Knightriders (1981) 145m
Not the feature version of that TV show about the crime-fighter and his talking car, although it does sound just as silly in summary: A performance troupe in modern-day America motorcycles from town to town in full mediaeval regalia and stages combat with each other. This would be an odd choice for any director, but is certainly out of character for George A. Romero, who until this point was known only for his popular (though heavily cult-bound) horror films. I guess because it is so out of character that we have to assume that this was a personal project of the director's - the film he always 'wanted' to make.
Ed Harris is the self-appointed king of the motorcyclists, but there is a pretender to the throne (Romero's favorite makeup artist Tom Savini, who really looks the part as Morgan) who has more progressive ideas for the troupe. The twist is that the microcosm - or microkingdom - of the traveling players is unconsciously playing out the last days of Camelot, chivalry, and the whole Arthurian mythos. Harris is a throwback to an outmoded (and erroneous) notion of knights in shining armor - much like the legendary Arthur his world is overtaken by science (technology/machines) and reason (commerce/business). His romantic milieu is breaking down, and its conflicts are plain to see - half of the troupe is named after tales of Arthur and Robin Hood while the other half is nondescript and ordinary; his minstrels are drowned out by disco music; dangerous weapons are indistinguishable from props; one half of his men must replay battles against the other, again and again; and of course his knights ride motorcycles instead of horses. I have the feeling that this latter point was the main inspiration behind Romero's film (it dominated the film's advertising) and that the paradoxical image of knights jousting on motorcycles was of more interest to him that any desire to rework mediaeval mythology. Unfortunately, it's only when Romero is aware of what he's up to that the film has its clunkiest moments - Harris' dialogue may be in keeping with his character, but if that's so, then his character isn't inspiring, just drippy (his scenes with Merlin, for example). In fact any scenes where the characters address each other as 'my liege' or 'my king', or act as if they are bound to their artificial world are the ones that are least effective - whenever there's a conflict or confrontation we wonder whether it's based on personal issues or some wider concept inherited from the roles they have collectively locked themselves into. By the end we're ready to believe Harris should step down as king only because he's been playing the role too long and should just get back in step with the times.
Issues like these are not the heart of KNIGHTRIDERS, however, and the drawcard for many theatregoers in 1981 would have been the expertly handled action sequences - it didn't hurt that these would have cashed in on the MAD MAX films that were also around at the time. Abrupt conclusion to film pretty much denies all the naiveté that underpins its central idea. An unusual assortment of music helps this look like a product of the mid-seventies. Actually, it could also be read as a palimpsest about the end of the 1960s, under the more obvious Arthurian analogy - these guys come across more as burnt-out hippies than historical role-players. Watch for horror writer (and friend of Romero's) Stephen King in a cameo as a spectator.
sburridge@hotmail.com
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