The Renaissance of WILLOW
Last night I had the extreme pleasure of seeing the movie Willow on the big screen. It was playing at BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) in Brooklyn New York, in celebration the 25th anniversary of the films release. I went purely for fun. I had no intention to write about this screening. But then I learned few things I just couldn’t keep to myself. To begin with, I was watching a fully remastered version of Willow! Because on Tuesday, March 12th, Willow will be released on Blu-ray!
I sincerely find Willow to one of the greatest movies of all time. But did you know when it screened at CON in 1988 it was booed? If you booed Willow and you’re reading this now, what the hell is wrong with you? Do you lack heart, dreams, imagination and fun? Because Willow has all those things. Are you the General Kael of your group of friends? Cause you sure ain’t no Meegosh.
The story of Willow was written by George Lucas and directed by Ron Howard. Warwick Davis plays the title character, Willow, a nelwyn, who’s a farmer and amateur magician. One day, Willow’s family finds a baby floating in the river and they take the child in. They eventually discover that the baby’s name is Elora Danan and that there is a prophecy about her: that she will be the one to bring an end to the evil Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh) and her terrible Nockmaar army. With the help of Madmartigan (Val Kilmer) Bavmorda’s daughter Sorsha (Joanna Whalley) a couple of small but brave Brownies, Franjean (Rick Overton) & Rool (Kevin Pollak) and the sorceer Fin Raziel (Patricia Hayes) they pledge to serve and protect Elora Danan at whatever the cost.
The fully remastered version looks great! Really beautiful. And the sound is awesome! I heard lines I’d never heard before. This movie is better than ever and as you can tell, that’s saying something in my option.
I always loved Willow but last night I got to see how nuanced and smart it is. There were a bunch of different moments that made me go “Oh, that’s what this character is really doing here!” or “Oh their calling back to when this happened earlier.” but here was my favorite; In the finale confrontation between Willow and Bavmorda, Willow claims to be a great sorcerer and Bavmorda laughs in his face. He does a “magic trick” that looks convincing and then he grabs his arm in pain. I always thought, “What happened to Willow’s arm?” because Bavmorda hasn’t done anything to him at this point. Last night I remembered, the first real spell Willow performs, Fin Raziel tells him “For beginners there is some pain.” and after the spell is complete, Willow’s arm is in pain. Last night I realized he’s doing same thing here. He’s doing a trick but making it look real, by pretending to be in pain that magic can sometimes cause, to confuse Bavmorda. It’s a subtle piece of story and direction and it’s genius.
Willow be released on Blu-ray on Tuesday March 12th. And DON’T STOP READING YET, because also on Tuesday March 12th, at tune in to Twitter at 5pm EST, 4pm CST 2pm PST for an exclusive Twitter Chat with Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) and Warwick Davis (@WarwickADavis)!
Tweet your questions using #WillowChat and make sure to follow @WillowMovie!
