29:30,000 --> 00:29:32,279 Not only does the location change, 534 00:29:32,280 --> 00:29:36,079 but the genre - from epic to neo-noir - 535 00:29:36,080 --> 00:29:39,159 as the cops investigate a headless corpse 536 00:29:39,160 --> 00:29:43,079 and close in on an antiques dealer with a haunted look. 537 00:29:43,080 --> 00:29:48,079 It is as if the ageless hero now perceives reality as a dream. 538 00:29:48,080 --> 00:29:52,639 Mulcahy is very clever in the way he actually frames both eras - 539 00:29:52,640 --> 00:29:56,159 16th-century Scotland and 20th-century New York. 540 00:29:56,160 --> 00:29:58,719 He's very, very good at the contrast, 541 00:29:58,720 --> 00:30:01,039 but he's also very good at the similarities. 542 00:30:01,040 --> 00:30:05,479 And the first similarity is that in Scotland, 543 00:30:05,480 --> 00:30:09,679 which are of course huge vistas, huge vistas of the landscape, 544 00:30:09,680 --> 00:30:12,839 whatever, but it always seems to be covered in mist. 545 00:30:12,840 --> 00:30:15,919 There is always a mist going across the screen somehow or other. 546 00:30:15,920 --> 00:30:20,999 In the urban centres of New York in the 20th century, 547 00:30:21,000 --> 00:30:24,159 yes, it's more confined, everything is sort of covered - 548 00:30:24,160 --> 00:30:26,959 it's usually shot at night, most of those scenes - 549 00:30:26,960 --> 00:30:29,479 but there's a tremendous amount of steam 550 00:30:29,480 --> 00:30:31,439 that's all coming out of the vents. 551 00:30:31,440 --> 00:30:35,159 That steam and that mist is the common element. 552 00:30:35,160 --> 00:30:38,039 And it's something that he can easily sort of negotiate 553 00:30:38,040 --> 00:30:40,319 when he makes his extraordinary transitions. 554 00:31:10,080 --> 00:31:13,319 For the titanic sword fights, they were trained by the best - 555 00:31:13,320 --> 00:31:15,719 Bob Anderson, a former Olympic fencer. 556 00:31:15,720 --> 00:31:19,279 Anderson had staged lightsaber duels in Star Wars, 557 00:31:19,280 --> 00:31:22,039 and would choreograph flashing blades in everything 558 00:31:22,040 --> 00:31:24,599 from Barry Lyndon to the Lord Of The Rings. 559 00:31:24,600 --> 00:31:27,559 His perfectionism could drive directors mad, 560 00:31:27,560 --> 00:31:30,679 but the sword fights in Highlander were the whole point. 561 00:31:30,680 --> 00:31:35,639 They mix brute force and weird flares of special effects 562 00:31:35,640 --> 00:31:38,239 with the climactic showdown on the rooftop 563 00:31:38,240 --> 00:31:40,640 of the Silvercup Bakery in Queens. 564 00:31:41,560 --> 00:31:44,359 How important was the contribution of Bob Anderson, 565 00:31:44,360 --> 00:31:46,679 who was the sword-fight trainer? 566 00:31:46,680 --> 00:31:50,319 I mean Bob Anderson is... I think it's safe to say, 567 00:31:50,320 --> 00:31:52,559 the greatest sword-fight trainer in the history of Hollywood. 568 00:31:52,560 --> 00:31:55,479 Someone who had... I mean, he did the Princess Bride. 569 00:31:55,480 --> 00:31:58,359 He did the Lord Of The Rings films. He did Star Wars films. 570 00:31:58,360 --> 00:32:02,879 If you've seen a sword fight in the last what, 50-odd years, 571 00:32:02,880 --> 00:32:04,679 he will have choreographed it. 572 00:32:04,680 --> 00:32:07,959 And he choreographed these to the extreme. 573 00:32:07,960 --> 00:32:11,679 I mean this is... Possibly one of the Princess Bride fights 574 00:32:11,680 --> 00:32:14,159 is a little bit more extreme than that, but I don't think so. 575 00:32:14,160 --> 00:32:17,559 I think this is where he's just put every single one of his skills 576 00:32:17,560 --> 00:32:19,999 and just all the things that he wanted to play with. 577 00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:22,639 And he's so playful in this. 578 00:32:22,640 --> 00:32:26,719 I mean, he was a stickler, as a trainer, 579 00:32:26,720 --> 00:32:28,999 and frustrated a lot of directors 580 00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:32,079 because of the time he took over the fight choreography 581 00:32:32,080 --> 00:32:34,239 and the perfection he demanded. 582 00:32:34,240 --> 00:32:39,879 Lambert had been practising with the sword master, Bob Anderson, 583 00:32:39,880 --> 00:32:45,719 for four hours a day for weeks, in order to get the fights right. 584 00:32:45,720 --> 00:32:48,279 Connery arrived and of course thought he knew everything 585 00:32:48,280 --> 00:32:50,999 and said I don't need to practise, I know how to use a sword. 586 00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:55,279 And so in the first rehearsal of the first battle 587 00:32:55,280 --> 00:32:57,879 of the sword fight that they were going to have, 588 00:32:57,880 --> 00:33:00,759 Lambert nearly decapitated Connery 589 00:33:00,760 --> 00:33:03,759 cos he was... he couldn't defend himself properly. 590 00:33:03,760 --> 00:33:06,999 And Connery realised that he's gonna have to practise. 591 00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:10,079 I know all this because Russell Mulcahy told me it. 592 00:33:10,080 --> 00:33:14,839 And he said, you know, he went away and he practised and practised 593 00:33:14,840 --> 00:33:18,079 and practised at every available moment that he had 594 00:33:18,080 --> 00:33:20,519 in order to be able to not look a fool. 595 00:33:20,520 --> 00:33:25,439 He realised that he was being a little bit sort of blase about it, 596 00:33:25,440 --> 00:33:28,759 that this... whatever else you do in this film, 597 00:33:28,760 --> 00:33:31,559 you take the sword fighting seriously. 598 00:33:31,560 --> 00:33:35,559 I think that that gave Lambert... 599 00:33:35,560 --> 00:33:38,559 It gave Connery a huge respect for Lambert, 600 00:33:38,560 --> 00:33:42,600 and they became very firm friends during it. 601 00:33:43,840 --> 00:33:47,559 Amazingly enough, Connery also rather liked Russell Mulcahy 602 00:33:47,560 --> 00:33:50,239 because Connery doesn't waste time. 603 00:33:50,240 --> 00:33:53,719 He doesn't like to hang about and he doesn't like multiple takes. 604 00:33:53,720 --> 00:33:57,199 He had seven days for filming only 605 00:33:57,200 --> 00:33:59,879 and he made a bet with Russell Mulcahy 606 00:33:59,880 --> 00:34:04,839 that they would never get all his scenes done in that time. 607 00:34:04,840 --> 00:34:06,679 Mulcahy won that bet, 608 00:34:06,680 --> 00:34:10,519 and he won it because he knew how to work fast. 609 00:34:10,520 --> 00:34:14,959 He was very prepared, he never overshot. 610 00:34:14,960 --> 00:34:18,279 He knew... All he needed was the pieces of the jigsaw. 611 00:34:18,280 --> 00:34:20,479 The film would be made in the editing suite, 612 00:34:20,480 --> 00:34:25,240 but as long as he got what he wanted for that jigsaw, then he was happy. 613 00:34:59,160 --> 00:35:00,320 Yargh! 614 00:35:01,280 --> 00:35:02,799 Yargh! 615 00:35:18,520 --> 00:35:22,799 The film dwells on themes such as heroism, power, 616 00:35:22,800 --> 00:35:25,839 and mankind's eternal yearning for battle. 617 00:35:25,840 --> 00:35:28,879 But the heart of the story is the idea of immortality, 618 00:35:28,880 --> 00:35:30,959 and therefore mortality. 619 00:35:30,960 --> 00:35:33,119 In the vein of vampire films, 620 00:35:33,120 --> 00:35:37,679 the price of eternal life is seeing those you love grow old and die. 621 00:35:37,680 --> 00:35:42,879 Lambert captures the poignancy of a man who never chose to be a god. 622 00:35:42,880 --> 00:35:45,239 There is something of the Anne Rice, 623 00:35:45,240 --> 00:35:50,039 certainly if in no other way than in Christopher Lambert's hair. 624 00:35:50,040 --> 00:35:53,359 He's quite like a hunky Anne Rice type. 625 00:35:53,360 --> 00:35:55,479 You can imagine him playing a vampire. 626 00:35:55,480 --> 00:36:00,239 But the film, the concept, is very interested in the idea of - 627 00:36:00,240 --> 00:36:03,479 in a quite like a high concept fantasy way - 628 00:36:03,480 --> 00:36:06,439 age and loss and death. 629 00:36:06,440 --> 00:36:10,279 And so immortality fundamentally might seem like quite a silly thing 630 00:36:10,280 --> 00:36:11,959 to have as a plot point in a film, 631 00:36:11,960 --> 00:36:15,199 but when you're dealing in these kind of metaphorical genres, 632 00:36:15,200 --> 00:36:16,639 like horror with vampires 633 00:36:16,640 --> 00:36:19,119 or this kind of fantasy thing with Highlander, 634 00:36:19,120 --> 00:36:22,239 you're also using it to talk about the sadness of loss, 635 00:36:22,240 --> 00:36:25,359 the sadness of outliving others. 636 00:36:25,360 --> 00:36:28,679 Neglected on its release in 1986, 637 00:36:28,680 --> 00:36:32,599 it was the rise of VHS that brought Highlander to life... 638 00:36:32,600 --> 00:36:35,359 and it is the perfect fit for a cult film. 639 00:36:35,360 --> 00:36:37,959 Be it the pleasure of Connery's company, 640 00:36:37,960 --> 00:36:41,639 the obscure mythology, the songs, the silliness, 641 00:36:41,640 --> 00:36:46,519 or its ecstatic celebration of the tradition of the sword fight, 642 00:36:46,520 --> 00:36:48,719 a huge following has grown up 643 00:36:48,720 --> 00:36:52,079 around the film's unconventional brand of escapism. 644 00:36:52,080 --> 00:36:57,919 Now the film didn't succeed on its initial box office release, 645 00:36:57,920 --> 00:37:01,599 but it was rediscovered as sort of VHS became a big thing. 646 00:37:01,600 --> 00:37:04,199 Tell me a little bit about the journey the film took 647 00:37:04,200 --> 00:37:05,639 subsequent to coming out. 648 00:37:05,640 --> 00:37:09,439 Well, I think it missed its time 649 00:37:09,440 --> 00:37:12,239 because it was just between the big peaks in fantasy. 650 00:37:12,240 --> 00:37:16,679 But it was also a very difficult film to follow, 651 00:37:16,680 --> 00:37:20,119 partly because of its refusal to give you any exposition. 652 00:37:20,120 --> 00:37:21,919 There was a sequel, Highlander II, 653 00:37:21,920 --> 00:37:26,879 which then did create an exposition, which fans of the first film hated. 654 00:37:26,880 --> 00:37:28,839 They said the immortals came from space, 655 00:37:28,840 --> 00:37:32,359 which everyone hoped they would pretend didn't happen and tried to erase it. 656 00:37:32,360 --> 00:37:35,959 But it was... Just there was something about it. 657 00:37:35,960 --> 00:37:38,799 It was a perfect Friday night VHS movie. 658 00:37:38,800 --> 00:37:41,879 I mean, in the UK and in America, 659 00:37:41,880 --> 00:37:45,879 Subway - the Luc Besson film that Christopher Lambert had been in - 660 00:37:45,880 --> 00:37:48,199 was also one of those films. It was passed around. 661 00:37:48,200 --> 00:37:50,839 You would go around to friends' houses in the '80s, 662 00:37:50,840 --> 00:37:52,679 on a Friday night watching videos, 663 00:37:52,680 --> 00:37:54,999 and it would be one of those films that you would watch. 664 00:37:55,000 --> 00:37:56,959 Films like The Terminator, films like this, 665 00:37:56,960 --> 00:37:58,919 are films that I didn't see in the cinema. 666 00:37:58,920 --> 00:38:01,159 I saw them on video at people's houses afterwards 667 00:38:01,160 --> 00:38:03,839 because they were absolute word-of-mouth must see. 668 00:38:03,840 --> 00:38:07,079 Not because anyone would say this is the greatest film ever made, 669 00:38:07,080 --> 00:38:09,719 but they were just perfect for Friday night entertainment. 670 00:38:09,720 --> 00:38:13,039 They were absolutely over-the-top enjoyable. 671 00:38:13,040 --> 00:38:16,519 And it just grew and grew from there. 672 00:38:16,520 --> 00:38:19,919 It was the kind of film that needed to be rediscovered 673 00:38:19,920 --> 00:38:26,679 and the way to rediscover a film was to find it in a VHS hire store, 674 00:38:26,680 --> 00:38:30,519 or whatever, and have the guys behind the counter - 675 00:38:30,520 --> 00:38:32,839 who were kind of film geeks... 676 00:38:32,840 --> 00:38:35,839 who would love niche films and cult films - 677 00:38:35,840 --> 00:38:39,399 you would go in and talk to them and say, "What can we see?" 678 00:38:39,400 --> 00:38:41,119 And it was almost like a club. 679 00:38:41,120 --> 00:38:44,159 It was like a sort of fraternity of people 680 00:38:44,160 --> 00:38:47,479 who didn't really care for the mainstream product 681 00:38:47,480 --> 00:38:50,959 that was coming up, but they wanted something a bit different. 682 00:38:50,960 --> 00:38:54,159 Highlander fit right into this very, very well, 683 00:38:54,160 --> 00:38:56,599 and so basically the... 684 00:38:56,600 --> 00:38:58,479 it became a kind of... 685 00:38:58,480 --> 00:39:02,759 It grew as a cult, the more people started to take it out, watch it, 686 00:39:02,760 --> 00:39:06,799 share it amongst their friends, talk about it and then pass it on. 687 00:39:06,800 --> 00:39:11,879 It was almost like a sort of secret that you could pass on to other... 688 00:39:11,880 --> 00:39:15,519 other film geeks, cult people, 689 00:39:15,520 --> 00:39:20,999 people who actually enjoyed defying the conventional sort of wisdom 690 00:39:21,000 --> 00:39:23,679 of what makes a successful film. 691 00:39:23,680 --> 00:39:27,879 The rise of home video, I think, is completely concurrent 692 00:39:27,880 --> 00:39:31,119 with the way we look at fandom today, 693 00:39:31,120 --> 00:39:36,439 which is to say that when people can physically own a VHS or a Blu-ray, 694 00:39:36,440 --> 00:39:38,799 it means that they have a sort of curator's, 695 00:39:38,800 --> 00:39:40,359 or a collector's mentality, 696 00:39:40,360 --> 00:39:43,839 and that means that they are likely to rewatch the film again and again, 697 00:39:43,840 --> 00:39:46,279 something which wasn't possible prior to that, 698 00:39:46,280 --> 00:39:49,119 and that means that their familiarity with that thing 699 00:39:49,120 --> 00:39:51,239 makes them notice new things about it, 700 00:39:51,240 --> 00:39:52,959 makes them see themselves in it, 701 00:39:52,960 --> 00:39:55,279 makes them have little kind of in-jokes about it, 702 00:39:55,280 --> 00:39:57,039 watch it with friends again and again. 703 00:39:57,040 --> 00:40:01,359 And so that gave people something personal to hold onto about movies. 704 00:40:01,360 --> 00:40:04,559 Attempting to build a franchise out of Highlander 705 00:40:04,560 --> 00:40:08,199 has only served as proof that it remains a true original. 706 00:40:08,200 --> 00:40:11,479 As the script makes clear, there can be only one. 707 00:40:11,480 --> 00:40:14,239 There is no source novel or comic book. 708 00:40:14,240 --> 00:40:18,519 Highlander was brewed out of wildly varied ingredients 709 00:40:18,520 --> 00:40:22,039 to create a strange and enchanting personality. 710 00:40:22,040 --> 00:40:26,479 The sequels to Highlander are completely unnecessary 711 00:40:26,480 --> 00:40:28,719 and also they're illogical. 712 00:40:28,720 --> 00:40:32,879 At the end of Highlander, he wins. 713 00:40:32,880 --> 00:40:34,559 He is the only one left. 714 00:40:34,560 --> 00:40:37,279 And the irony of that is that he knows everything. 715 00:40:37,280 --> 00:40:40,159 He says I can hear, I can understand everybody in the whole world, 716 00:40:40,160 --> 00:40:42,639 but he has become mortal. 717 00:40:42,640 --> 00:40:44,799 So he's going to die. 718 00:40:44,800 --> 00:40:47,239 He actually is going to die of old age eventually. 719 00:40:47,240 --> 00:40:48,679 And I love that. 720 00:40:48,680 --> 00:40:51,679 I love that sort of... of seeming... 721 00:40:51,680 --> 00:40:53,279 you know, the fact... 722 00:40:53,280 --> 00:40:55,959 OK, you get to this stage where you know everything and then... 723 00:40:55,960 --> 00:40:58,359 but also you're no longer immortal. 724 00:40:58,360 --> 00:41:01,599 So that is the logical sense of the film. 725 00:41:01,600 --> 00:41:04,879 And if there's one thing about this film - 726 00:41:04,880 --> 00:41:09,759 considering it's created mythology out of nowhere - 727 00:41:09,760 --> 00:41:12,439 it obeys the logic of that mythology. 728 00:41:12,440 --> 00:41:16,559 To have a sequel is nonsense. It's nonsensical. 729 00:41:16,560 --> 00:41:21,519 Amazingly enough, Connery agreed to be in the sequel, Highlander II, 730 00:41:21,520 --> 00:41:25,479 along with Lambert, and it wasn't... 731 00:41:25,480 --> 00:41:30,199 I don't think really that it was completed in any way, shape or form 732 00:41:30,200 --> 00:41:32,199 that made any sense at all, 733 00:41:32,200 --> 00:41:34,959 and of course, was pretty well a disaster. 734 00:41:34,960 --> 00:41:39,319 However, it didn't stop those who owned the rights to Highlander 735 00:41:39,320 --> 00:41:42,799 to actually then creating a Highlander franchise for TV. 736 00:41:42,800 --> 00:41:44,519 There was a TV series. 737 00:41:44,520 --> 00:41:47,439 So somebody was still making money out of it. 738 00:41:47,440 --> 00:41:50,519 But these are all fairly redundant exercises. 739 00:41:50,520 --> 00:41:54,159 They're nothing more than sort of just a way of extending it. 740 00:41:54,160 --> 00:41:57,519 The true ownership of a film can only come from a film 741 00:41:57,520 --> 00:42:00,159 that not everybody knows about, or they don't... 742 00:42:00,160 --> 00:42:01,839 nobody ever really has a take on. 743 00:42:01,840 --> 00:42:04,319 Highlander is one of the very first of those. 744 00:42:04,320 --> 00:42:08,479 The fandom, the horror fandom, they are genre fans 745 00:42:08,480 --> 00:42:10,239 and this is not a genre fandom. 746 00:42:10,240 --> 00:42:12,119 It's a hard genre to place. Yeah. 747 00:42:12,120 --> 00:42:14,759 What would you say it was? I don't know what its genre is. 748 00:42:14,760 --> 00:42:16,759 I mean, it has got elements of horror. 749 00:42:16,760 --> 00:42:20,159 It has got elements of sci-fi, elements of fantasy. 750 00:42:20,160 --> 00:42:23,279 You know, actually, I mean, it's got everything, it really does. 751 00:42:23,280 --> 00:42:26,919 It samples in a very eclectic way from every form. 752 00:42:26,920 --> 00:42:31,119 And this is, you know, the MTV video director's skill, 753 00:42:31,120 --> 00:42:33,679 to go, "I'll put a bit of that in. I'll put a bit of that in." 754 00:42:33,680 --> 00:42:37,279 And it plays with all of them. You discover it, it's mad. 755 00:42:37,280 --> 00:42:39,319 You share it with people, everyone loves it 756 00:42:39,320 --> 00:42:41,559 and you start to find your little community. 757 00:42:41,560 --> 00:42:42,999 This is even pre-internet. 758 00:42:43,000 --> 00:42:45,239 People found it and found each other 759 00:42:45,240 --> 00:42:49,079 before you could use, you know, online chat groups. 760 00:42:49,080 --> 00:42:51,519 And it had built up a head of speed 761 00:42:51,520 --> 00:42:53,799 by the time that the internet came around. 762 00:42:53,800 --> 00:42:59,119 And it is without doubt one of the very early devotees' films. 763 00:42:59,120 --> 00:43:00,919 Highlander also endures 764 00:43:00,920 --> 00:43:03,639 because it taps into the roots of story-telling - 765 00:43:03,640 --> 00:43:05,799 tropes that go back to the Iliad 766 00:43:05,800 --> 00:43:08,959 and Jungian ideas about the universal monomyth, 767 00:43:08,960 --> 00:43:11,519 the lone hero, the call of destiny, 768 00:43:11,520 --> 00:43:13,799 the apocalyptic battle with evil. 769 00:43:13,800 --> 00:43:17,039 These are the heroic features that unite King Arthur, 770 00:43:17,040 --> 00:43:19,559 the Man With No Name, James Bond, 771 00:43:19,560 --> 00:43:23,359 Luke Skywalker, Mad Max, and Connor MacLeod. 772 00:43:23,360 --> 00:43:26,919 In every sense, Highlander is timeless. 773 00:43:44,000 --> 00:43:46,240 ♪ QUEEN: A Kind Of Magic 774 00:43:57,360 --> 00:43:59,199 ♪ One dream 775 00:43:59,200 --> 00:44:00,879 ♪ One soul 776 00:44:00,880 --> 00:44:02,719 ♪ One prize 777 00:44:02,720 --> 00:44:04,359 ♪ One goal 778 00:44:04,360 --> 00:44:07,080 ♪ One golden glance 779 00:44:08,240 --> 00:44:10,079 ♪ Of what should be... ♪ 780 00:44:10,080 --> 00:44:12,480 Subtitles by Sky Access Services www.skyaccessibility.sky