KNIGHTRIDERS

Billy (Ed Harris) is King of a travelling community who are devoted to living life in a medieval manner. They don't do things by halves either: the film opens with footage of him sleeping naked in forage with his mate Linet (Amy Ingersoll); when he rises, he bathes in the local lake and catches his dinner on the end of a homemade fishing rod.

The troupe that Billy presides over earn a small living from travelling to various towns and staging jousts on motorcycles. The audiences treat it as a bit of fun but the performers themselves believe in their chosen path and live to a strict code of honour as a result. We even characters called Merlin (Brother Blue) and Little John (Ken Foree).

However, where there is a leader there is always an underdog who secretly covets their position. In this instance it's Morgan (Tom Savini), a dashing showman who bucks against Billy at every turn: when an unscrupulous cop turns up at their latest show attempting to bribe them, Billy sends him packing despite Morgan's protestations; later, when businessmen with fat wallets offer a chance at the big time, Billy stays true to the group's 'outside of society' type mantra - much to Morgan's chagrin. Billy, after all, won't even give his autograph to a desperate pre-teen fan, such is his loathing of commercialism.

When Billy falls foul of the aforementioned cop and spends a stint in the local jail, Morgan's unrest is given the opportunity to develop and influence others within their group.

But, can any good come of Morgan's desires to bring the group's talents to the mainstream in a bid to taste riches?

Following the success of 1978's DAWN OF THE DEAD, writer-director George A Romero was offered financing for his next three films. In a deal that suited the independent ideals of both him and his Laurel Entertainment production company, he took the offer. Disconcertingly for his financiers, United Film Corporation, KNIGHTRIDERS was the first film he made with their money.

Why 'disconcertingly'? Because here was a bastion of indie horror, revered chiefly for making two of the most seminal horror films in recent memory, making the bold move of stepping away from what he was known for and delivering a 146-minute drama which concerned itself more with themes and character subplots than exploitation crowd-pleasing formulae.

KNIGHTRIDERS is indeed an obvious, deeply personal project. In this disc's bonus features, Savini remarks that Bill Hinzman (former Romero associate and actor on the original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD) would call the film "autobiographical" or its director. That is, KNIGHTRIDERS is rather brazen in its aspirations to act as an allegory for the director's resistance to working within the Hollywood system. Harris' character can be read as a direct fictitious version of Romero: a fiercely independent auteur, a natural leader, one who is increasingly frustrated by the money men who lurk in the wings trying to buy his creative soul.

As a personal endeavour, the film is undeniably potent. Its sincerity is tangible from pretty much the opening frame to the last. The entire cast appear to be totally complicit in Romero's vision too, as they deliver committed and convincing performances throughout. For many of them I'd assume they're simply relishing in the meatiest roles of their entire careers, but even if that was the assumption they were making at the time, they give it their all. Consequently, the sense of community is never anything less than authentic.

It's also warming to the cockles to see Romero bring together such a trusted bunch of pals and former colleagues for the film's making. Savini, cinematographer Michael Gornick, producer Richard P Rubinstein, Christine Forrest (who he married on the last day of the shoot), Ken Foree, John Amplas ... they're all here, adding to that sense of family that brings an inevitable sense of comfort-fit and camaraderie to proceedings. Look out for Stephen King in an early cameo too - he was on the set because he was working on the CREEPSHOW screenplay with Romero at the time, and the character he briefly plays here is essentially a dry run of Jody Verrill.

The stunt work is pretty amazing (and dangerous-looking, as the commentary attests), all of which is filmed with skill by Romero. Admittedly, some of the more pedestrian moments in the film are just that: a combination of low budget and the fact that Romero isn't the most visually expressive director do result in some of the non-action sequences having all the grace and allure of an episode of "Dr Quinn Medicine Woman".

These moments become noticeable because of the film's biggest flaw: editing. The whole thing is too long and suffers in terms of pacing as a result. Kudos to Romero for wanting to explore each character in such depth (sub-plots include a confused homosexual member of the troupe who bears a passing resemblance to Mickey Flanagan), but it never reveals enough to justify the manner in which the middle hour of the film sags.

Having said that, the film is never deathly dull. On the contrary, I would say KNIGHTRIDERS' strong points outweigh its bad so much that it emerges as Romero's most satisfying film outside of his original DEAD trilogy and MARTIN.

Arrow Video bring KNIGHTRIDERS to the UK domestic market in a nice dual format release - one region 2 DVD disc, and a region B encoded blu-ray disc. The latter was made available for review purposes.

The film, presented in its full 2-and-a-half-hour director's version, looks fantastic in this 1080p HD presentation. Correctly framed at 1.85:1 and enhanced for 16x9 televisions, the transfer starts off a tad underwhelming during the opening titles (the first 4 minutes) but after that boasts incredible amounts of clarity thanks to the use of a very clean print and a healthy bit rate having been employed. Colours really do pop off the screen at you, while sequences that previously looked drab or dark on home video really do have a new lease of life now. Flesh-tones are extremely accurate throughout, blacks are free from any hint of compression ... Arrow Video have served the film well indeed.

English dual mono audio is provided on the disc, and is given the benefit of a new lossless Master HD mix. It sounds great, very clear and evenly balanced for the duration of playback. There is no unscheduled background noise to report upon. Optional English subtitles are well-written and easy to read at all times.

The disc opens to an animated main menu page which makes good use of the film's rousing score. Pop-up menus include a scene-selection menu allowing access to the main feature via 12 chapters.

Bonus features begin with an audio commentary track that was originally recorded for Anchor Bay US's long out-of-print DVD release from over a decade ago. It finds Romero in conversation with Savini and moderator Chris Stavrakis. Other contributors dip in out of the track, including Amplas and Romero's wife Christine. This informal approach suits the anecdotal nature of the track well, with all concerned on jovial form as they look back fondly on the production and continue a 'family' vibe. It's a long haul, certainly, but it makes for a surprisingly fun listen regardless.

Next up are three all-new featurettes recorded for this release - in HD - by High Rising Productions:

"The Genesis of a Legend" is a 13-minute chat with Harris. Away from the make-up artists and studio lights, Harris looks alarmingly old and frail here but talks enthusiastically about his first leading role. He has the odd giggle about certain memories of the shoot, and appears to have a healthy amount of respect form Romero.

Savini gets 12 minutes in the spotlight during the following "A Date with Destiny" featurette. As ever, he makes for an erudite and extremely lively interviewee. He speaks of the injuries the stuntmen enduring on the shoot, his prowess as an actor, how Romero had to change the film's title from KNIGHTS because John Boorman was already using it for what would become EXCALIBUR (note how Romero's film has a trademark logo next to its title when it appears on screen!), reciting lines from CAMELOT with Doug Bradley ... You just know he'd have gone on for hours if allowed to. And been entertaining for the duration.

"Medieval Maiden" spends an illuminating, oddly touching 17 minutes with Tallman. She's clever, sincere and open - and movingly affectionate about this film, its director and the friends she met on the shoot. We also discover that she had an abusive father, and that she now has a successful career as a stuntwoman. Complete with well-intended tips on the key to happiness and an insight into her casting in Savini's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD remake, this welcome addition even ends on the lovely note of "what transpired (from making KNIGHTRIDERS) were some really true friendships". Aah.

The film's original theatrical trailer is presented in standard definition and is bizarrely blown-up so as to omit half the onscreen text. It's an interesting relic that doesn't do the film its advertising justice - but it does at least demonstrate how exemplary the HD restoration of the main feature is.

Two American TV spots round things off on the disc.

The DVD also included in this set does, I gather, contain the same content in standard definition.

Also available as part of this impressive set, but not available for review, are double-sided reversible cover artwork and a booklet containing new liner notes from Brad Stevens along with the reproduction of an archival interview with Romero.

It may not be to everyone's tastes but if you're a fan of the film or just plain curious, KNIGHTRIDERS has never been served better than on Arrow Video's excellent blu-ray.

Review by Stuart Willis