Knightriders

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Knightriders

Original 1981 theatrical poster
Directed by George A. Romero
Produced by Richard P. Rubinstein
Written by George A. Romero
Starring Ed Harris
Gary Lahti
Tom Savini
Amy Ingersoll
Patricia Tallman
Music by Oscar Brown, Jr.
Donald Rubinstein
Cinematography Michael Gornick
Editing by Pasquale Buba
George A. Romero
Distributed by United Film Distribution Company
Release date(s) April 10, 1981 (USA)
Running time 145 min.
Language English
IMDb profile

Knightriders (also known as George A. Romero's Knightriders) is a 1981 film written and directed by George A. Romero. It was filmed entirely on location in Pennsylvania.

Contents

[edit] Summary

The story is about a group of travelling jousters and performers who are cracking under the pressure of personal problems and failure to live up to their ideals. They joust on motorcycles in pseudomedieval armor, allowing for some bizarre images and excellent stuntwork. The members of the troupe adopt names and costumes derived from a combination of the Arthurian cycle and medieval legends (for instance, there's both a Merlin and a Friar Tuck), and portray these roles in their lives together.

After a slick promoter offers to "handle" the group by arranging gigs at state fairs and other large events, the group divides into factions. Some follow the promoter, hoping for money, security and fame, while the quixotic King Billy refuses to compromise on the ideals with which he founded the group. Eventually the factions reunite in a grand melee to decide who will lead. The eventual downfall of the group is intended to mirror the inner conflicts that ultimately brought down Camelot.

The lead role of King Billy is played by Ed Harris (in his third film). Stephen King (and his wife Tabitha) have a 20 second cameo.

George Romero has claimed the medieval hobbyist organization, the Society for Creative Anachronism, to be one inspiration for the film. Thematically, the characters' philosophical conflicts between money and security on the one hand, and being true to their vision on the other, echoes the situations of independent filmmakers, who often must reconcile financial concerns with creative control.

The film was initially deemed too long, resulting in a 145 minute runtime being edited to 102 minutes in its German release.

[edit] Sequel

A sequel entitled Knightriders 2 has been announced, with a budget of around $1-3 million.[1] The company behind this sequel is Taurus Entertainment, who were also responsible for the critically panned, unofficial Romero in-name-only sequels, "Day of the Dead 2: Contagium" & "Creepshow III".

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Knightriders 2 on the way

[edit] References

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Films directed by George A. Romero