Lionheart (1987 film)
Encyclopedia
Lionheart is a 1987
adventure film
directed by Academy Award-winner Franklin J. Schaffner. Loosely based on the historical Children's Crusade
, the story follows an exiled young knight, played by Eric Stoltz
, who leads a band of orphans to join the Crusade of Richard the Lionheart while protecting the children from the Black Prince (Gabriel Byrne
), a disillusioned crusader turned child slave trader. Francis Ford Coppola
, who had initially planned to direct the film, is credited as Executive Producer
. Coppola's sister, Talia Shire
, and brother-in-law, Jack Schwartzman
, also produced the film. The screenplay was written by Menno Meyjes
and Richard Outten
from a story by Meyjes. Oscar-winning composer Jerry Goldsmith
wrote the score.
(together they previously worked on Planet of the Apes
, Patton
, Papillon
, and The Boys from Brazil
).
, delayed its theatrical release but when they finally did show it in August 1987 in Canada, the limited release garnered negative reviews. Therefore the movie was largely unseen until being shown on pay television and finally released on VHS tape and DVD. Leonard Maltin
’s review is a rare complimentary one: “Richly produced, well acted, with a superb Jerry Goldsmith score, it’s a shame this sincere, if slight, film received almost no theatrical release.” Variety
s reviewer watched the film at the Cineplex Odeon Canada Square theatre in Toronto
on August 18, 1987. The review appeared in the August 26, 1987 issue describing the movie as "a flaccid, limp kiddie adventure yarn with little of its intended grand epic sweep realized" and accurately predicted that the movie "should head straight for the home video shelves".
released the soundtrack on two discs, with Jerry Goldsmith conducting the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra. Warner Home Video brought out a VHS tape in July 1994 and issued a DVD in December 2009 on the Warner Archives label.
1987 in film
-Events:*January 31 - The Cure for Insomnia premieres at The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois, to officially become the world's longest film according to Guinness World Records....
adventure film
Adventure film
Adventure films are a genre of film.Unlike pure, low-budget action films they often use their action scenes preferably to display and explore exotic locations in an energetic way....
directed by Academy Award-winner Franklin J. Schaffner. Loosely based on the historical Children's Crusade
Children's Crusade
The Children's Crusade is the name given to a variety of fictional and factual events which happened in 1212 that combine some or all of these elements: visions by a French or German boy; an intention to peacefully convert Muslims in the Holy Land to Christianity; bands of children marching to...
, the story follows an exiled young knight, played by Eric Stoltz
Eric Stoltz
Eric Hamilton Stoltz is an American actor, director and producer. He is widely known for playing the role of Rocky Dennis in the biographical drama film Mask, which earned him the nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture...
, who leads a band of orphans to join the Crusade of Richard the Lionheart while protecting the children from the Black Prince (Gabriel Byrne
Gabriel Byrne
Gabriel James Byrne is an Irish actor, film director, film producer, writer, cultural ambassador and audiobook narrator. His acting career began in the Focus Theatre before he joined Londo's Royal Court Theatre in 1979. Byrne's screen debut came in the Irish soap opera The Riordans and the...
), a disillusioned crusader turned child slave trader. Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
, who had initially planned to direct the film, is credited as Executive Producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
. Coppola's sister, Talia Shire
Talia Shire
Talia Shire is an American actress most known for her roles as Connie Corleone in The Godfather films and Adrian Balboa in the Rocky series.-Personal life:...
, and brother-in-law, Jack Schwartzman
Jack Schwartzman
Jack Schwartzman was an American producer and husband of actress Talia Shire. Among the films he produced was the 1983 unofficial James Bond film Never Say Never Again, starring Sean Connery, and the 1986 cult favorite Rad, starring Bill Allen.Schwartzman was born Jacob Schwartzman in New York...
, also produced the film. The screenplay was written by Menno Meyjes
Menno Meyjes
Menno Meyjes is a Dutch-born screenwriter, film director and producer.He moved to the United States in 1972 and studied at the Art Institute of California – San Francisco. He was nominated for several awards for his screenplay to the 1985 film The Color Purple, adapted from the novel by Alice Walker...
and Richard Outten
Richard Outten
Richard Outten is an American screenwriter who works in both motion pictures and television. After receiving his MFA from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, he co-authored , the screenplay to the award-winning animated film Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland. Other motion picture credits...
from a story by Meyjes. Oscar-winning composer Jerry Goldsmith
Jerry Goldsmith
Jerrald King Goldsmith was an American composer and conductor most known for his work in film and television scoring....
wrote the score.
Production
Lionheart was a big budget movie filmed in Hungary and Portugal utilizing several castles and hundreds of Slavic children hired as extras. The movie was Schaffner’s penultimate film and represented the final collaboration between the director and his friend Jerry GoldsmithJerry Goldsmith
Jerrald King Goldsmith was an American composer and conductor most known for his work in film and television scoring....
(together they previously worked on Planet of the Apes
Planet of the Apes (1968 film)
Planet of the Apes is a 1968 American science fiction film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, based on the 1963 French novel La Planète des singes by Pierre Boulle. The film stars Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, James Whitmore, James Daly and Linda Harrison...
, Patton
Patton (film)
Patton is a 1970 American biographical war film about U.S. General George S. Patton during World War II. It stars George C. Scott, Karl Malden, Michael Bates, and Karl Michael Vogler. It was directed by Franklin J. Schaffner from a script by Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H...
, Papillon
Papillon (film)
Papillon is a 1973 film based on the best-selling novel by the French convict Henri Charrière.This motion picture was directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, starring Steve McQueen as Henri Charrière , and Dustin Hoffman as Louis Dega...
, and The Boys from Brazil
The Boys from Brazil (film)
The Boys from Brazil is a 1978 British/American science fiction/thriller film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner. It stars Gregory Peck and Laurence Olivier, with James Mason, Lilli Palmer, Uta Hagen and Steve Guttenberg in supporting roles...
).
Release
The distributor of the film, Orion PicturesOrion Pictures
Orion Pictures Corporation was an American independent production company that produced movies from 1978 until 1998. It was formed in 1978 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and three former top-level executives of United Artists. Although it was never a large motion picture producer, Orion...
, delayed its theatrical release but when they finally did show it in August 1987 in Canada, the limited release garnered negative reviews. Therefore the movie was largely unseen until being shown on pay television and finally released on VHS tape and DVD. Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin is an American film and animated film critic and historian, author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives.-Personal life:...
’s review is a rare complimentary one: “Richly produced, well acted, with a superb Jerry Goldsmith score, it’s a shame this sincere, if slight, film received almost no theatrical release.” Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
s reviewer watched the film at the Cineplex Odeon Canada Square theatre in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
on August 18, 1987. The review appeared in the August 26, 1987 issue describing the movie as "a flaccid, limp kiddie adventure yarn with little of its intended grand epic sweep realized" and accurately predicted that the movie "should head straight for the home video shelves".
Soundtrack, VHS and DVD Release
In 1987 Varèse SarabandeVarèse Sarabande
Varèse Sarabande is an American record label, distributed by Universal Music Group, which specializes in film scores and original cast recordings. It aims to reissue rare or unavailable albums as well as newer releases by artists no longer under a contract...
released the soundtrack on two discs, with Jerry Goldsmith conducting the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra. Warner Home Video brought out a VHS tape in July 1994 and issued a DVD in December 2009 on the Warner Archives label.
See also
- Nash, Jay Robert and Stanley Ralph Ross. The Motion Picture Guide 1988 Annual. Evanston, Illinois: CineBooks, Inc., 1988, pp. 165-166.
- Weinberg, Marc. “Hidden from a Theatre Near You” in Orange Coast Magazine, June 1989, p. 248.