The Princess and the Warrior

This film was playing in our little theater here, as part of the Beyond Normal Films promotion about a year & a half ago. I must say that before then, I had never heard of Tom Tykwer.

Since then, he has become 1 of my favorite writers & directors. I immediately went out & got the highly acclaimed *Lola rennt* & I must say that I was very impressed. I also got to check out his most recent film *Heaven* as part of this year's Beyond Normal ticket; I LOVED it.

If you are not familiar with Tykwer's work, I would suggest you start with *Der Krieger.* The story has several elements that almost everyone will enjoy & although the story may be a little slow in a few parts, it is nonetheless, interesting. It is not really a film for kids though.

I was once a little intimidated by films in a language I could not understand (German, for instance). There were several times that I did not even have to read the subtitles to know what was going on, it was great & even a little inspiring to me for wanting to learn some German (Danke schön, Tom). I encourage you all to check this flick out if you have not yet.

My rating: 8/10

The story centres around two characters: A nurse in a psychiatric ward and a jobless petty thief turned bank robber. Normality is not present in either of them - she is so much a part of the clinic that she refers to "outside" with the same kind of mystified fear you'd expect from the patients, and he has a serious melancholy problem, crying freely and frequently, and flirting with death. Their lives intertwine when he (unknowingly) causes her to be hit by a truck, only to save her life a few minutes later. From then on, she has an anchor in the outside world - the memory of him and how he saved her, and she tries everything to find him again, only to be rejected.

I watched this movie without a clear idea of what it might be. From the posters I knew it wouldn't be an action movie, or as fast-paced as Run Lola Run. But somehow I didn't expect a sweet romantic comedy either. So, when the movie turned out to be a slow, artistic, abstract one, I was slightly surprised, but not particularly disappointed.

So, what can you expect? It's not "Wings of Desire", but neither is it "City of Angels" - this movie sits in the middle between artistic (boring) stuff and entertainment. Clearly, the director enjoys telling the story visually, and the soundtrack sounds a bit too Run Lola Run to fit this movie - quite honestly, it's the biggest weakness. Expect good acting, but little action. Lots of story, but few words and little dialogue. It is hard to describe the experience of watching this movie. The only word I can think of is ethereal. It was interesting, but, to be honest, certainly not my usual taste in movies. Perhaps, if it weren't the always enchanting Franka Potente in the roll, I wouldn't have enjoyed it at all.

Watch it if you like something slightly different. Just don't expect too much - expect a love story that belongs in a psychiatric asylum, and you'll be fine.

6/10

'Der Krieger und de Kaiserin' (2000), translated as 'The Princess and Warrior' is brought to our screens by 'Run Lola Run' director, Tom Tykwer. For myself 'Run Lola Run' was an excellent film, and i would say that this film is good in its own way. Looking at this film in comparison with Tykwer's previous debute, it doesn't have the same energy rush or rythmic motivational feel to it. However, we have to bear in mind that this is a different film entirly and audiences of 'Run Lola Run' are possibly full of predertermined expectations of Tykwer's new film, based on the previous.

This film is stylish, if not more stylish than than 'Run Lola Run', despite being quite slow moving, it does make you feel 'locked' to see the film through to the end. This film is a captivating experience which will exhilarate and 'move' you in the quest for Sissi's (Franke Potente (Run Lola Run)) survival and then her quest to seek out Bono and help him to the end.

OK, maybe not the 'complexist' of story lines, but it works, and is good.

This is a enigmatic love story, and really if your more inclined to a Hollywood, big-budget, huge special effects etc film, then maybe this isn't the one for you. Personally, this is a slick (the film-making), stylish, captivating film and i would recommend it to anyone who likes a 'visual' film (i know that sounds mad, but e.g. very visual and superb camera angles etc)!

See it before you buy it, because it might not be your cup of tea!

8/10

Having loved Tykwer's impressively energetic RUN, LOLA, RUN (1998), I was really looking forward to watching his follow-up feature but, somehow, I never managed it until now (I did get to watch his subsequent film, HEAVEN [2002]). Thankfully, it was worth the wait and the result is almost as good. While the film is long and often rambles on rather aimlessly, it is never boring and, at times, disarmingly inventive and emotional; the leading players, especially the enchanting Franka Potente, have a lot to do with the latter quality. THE PRINCESS AND THE WARRIOR's main themes are matters of chance and fate but it also features an elaborate bank robbery and a long stretch of it takes place in an insane asylum (where Potente practices some unorthodox therapy on a couple of her patients) which is not too far removed from the one seen in ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (1975).

This is a modern fairy tale, treat and appreciate it as so. The characters are bold, and their actions are representative of who they are than what actual people do. I say this because I noticed every negative review of this film was caught up in looking for realism- there isn't any. The setting may be proposed as so but the method through which the story is told unfolds like a performance piece.

This film is brilliant- stark personalities, dynamic relationships, and a mix of modern, classical, and fanciful direction. The allegorical context is brilliant when mulled over. I would compare it to `Last Tango in Paris'.