If I'm being perfectly honest, then I'd have to concede that 1985's Flesh+Blood from writer/director Paul Verhoeven really isn't all that much Fantasy than a good many folks have suggested it is.
You see, the story of dueling barbaric regimes in pursuit of the same lovely lady is really much more of a bloody and sensuous Period Piece than it is authentic Fantasy. One might argue that it very loosely incorporates a few Fantasy elements -- such as the kinda/sorta use of very primitive Science to engage in some of the most curious entanglements brought to film -- but I've always that even that supposition a bit of a stretch. However, there is a hint that perhaps some spectral and/or religious and/or supernatural elements at play extremely circumstantially (as it relates to the Rutger Hauer character claiming to act on 'divine inspiration'); and yet even that could be dismissed as a bridge to far when Flesh+Blood gets paired up with other Fantasy entries of the early to mid 1980's. It just doesn't measure up.
Still, I do mention it in this space on SciFiHistory.Net because it's often cited as part of a string of feature productions that put Hauer on the map in the world of genre entertainment. His participation in 1982's Blade Runner along with 1985's Ladyhawke truly delivered a presence that audiences embraced even though Flesh+Blood has him playing a kinda/sorta good-guy-bad-guy not quite out of his mind as we'd eventually see him capable of being aboard 1986's The Hitcher. Indeed, the actor was becoming a man of many talents in those days; and I think because I see so much of his potential that Flesh+Blood deserves a mention amongst other entries into the realms of the Fantastic. Disagree if you will.
In any event ...
Here's the straight skinny as already penned on the Daily Citation Page for June 10th:
On this day in 1985 (in the U.S.), audiences in attendance of the Seattle International Film Festival were treated to the exclusive theatrical premiere of Flesh+Blood. Written (in part) and directed by Paul Verhoeven, the Fantasy/Thriller starred Rutger Hauer, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Burlinson, and others. According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:
"In medieval Europe, a young girl from a noble family is obsessed with her captors - commoners."
For the record:
To the film's credit, Flesh+Blood earned a wee bit of attention from screenings on the film festival circuit.
ExtraExtra Alert:
In early 2025, I received a promotional new home video release of Flesh+Blood (1985) from a distributor in exchange for review coverage on SciFiHistory.Net. Interested readers can find my review right here.
-- EZ
You see, the story of dueling barbaric regimes in pursuit of the same lovely lady is really much more of a bloody and sensuous Period Piece than it is authentic Fantasy. One might argue that it very loosely incorporates a few Fantasy elements -- such as the kinda/sorta use of very primitive Science to engage in some of the most curious entanglements brought to film -- but I've always that even that supposition a bit of a stretch. However, there is a hint that perhaps some spectral and/or religious and/or supernatural elements at play extremely circumstantially (as it relates to the Rutger Hauer character claiming to act on 'divine inspiration'); and yet even that could be dismissed as a bridge to far when Flesh+Blood gets paired up with other Fantasy entries of the early to mid 1980's. It just doesn't measure up.
Still, I do mention it in this space on SciFiHistory.Net because it's often cited as part of a string of feature productions that put Hauer on the map in the world of genre entertainment. His participation in 1982's Blade Runner along with 1985's Ladyhawke truly delivered a presence that audiences embraced even though Flesh+Blood has him playing a kinda/sorta good-guy-bad-guy not quite out of his mind as we'd eventually see him capable of being aboard 1986's The Hitcher. Indeed, the actor was becoming a man of many talents in those days; and I think because I see so much of his potential that Flesh+Blood deserves a mention amongst other entries into the realms of the Fantastic. Disagree if you will.
In any event ...
Here's the straight skinny as already penned on the Daily Citation Page for June 10th:
On this day in 1985 (in the U.S.), audiences in attendance of the Seattle International Film Festival were treated to the exclusive theatrical premiere of Flesh+Blood. Written (in part) and directed by Paul Verhoeven, the Fantasy/Thriller starred Rutger Hauer, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Burlinson, and others. According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:
"In medieval Europe, a young girl from a noble family is obsessed with her captors - commoners."
For the record:
To the film's credit, Flesh+Blood earned a wee bit of attention from screenings on the film festival circuit.
ExtraExtra Alert:
In early 2025, I received a promotional new home video release of Flesh+Blood (1985) from a distributor in exchange for review coverage on SciFiHistory.Net. Interested readers can find my review right here.
-- EZ
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