Black Angel

Black Angel

  • 25 Mins
  • 1980
  • en
  • star6.7/ 10

A knight returns home from the Crusades to find his village devastated by disease and his family gone. He roams the forest searching for them, until he finds a mysterious maiden who is being held prisoner by a black knight. In order to free her, he must confront her captor.

Review

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The Archetypal Holy Grail of Lost Films 34 years of waiting is over: finally, this missing link in the 'Star Wars' universe emerges from the depths and is available to see again. You may have been spellbound by it back in 1980 as a child when it screened before 'The Empire Strikes Back' – and had it lurking inside your mind to this day. You may have read articles about it in recent years and wondered what the fuss was all about. Or you may never have heard of it until now. In any case, here is your chance to enjoy one of cinema's great lost films, whose creation, loss and subsequent rediscovery is a legend in itself. Beautifully shot on a shoestring budget around Scotland's ominous and majestic landscapes in late autumn, 'Black Angel' pays knowing homage to Kurosawa and Tarkovsky – and has clearly influenced many subsequent fantasy films and series: from Boorman's 'Excalibur' through 'Robin of Sherwood' to 'Game of Thrones'. One reason the film succeeds in creating such a lasting impression is found in the way geographical features are given such prominence alongside the narrative action: it is one thing to see a typical postcard-style establishing shot of a location in Scotland, but quite another to follow the protagonists deeply into that landscape and reveal details and features that are rarely seen elsewhere in such stunning cinematographic detail. The stories about its creation in one hectic week in Scotland only add to the film's value as a historical document, and to the sense we are lucky to have this accessible for viewing at all. With a gorgeous early original score by Trevor Jones and featuring electronic effects by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop's Paddy Kingsland, all the elements are here. Restored in breathtaking quality by David Tanaka and Brice Parker as a tribute to Christian's enduring vision, it is unlikely you'll find a purer vision of the great Arthurian "quest" committed to film elsewhere, now or in the future.

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