UK, USA, 1986
111m (USA – theatrical); 116m (Europe – theatrical; USA – video director’s cut), 3079 metres
35mm film, Technicolor, 1.85:1Dolby
English
A British/American science fiction film directed by Russell Mulcahy.
Plot Summary
Highland warrior Connor McLeod is astonished when, following a brutal battle with a rival clan, he is mortally wounded but fails to die. Cast out by his superstitious clansmen, he meets the wandering Egyptian Ramirez who tells him that they are both members of a race of immortals who can only be killed by decapitation. As the centuries pass, The time of the Gathering approaches, when the surviving immortals – including McLeod’s sworn enemy, The monstrous Kurgan – must fight to the death for ‘the prize.’ Eventually just McLeod and the Kurgan are left to face each other in combat…
Credits
Crew
Directed by: Russell Mulcahy
Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment presents a Davis/Panzer production. A Russell Mulcahy film. A Davis Panzer production, 20th Century Fox, EMI Films Ltd, Highlander Productions Limited
Executive Producer: E.C. Monell
Produced by: Peter S. Davis and William N. Panzer
Associate Producers: Harold Moskovitz, John Starke, Eva Monley
Screenplay by: Gregory Widen and Peter Bellwood & Larry Ferguson
Story by: Gregory Widen
Director of Photography: Gerry Fisher
Film Editor: Peter Honess
Music Score by: Michael Kamen
Production Sound Mixer: Tony Dawe
Costume Designer: Jim Acheson
Make Up Supervisor: Lois Burwell
Hair: Bobbie Smith, Jeanette Freeman
Special Effects Make Up Designers: Bob Keen, Nick Maley
Special Effects: Bob Keen, Bert Luxford, Garth Inns, Graham Longhurst, Martin Gutteridge
Production Designer: Allan Cameron
Cast
Christopher Lambert (Connor MacLeod/Russell Nash)
Roxanne Hart (Brenda Wyatt)
Clancy Brown (Kurgan/Victor Kruger)
Sean Connery (Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez)
Beatie Edney (Heather MacLeod)
Alan North (Lieutenant Frank Moran)
Jon Polito (Detective Walter Bedsoe)
Sheila Gish (Rachel Ellenstein)
Hugh Quarshie (Sunda Kastagir)
Christopher Malcolm (Kirk Matunas)
Peter Diamond (Aman Fasil)
Billy Hartman (Dugal MacLeod)
James Cosmo (Angus MacLeod)
Celia Imrie (Kate)
Alistair Findlay (Chief Murdoch)
Edward Wiley (Garfield)
James McKenna (Father Rainey)
John Cassady (Kenny)
Ian Reddington (Bassett)
Sion Tudor Owen (Hotchkiss)
Alternative Titles
Duelo Imortal – Portugal
Hegylakó – Hungary
Highlander – Es kann nur Einen geben – Germany
Highlander – kuolematon – Finland
Highlander, bara en överlever – Sweden
Highlander, l’ultimo immortale – Italy
Highlander: Akuma no senshi – Japan
Los Inmortales – Spain
Niesmiertelny – Poland
Links
Sequels
Highlander II: The Quickening (1990)
Highlander (1992-1998)
Highlander III: The Sorcerer (1994)
Highlander: The Animated Series (1994-1995)
Highlander: The Raven (1998)
Highlander: Endgame (2000)
Highlander: The Search for Vengeance (2007)
References
Periodicals
- Cinefantastique vol.15 no.5 (January 1986) p.11 – article
- Cinema Papers no.59 (September 1986) p.48
- City Limits no.256 (28 August 1986) pp.16-17; 21 – illustrated interview with Russell Mulcahy; review
- Écran Fantastique no.67 (April 1986) pp.23-25 – illustrated interview with Greg Widen
- Écran Fantastique no.67 (April 1986) pp.4; 20-22 – illustrated review; illustrated interview with Christopher Lambert
- Empire June/July 1989 p.99 – review
- Empire no.208 (October 2006) pp.66-67 – illustrated article (The top 10 movie mentors by Dan Jolin)
- Empire no.241 (July 2009) pp.124-130; 150 – illustrated article (Back story: There can be only one… by Owen Williams); illustrated RVD review (At Home/DVD Reissue: Highlander: Immortal Edition by Kim Newman)
- Empire no.55 (January 1994) p.36 – letter (Q & A by Richard Trezise)
- Films and Filming no.372 (September 1985) pp.12-13
- Films and Filming no.381 (June 1986) p.34
- Films and Filming no.383 (August 1986) pp.30-32 – illustrated with Christopher Lambert
- Le Film Francais no.2029 (22 March 1985) p.2
- The Hollywood Reporter vol.291 no.5 (10 March 1986) p.3
- Interzone no.17 (Autumn 86) p.25 – review (by Nick Lowe)
- Monthly Film Bulletin vol.53 no.631 (August 1986) pp.236-237
- Première March 1986 p.9 – review (by Michèle Halberstadt)
- Screen International no.1485 (21 January 2005) pp.27, 29 – illustrated article (The pioneers: A tale of two franchises by Ross Johnson)
- Screen International no.477 (22 December 1984) p.2
- Screen International no.488 (16 March 1985) p.2
- Screen International no.489 (23 March 1985) p.6
- Screen International no.490 (30 March 1985) pp.2; 4
- Screen International no.491 (6 April 1985) p.316
- Screen International no.503 (29 June 1985) p.29
- Screen International no.524 (23 November 1985) p.4
- Screen International no.556 (12 July 1986) p.2
- Sight and Sound vol.11 no.6 (June 2001) p.59 – DVD review (Homemovies: reviews by Geoffrey Macnab)
- Smash Hits 27 August – 9 September 1986 p.51 – review
- Sounds 10 January 1987 p.19 – review
- Starburst no.228 (August 1997) p.63 – video review (Videofile by David Bossom)
- Starburst no.266 (October 2000) pp.38-45 – illustrated article (Highlander: the end of the game? by Grant Kempster)
- Starburst no.95 pp.14, 16 – illustrated article
- Starlog no.105 (April 1986) pp.29-32 – illustrated interview with Christopher Lambert (Christopher Lambert: immortal Highlander by Adam Pirani)
- Stills no.20 (June/July 1985) p.29
- Strange Adventures no.54 (vol.5 no.6 June 1994) pp.8-9 – illustrated review (by William D. Andrews)
- Televisual May 1986 p.11
- Time Out no.836 (27 August 1986) p.27 – illustrated interview with Russell Mulcahy
- Variety 12 March 1986 p.16
- Video Today October 1986 p.57 – review
- Widescreen Review no.61 (June 2002) p.91 – illustrated DVD review (DVD video: fantasy adventure: Highlander by Perry Sun, Gary Reber)
Newspapers
- Daily Mirror 29 August 1986 p.A6 – review
Books
- The Best 80s Movies by Helen O’Hara pp.114-115 – illustrated review
- The Films of the Eighties by Robert A. Nowlan and Gwendolyn Wright Nowlan p.257
- Horror and Science Fiction Films IV by Donald C. Willis p.231 – credits
- Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Film Sequels, Series, and Remakes by Kim R. Holston and Tom Winchester pp.259-261 – credits, review
- The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Fantasy by David Pringle (general ed.) p.133 – illustrated credits, review
- Variety Science-Fiction Movies by Julian Brown (ed.) p.53 – illustrated credits, review
