Yesterday, I watched mine lovable The 13th Warrior. It corroborated about I must have an own theater in basement and I saw that Jerry Goldsmith composed wonderful music, but I felt multiple time that this melody doesn’t fit. Some hours ago today, I’ve listened intended Graeme Revell’s score. It is what film needs. Mystery, describing of cultures and music tells and characterizes events of a movie. In some pieces use instruments, which were emblematic in time when events occur and that recreates it. I so badly, badly want to see John McTiernan’s flick version, which supposed to exist if it’s cassette wasn’t destroyed.
I see implementation of it is more possible for today by that a picture got a cult status and a main personage is Arab who is “intelligent and wise” as says John McTiernan would get more support in nowadays extremely political correct America. I think, there wasn’t an obstacle that a Spanish actor performed this personage. Personally, Antonio Banderas has resemblance with Arabs what is definitive for me. And it absolutely probable that he has that blood due to Iberian Peninsula was occupied by them for centuries. Studio (a film was made Touchstone Pictures, which is division created by Disney in 1984.) wanted to rid from this background, a fact that Banderas’s character of that nationality and removal of Arabian music from soundtrack. Absolutely strange, because it deprives point of protagonist’s arrival to Vikings. Nevertheless, his name hears and culture demonstrates. Studio’s commercialized vision for gritty and cruel novel was turning it into PG-13 adventure movie. Later they decided that it will R-rated what brought to filming of additional cruel scenes. McTiernan said that he would staged in other way if it was aimed on higher rating initially.
Reshooting was confrontation of visions of Michael Crichton and John McTiernan. Vladimir Kulich recalled his experience that he participated in scene of one director then moved to set and did same scene with other filmmaker. He will become friends with Crichton who then said to an actor that his cut will final as it eventually ended. However, Kulich considers McTiernan’s version as the best. He likes an original title Eaters of the Dead, which studio didn’t accept what was reasonable by that commercially it would scare people. Michael Crichton put The 13th Warrior as name, which isn’t poor and makes wonderful characterization of the film, but a novel’s writer saw reasonable to change it after he was watering grass at his house and met with a neighbor with whom had conversation and the last called title Eaters of the Dead for a “scary movie” and “just terrible horror movie”. Michael Crichton was an artist in writing a book and became commercial in having involvement in it’s adaptation in which he was one of producers. His editing of a flick was cuts, which were made for giving a dynamic pace. John McTiernan always stayed as an artist. Two weeks ago, he said “Look, Michael is dead and I don’t want to say unpleasant things about him but he had… he had a need. He was an extraordinary novelist and he failed as a filmmaker. And he had an emotional need about that.” McTiernan considers The 13th Warrior as his flick by saying that difference in three shots what has of confusing due to his version is longer on twenty-five minutes. I suppose, removal include fighting scenes, because they have a cut look.
There is known that appearance of Wendol’s leader wasn’t in McTiernan’s vision who called it’s place “silly”, which in his opinion that a character doesn’t show before. Actually, I see this idea is wonderful by showing that slaying of shaman and heading person is key for defeating an enemy. Interesting, how final battle ends in Eaters of the Dead? Moreover, the shaman in one scene too, but McTiernan isn’t against of it. However, I don’t like that Kulich’s hero Biliwyf hits the leader by a sword in stomach and it looks as kick by stick instead a sharp thing. It’s strike causes falling from a horse and no showing that he got wound. And there wasn’t necessity to show glance before making a significant turning of the sword, because it hurts realism.
Another known detail in Wendol’s shaman, a scene with which has no difference in staging as says Kulich. McTiernan followed to novel’s vision that the shaman is an old woman and Susan Willis played her whereas Crichton considered that an elder personage willn’t reflect positive on warrior group and made her younger by casting Kristen Cloke.
Crichton, as everybody, wanted Stellan Skarsgard on part of Biliwyf. John McTiernan was one who saw Vladimir Kulich for this role and he achieved it. I didn’t read the novel, but Skarsgard takes for miscasting in playing a leader of brutal men. It’s character was a spectacular performing disclosure of Vladimir Kulich as a grandiose actor. He is coherent for a Viking king. A Czech actor explained box-office failure in that studio didn’t care. There wasn’t a proper marketing campaign and no premiere – Disney just tossed The 13th Warrior in movie theaters. The wide audience wasn’t acknowledge, but release on VHS and later on DVD was a large cash flow.
I don’t share opinion with John McTiernan about directing of Michael Crichton. I consider the last as a good one filmmaker who staged splendid The Great Train Robbery, Runaway and totally astonishing Westworld, but McTiernan’s vision in directing is powerful than his what makes wishful to see that cut, which I believe is incredible stronger. Certainly, it would be magnificent if Eaters of the Dead was R-rated in beginning. Be damned Disney.
