Druids (2001)

D

Daithi O'an tSionnaigh

Mongoose
DRUIDS (2001)
directed by Jacques Dorfmann. Stars Christopher Lambert, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Inès Sastre, Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, and Max von Sydow.

The film portrays a pivotal part of the life of a benevolent Gallic chieftain named Vercingetorix in the year 60 B.C. when his village is threatened by the advancing armies of Rome.


Anyone see this? I caught it on television the other night and thought it was great, as far as giving inspiration for Slaine games. I was going to put this in the thread where we were collecting all this movie and/inspirational gaming resources but could not find the actual thread so opened a new thread for it.

Anyone else see this? Comments?
 
Yes, I have seen. this film. It was okay, but I do prefer something like Highlander ( For it's Scottish Celtic atomosphere, during the first couple of flashback scenes.) and Braveheart. ( For being historical and it's bloody well cherographed battle scenes.) Though, I still think Monty Python ' The Holy Grail' and JabberWocky have more in Common with Slaine then some of these films that are being made today.

You may also be interested in seeing the film 'Gladiatoriess' ( Feminine for Gladiator.) I thought it was alittle bit better than 'Druids'. It was interesting how the different Celtic tribes spoke in different dialects ( Though some of them were plain English for the sake of just being able to understand them.) the differing appearances betweeen the different tribes and the Celtic otherworld. ( Underground tunnels and the afterlife.)
This film ended up using alot of the same props from the other better known 'Gladiatoro' films.

Though this film isn't to be taken seriuosly as it's meant to be comedy.

There is also two Asterix Films that might be interesting and definitely not to be taken seriously.
One of them is called 'Mission Cleopatra'. Was'rt as good as I though it would be. Doesn't do the comic character enough justice, but still may be worth watching.
 
I almost forgot to mention 'Willow.'

Mad-Martigan = Slaine. The Val Kilmer back then looked a awful lot like Slaine.

There's also the little people that looked alot like Ukko, though none of these character were nearly as obnoxious as Slaine's travelling companion.

Espeically the main character Willow Ufgood.

I think the two Browni's completed the equation here. They were pretty mischievious.
 
13th Warrior is one of my top films and now I add Beowulf and Grendel to the list. That movie ruled. I think there needs to be a Slaine' movie (done right of course) and not by Hollywood!!! They would butcher it and try and make it some PG-13 bubble gum high action-Jerry Bruckheimer production. GAH!!!!
 
A Slaine film would be interesting, though it may suffer from lack of interest with a main stream audience whom would be more familar with well known characters such as William Wallace, King Arthur and Conan the Barbarian. He's good enough for a 2000AD fan.

I could also almost imagine that character becoming the property of a better know brand name before going through couple of changes until he's barely recognisable as the same Celtic Barbarian that I'm used to.

Only a speculation mind you. I would be one of the first to petition against
a Slaine film if it fell in to the wrong hands.

Another film of note would be 'Steel Dawn' with Patrick Swayze. Nothing really Celtic really Celtic here, though. One of the villian's hench men looks a awful lot like the early G. Fabry drawn Slaine.
Even outfitted in the remarkably similar leather outfitt. Just take no notice of the upper class english acting voice he uses for this character.

Though I haven't seen the 'Beowulf & Grendel'. film. I have noted to myself that the guy who portrays Grendel's father looks alot like Slaine to me. Abit like the S. Bisley drawn Slaine.
Spencer Wilding, a Welsh Boxer whom was one of the Ra-Ah-Ghul hench men from the latest Batman flick. Very tall and Celtic.

He's probably too old, as Slaine was a very young man in most of his better escapades.

http://www.spencerwilding.com/sw2.jpg

http://www.2000adreview.co.uk/news/2003/images/slaine.jpg
 
Spencer Wilding would be great!!! I could see him with the big spiked hair and pounding about with his drwarven companion. I would rather see it done by a small indy crew with enough budget to do some half decent effects that some big movie blockbuster as we all know it would g through some hefty gawd awful transformation and not even be a Slaine movie.

Best left for a UK production company to do it from across the pond than some company in the US. Although a joint production with Canada would be alright. I mean this is where they filmed the majority of 13th Warrior. And with the outcome of the joint Iceland/UK/Canada production for Beowulf & Grendel it could really work.

Dunno, would be cool to see or maybe a tv series much like Ivanhoe but with more blood! I loved Ivanhoe, apparently Ivanhoe is available on DVD through AE/BBC classics or something. Going to have to pick that up.
There were some top dogs in this that series and would be some great ideas to adapt to a Slaine game.
 
I saw it. It has some good points.

The movie is about a Gallic hero (ancestor of the French, at least concerning the geographical area) against Julius Caesar.

It is notorious that the Gallic tribes were all fighting each other wich simplified a lot the task of Caesar to conquer the area, fighting the many separate tribes one by one.
Vercingetorix was a hero in that he tried and partially succeeded in gathering many tribes which were otherwise ennemies. The was a great battle in Alesia where the gallic strengh overwhelmed the Romans on a 4-to-1 ratio and this campaign could very well have stopped Julius Caesar carreer.
But again the many tribes could not find a commander in chief among themselves and their attack was uncoordinated which led to a Roman success.

This is (was) history.

The movie is great in that it depicts some druidic myth (but nothing like Asterix or Slaine) and depict very well the charismatic power of Julius Caesar.

Unfortunately, there is no special effect and the battles are very small and unimportant compared to say, The Lord of the Rings, where as the true strength of troops numbers ca. 60,000 Romans against 240,000 barbarians.
 
There's just alittle bit of magic.

Some stuff he leraned from the Druid or witch lady.

Barely noticeable really.

Another movie that may be worth watching/taking ideas from is 'Fire and Ice'.

Though, I have never seen the movie itself. The trailer for it looks interesting. Rotoscoped cartoon characters as this is another movie made by Ralph Bakshi. Though it seems to be more complete looking piece of work than his adaptioion of 'Lord of the Rings'.

A more of Ice age tale, ....... Just read the summary here......

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085542/plotsummary

Though it's not exactly about the Celts , it has right idea. They just don't make animatyed movies like this anymore.

Perhaps a more favourable way of doing a Slaine movie if it ever were to be given the green light.

Problem is that it's very hard to find a copy of this movie. It appears to be very rare.
 
While being directed to another site I noticed the old Walt Disney cartoon. 'The Dark Cauldron'.

http://imdb.com/title/tt0088814/plotsummary

It very much reminds me of ' The Horned God' with it's evil Horned King and it's unstoppable army.

And on the subject of cartoon's there also 'Quest for Camelot'

http://imdb.com/title/tt0120800/

Abit of fantacy based on King Arthur and Merlin, though they aren't the main characters and "The Sword and the Stone' with similar character and situations.

http://imdb.com/title/tt0057546/

Perhaps these are alittle bit two juvenile, though there should be some ideas that come in handy.

I still like the look of 'Fire & ice'
 
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