Fire and Sword

This article is about the film. For the 2009 novel, see Fire and Sword (novel). For the 1884 novel, see With Fire and Sword.

Fire and Sword
Directed by	Veith von Fürstenberg
Screenplay by	Max Zihlmann
Starring	Christoph Waltz Antonia Preser Peter Firth Leigh Lawson
Country	West Germany
Language	German

Fire and Sword (German: Feuer und Schwert – Die Legende von Tristan und Isolde) is a 1982 West German romance/adventure film, directed by Veith von Fürstenberg. It is based on the legend of Tristan and Iseult.

The film won the Caixa de Catalunya in Best Cinematography and was nominated for the International Fantasy Film Award for Best Film.

Plot

As war rages between Cornwall and Ireland, the Cornish knight Tristan defeats Morholt, a formidable Irish warrior, in combat. Tristan himself is gravely injured and drifts out to sea, eventually landing on the coast of Ireland. He pretends to be a minstrel named Tantris and is treated at a convent by the Irish princess Isolde, who is disguised as a maid. As Tristan recovers, they fall in love—even after Isolde examines his sword and deduces that he killed Morholt—and he promises to return for her when he is called back to the Cornish court.

Tristan's uncle, King Marke of Cornwall, plans to establish peace through a political marriage to Isolde. Tristan volunteers to escort the princess to Cornwall. When he arrives in Ireland again, he and Isolde are each astounded to learn of the other's true identity. Tristan, who is fiercely loyal to the king, rejects Isolde's suggestion that they run away together. She prepares a potion that will cause its drinkers to fall senselessly in love forever and mixes it into both her and Tristan's wine. In Cornwall, Isolde weds Marke immediately but the potion exerts its influence on her and Tristan. They regularly meet in secret with the assistance of their servants, Brangäne and Gorvenal. Andret, a court advisor who seeks the throne, eventually exposes their tryst.

Confronted with the reality about his nephew and his wife, Marke orders their imprisonment and execution. Tristan escapes and Isolde is spared with the help of Tristan's friend Dinas. She is sentenced to live with a leper but is rescued by Tristan, and the lovers flee Cornwall. Three years later, Cornwall is under attack by the Irish, led by the traitorous Andret. Dinas finds Tristan and Isolde and urges them to return to the court and reconcile with Marke. Though Tristan is unwilling, Isolde agrees because she feels responsible for the resumption of the war. She returns to Cornwall and undergoes trial by ordeal, holding a red-hot iron to establish her innocence and restore peace.

Tristan travels to Brittany alone. He rescues a peasant woman from robbers and cynically baptizes her "Isolde". Some time later, he is mortally wounded and sends Gorvenal to ask Isolde of Ireland to visit him on his deathbed. Gorvenal returns to Cornwall, where Andret has taken the throne. Marke learns of Gorvenal's plan and agrees to mobilize his knights to safely escort Isolde out of Cornwall. Andret is killed in the ensuing commotion. As Isolde sails to Brittany, the jealous peasant woman lies to Tristan about the color of the sails on the returning boat, implying that Gorvenal's mission was unsuccessful. He dies, and when Isolde arrives to see him, she collapses in grief and joins him in death.

Cast

• Christoph Waltz as Tristan
• Antonia Preser as Isolde
• Leigh Lawson as King Marke
• Peter Firth as Dinas
• Walo Lüönd as Gorvenal
• Christine Wipf as Brangäne
• Kurt Raab as Ganelon
• Vladek Sheybal as Andret

Themes

Magic versus religion

The literary scholar Stefan Keppler-Tasaki wrote that the film is "clearly critical of religion". The Irish nuns initially consider leaving Tristan to die of his injuries, citing a lack of room at their convent. The film then juxtaposes religion and sorcery, emphasising Isolde's powers as an sorceress as she heals Tristan with the use of magical herbs. Other elements of the film symbolize the subversion of religion. During his escape, Tristan crashes through and destroys a stained glass icon of Saint George, patron of England, and Marke noticeably sets aside his personal wooden cross when he is rejected by Isolde.

References

Sources

• Keppler-Tasaki, Stefan (2014). "Crisis Discourse and Art Theory: Richard Wagner's Legacy in Films by Veith von Fürstenberg and Kevin Reynolds". In Johnston, Andrew James; Rouse, Margitta; Hinz, Philipp (eds.). The Medieval Motion Picture: The Politics of Adaptation. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 107–128. ISBN 978-1-349-29443-5.
• Kerdelhue, Alan (1987). "Feuer und Schwert, lecture matérielle du myth". In Buschinger, Danielle (ed.). Tristan et Iseut, mythe européen et mondial, Actes du Colloque des 10, 11 et 12 janvier 1986 (in French). Göppingen: Kümmerle. pp. 181–198. ISBN 978-3-87452-710-1.

External links

• Fire and Sword at IMDb