Tuesday, July 18, 2017

The Once and Future Romero


Yes, that's Ed Harris in the Knightriders film poster!

I was saddened to hear that George Romero passed away a few days ago. I have fond memories of a time about fifteen years ago when we lived near a great video store (remember those?) that had prominent shelves dedicated to certain directors: Romero, Herzog, Altman, etc. While I love Romero's zombie films, Knightriders (1981) is actually my favorite of his. It's an ensemble drama (Altman-esque) about a troupe of knights who joust on motorcyles at Renaissance Festivals. It's got his signature social commentary. Starring a young Ed Harris (pictured above) in the King Arthur-type role and Tom Savini in the Mordred-type role. A must see.

4 comments:

  1. I distinctly recall seeing it on cable as a wee lad of maybe 7 or 8, but not at a time when I could throughput the messages

    I was on an Excalibur/Knights bender, then, and this was probably a short-circuiter for my brain (LIKE EXCALIBUR WITH MOTORCYCLES). Anyway, now that I reflect I don't think my mom and dad shoulda let me watch excalibur at that age. HBO - things were different, then

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  2. I love this movie. Yes, it is cheesy and wears its mythology on its sleeve, but I absolutely love tyhis movie!

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  3. My favorite Romero-flick also, though the original Night of the Living Dead is a classic.

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  4. Knightriders is my favorite too, and it's based on actual events from an SCA tournament. Plus Stephen King has a cameo.

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