Other Titles • Knightriders • George A. Romero's Knightriders (1981) • Knights (1981) • Knightriders - Ritter auf heißen Öfen (1981)
Synopses for Knightriders (1981)
1.
After years of dominating the midnight circuit with the likes of Night of the Living Dead, Martin, and Dawn of the Dead, George A. Romero took a departure from bona fide horror films to make this naturalistic tale of a traveling troupe of motorcycle-riding jousters. (Think Hell's Angels on Wheels goes to the Renaissance Faire.) While this may sound ludicrous on the surface, the film emerges as a powerful character study. When the success of their jousting tournaments--in which armor-clad bikers go at each other with real lances for the entertainment of county fair crowds--attracts the attention of bigtime promoters, creeping commercialism threatens to spoil their delicately constructed Camelot. The troupe is a mirror of King Arthur's court, complete with its King (Ed Harris), Merlin (Brother Blue), and Morgan le Fay (Tom Savini). Only they ride motorcycles, and try to knock each other off with maces. Ed Harris turns in a topnotch performance as Billy, the focus of the film, who goes progressively nuts as it becomes apparent he's losing his grip on the troupe (unconsciously playing out the final days of Camelot). Knightriders is thoroughly engrossing during the jousting tournaments and whenever Ed Harris is onscreen, but is less successful in-between, when toeing the line of the Arthurian Legend makes the film too mannered. And at 145 minutes, the film could have been trimmed a bit. But why cavil when presented with the spectacle of Ed Harris spinning slowly out of control? Watch for a cameo by Stephen King himself, playing a spectator debunking the jousting tournaments as "all fake," through ample mouthfuls of his hoagie. --Jim Gay
(15 votes)
2.
In George Romero's KNIGHTRIDERS, Sir William (Ed Harris) and his followers exist in a Camelot-like utopian state of their own devise, separate from mainstream society. Travelling from town to town and putting on a medieval circus and renaissance fair, they hold jousting matches on motorcycles, complete with full suits of armor. Within their isolated society, however, there are problems--Morgan (make-up effects artist Tom Savini) wants badly to usurp William’s King Arthur-like position as the leader of the troupe. William’s struggle to lead his followers on an honorable path also comes up against a serious obstacle when the media come calling and attempt to turn the troupe into celebrities, thus compromising all that they believe in.
Following his apocalyptic zombie classic, DAWN OF THE DEAD, Romero took a reprieve from the horror game with this singular character study, which just happens to have a good deal of motorcycle stuntwork thrown in for good measure. Written by Romero himself, this lengthy--but original--film is notable for its worthwhile sentiments on staying true to one’s self, as well as a fine early perfomance by Harris.
(15 votes)
3.
Camelot Is A State Of Mind.
Knightriders is the story of a troupe of motorcyclists who are members of a traveling Renaissance Faire. They move from town to town staging full medieval jousting tournaments with combatants in suits of armor, wielding lances, battle-axes, maces and broadswords. The spectacle of this magnificent pageant soon garners national attention much to the dismay of the current king of this Camelot.
A conflict arises as they try to maintain their fairy tale existence in a world wrought with corruption. Can they hold on to their Camelot state of mind? This is a finely crafted film written and directed by George A. Romero who brought us Night of the Living Dead and Creepshow and continues in his tradition of visual mastery here with Knightriders. Newsweek said of Romero's talents, "Romero's combination of wit and horror is the best since Hitchcock."
(15 votes)
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