Ladyhawke is the enchanting tale of a lady (Michelle Pfeiffer), a knight (Rutger Hauer) and a pickpocket known as the Mouse (Matthew Broderick). Once the knight and the lady were lovers. Now the curse of an evil bishop (John Wood) keeps them “always together, eternally apart.” By day she is a hawk, by night he is a wolf. To end the evil spell, the knight vows to break into the bishop’s stronghold. With help from the Mouse. Directed by Richard Donner and photographed by three-time Academy Award winner” Vittorio Storaro, Ladyhawke is “the most congenial spot for happy ever-aftering since Camelot” (Rita Kempley, The Washington Post).
For thoughts on Ladyhawke, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required:
Video Quality
Ladyhawke debuted on Blu-Ray courtesy of Warner Archive early on in the label’s life cycle in 2015 with a 1080p transfer sourced from a master provided by Fox that had additional restoration efforts conducted by the label’s team at MPI. While the label was not quite as prolific in the Blu-Ray game at this point in their life cycle, this transfer holds up terrifically even nearly a decade later. As you expect from them, the lovely natural film grain remains intact and resolves well without clumping or swarming.
This disc deftly showcases the forest locales and distinct stone interiors with great care. There are elements in the makeup and production design that are clearly on display for the first time ever on home entertainment. The deep, natural colors of the environment saturate the picture well. Skin tones look natural, and the presentation offers up impressive highlights and solid black levels. The disc avoids most compression artifacts and other such digital anomalies. The only moment that raises an eyebrow is the opening credits because they are windowboxed, but this does not extend beyond those opening minutes. Warner Archive showed how much respect they deserved early on.
Audio Quality
Warner Archive delivers a Blu-Ray with a terrific DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix that is as epic as the story deserves. One of the first things you will notice is the unusual score from Andrew Powell. This music is incredibly divisive as a score, but it sounds great on disc as it flows throughout with impeccable fidelity. Dialogue emanates clearly when the leads are bantering with one another. There are some active environmental effects that give the experience a bit of life such as the siege on the castle at the end and other confrontations. The rear speakers are not stealing focus, but they inject noises like animal sounds effectively. There are no age-related defects to the track such as pops, hissing, or audio dropouts. This is an amazing track that gets the job done without any issues. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are provided.
Special Features
- Theatrical Trailer: The minute-and-a-half-long trailer is provided here.
Final Thoughts
Ladyhawke works pretty well as a fantasy film with a clear emotional hook of doomed love opposing tyrannical forces. Unfortunately, we do not completely buy into the romance between Michelle Pfeiffer and Rutger Hauer, which leaves the story a bit less satisfying. Other elements of the story are more rewarding, such as the journey of personal growth taken by Matthew Broderick. Since he gets to have actual scenes with both sides of the couple, he is the one with the connection we care about. There is obvious care put into crafting the film, and it does hold up as something worth spotlighting in the fantasy genre. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray featuring a strong A/V presentation but almost no special features. If you are a fantasy movie enthusiast, you should have a good time. Recommended
Ladyhawke can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or through various other online retailers.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
