Highlander (film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Highlander |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Russell Mulcahy |
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| Story by | Gregory Widen |
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| Music by | Michael Kamen |
| Cinematography | Gerry Fisher |
| Editing by | Peter Honess |
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| Release date(s) | March 7, 1986 (United States) August 29, 1986 (United Kingdom) |
| Running time | 111 minutes |
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| Language | English |
| Budget | $19 million |
| Money made | $12.8 million |
Highlander is an exciting 1986 fantasy action-adventure film. It was directed by Russell Mulcahy and stars Christopher Lambert, Roxanne Hart, Clancy Brown, and Sean Connery. The movie tells the story of a secret, ancient war between immortal warriors. It shows their battles in both the past and the present day. This film is the very first one in the popular Highlander series.
The main character, Connor MacLeod (played by Christopher Lambert), is born in the Scottish Highlands in the 1500s. He is badly hurt in a battle by a dangerous immortal named Kurgan (played by Clancy Brown). But Connor amazingly recovers and is then kicked out of his village because people think he used witchcraft. Years later, a wise swordsman named Ramírez (played by Sean Connery) finds Connor. Ramírez teaches him that he is immortal, meaning he cannot die unless his head is cut off.
Ramírez explains that immortals have been fighting each other for centuries. They battle until only a few are left for a final event called "The Gathering." The last immortal standing at The Gathering will win "The Prize." In 1985, The Gathering is finally happening in New York City. Connor MacLeod must make sure that the evil Kurgan does not win The Prize.
When Highlander first came out in theaters, it didn't make much money. However, it soon became a cult film, which means it gained a very dedicated fan base. The movie then inspired several sequels and a popular television show. The famous rock band Queen recorded several songs for the film's soundtrack. One of their songs, "Princes of the Universe," was also used for the TV series' opening. The movie's famous line, "There can be only one," is still well-known in pop culture today.
Contents
Meet the Characters
- Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod: A Scottish immortal born in the 1500s. In 1985, he lives in New York City as an antique dealer named Russell Nash.
- Sean Connery as Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez: An ancient Egyptian immortal. He becomes Connor's teacher, showing him how to live as an immortal and fight.
- Clancy Brown as The Kurgan: Connor's main enemy. He is a very brutal and dangerous immortal warrior. In 1985, he comes to New York to win "The Prize."
- Roxanne Hart as Brenda Wyatt: A smart scientist who helps the police investigate strange murders in New York City.
- Beatie Edney as Heather MacLeod: Connor's first wife. She lives with Connor for many years, even though he stays young and she grows old.
- Alan North as Lt. Frank Moran: Brenda's police partner in New York.
- Jon Polito as Det. Walter Bedsoe: Another police detective working with Moran.
- Sheila Gish as Rachel Ellenstein: Connor's secretary and adopted daughter. Connor saved her when she was a child during the Holocaust. She knows his secret.
- Nicola Ramsey as a young Rachel.
- Hugh Quarshie as Sunda Kastagir: Another immortal and a friend of Connor's.
- Christopher Malcolm as Kirk Matunas: A man who sees a fight between the Kurgan and Kastagir.
- Peter Diamond as Iman Fasil: A French immortal. He also helped plan the movie's fight scenes.
- Celia Imrie as Kate MacLeod: Connor's girlfriend before he met Heather. She thought Connor was evil because he was immortal.
- Billy Hartman and James Cosmo as Dougal and Angus MacLeod: Connor's cousins and leaders of his clan.
Making the Movie
The movie Highlander was filmed in several beautiful locations. These included Scotland, England, Wales, and New York City. The director, Russell Mulcahy, used techniques often seen in music videos. This made the movie's scenes move quickly and feel exciting.
To get ready for his role, actor Christopher Lambert worked very hard. He spent months practicing his accent and training with swords. His sword trainer, Bob Anderson, had even worked on the Star Wars movies!
One scene involved filming underwater in a cold Scottish lake. Christopher Lambert found the water incredibly cold. He said it was a big surprise the first time, and even colder the next times! Another interesting moment happened when fish were supposed to fall out of Connor's kilt (a Scottish skirt). The film crew used a special pipe hidden from the camera to drop live trout down!
Filming also had its challenges, like when it rained during a scene with MacLeod and the Kurgan. The crew had to use umbrellas and hair dryers to keep the camera lenses dry. Also, Christopher Lambert was nearsighted and sometimes forgot to take off his glasses while riding his horse!
Some scenes were filmed in different places to look like one location. For example, a parking garage scene had its outside filmed in Manhattan, New York, but the inside was filmed in London. The opening scene, which shows a wrestling match, was supposed to be at Madison Square Garden. However, it was actually filmed at the Brendan Byrne Arena in New Jersey.
The scene where the MacLeod clan goes to battle was meant to be in Glenfinnan, Scotland. But it was actually filmed at the famous Eilean Donan Castle. This castle is also in Scotland, but on a different lake.
The movie's ending was planned to be in different places. First, they thought about the Statue of Liberty, then an amusement park. Finally, they decided to film the big fight on the rooftop of the Silvercup Studios building. The movie's opening was also almost different. It was originally going to be at a hockey game, but the hockey league didn't want the film to show too much violence.
Sean Connery, who played Ramírez, recorded his opening voice-over in his bathroom! He was practicing his Spanish accent there. The producers approved it over the phone because they couldn't tell the recording quality was not perfect.
Movie Music
The original music for Highlander was created by Michael Kamen. The British rock band Queen also contributed several songs to the film. These included "A Kind of Magic" and "Princes of the Universe." The song "Princes of the Universe" later became the theme song for the Highlander TV series.
Brian May, Queen's guitarist, was inspired to write the song "Who Wants to Live Forever" after watching the romantic scenes between Connor and his wife Heather. This song became a very important part of the movie.
Even though Queen's album A Kind of Magic has many songs from the film, a complete soundtrack album for Highlander with all the movie's music has never been released.
Books and Other Stories
A book version of the film was written by Garry Kilworth. This book added more details to the story. For example, it explained how Heather found out Connor was immortal. It also showed more about the Kurgan's past and how he got his special sword.
The book also described Connor's friendship with another immortal, Kastagir, as being deeper. They talked about their fears together. The ending of the book also continued the story after Connor's final battle. It showed him saying goodbye to Rachel and then moving to Scotland with Brenda.
More Highlander Stories
The Highlander movie led to many more stories. There were two direct movie sequels. Highlander II: The Quickening came out in 1991, but many people didn't like it. Highlander III: The Sorcerer was released in 1994 and changed the story so that Highlander II didn't happen.
Later movies like Highlander: Endgame (2000) and Highlander: The Source (2007) followed the story of the TV show Highlander: The Series. Fans of the original movie and TV show didn't like these movies much. However, an animated movie called Highlander: The Search for Vengeance (2007) received good reviews. It told a new story with a different main character.
TV Shows
Christopher Lambert was asked to play Connor MacLeod again in a TV series. But he decided not to, so the show introduced a new character, Duncan MacLeod, played by Adrian Paul. Highlander: The Series started in 1992. Christopher Lambert did appear as Connor in the first episode. The show explains that Duncan is a man born much later than Connor. Connor finds Duncan when he discovers he is immortal and trains him.
The TV series also explains that Connor's big battle with the Kurgan still happened in 1985 in the show's story. But in the TV show's version, the Prize was not won because there were still many immortals alive, including Duncan. Connor and Duncan meet again in the movie Highlander: Endgame.
There was also an animated TV show called Highlander: The Animated Series from 1994 to 1996. This show was a science fiction version of the original film. It imagined a future where a meteorite caused a disaster on Earth. In this future, Connor MacLeod tries to help humanity, but he is killed by an evil immortal named Kortan. The show then follows a young immortal hero named Quentin MacLeod, who is trained by an old friend of Connor's.
Images for kids
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Theatrical release poster
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Scotland's Eilean Donan Castle and its bridge featured prominently in the film
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Bow Bridge in Central Park
