My private opinion of ESCORIAL

A fencing Jason Isaacs--in tights, no less!! Sorry--a historical drama concerning machinations and maneuverings in the court of Spain's Philip II, erstwhile husband to England's Queen Mary Tudor and dispatcher of the ill-fated Armada. Velvet and ruffed collars. Unfortunately, it appeared only sporadically in theatres, and is tough to find even on DVD.

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thunder
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Post by thunder » Mon Aug 31, 2009 5:34 am

Gillian wrote: Also that fight scene near the end was out of place. Maybe because it just seemed too comical. Reminded me of something you'd see in a Three Musketeers movie.
That scene reminded me of something I've seen in a silent movie...

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Post by grannybear » Mon Aug 31, 2009 10:58 am

Sounds like if Jason wasn't in it I would pass it by.

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Post by Hilary the Touched » Mon Aug 31, 2009 11:27 am

It wasn't horrible, grannybear. It's got gorgeous scenery, the story is important not just in Spanish history but to global outcomes as well, and there are some fine performances--but it's not great either.

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Helen8
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Post by Helen8 » Mon Aug 31, 2009 12:25 pm

. . . and don't forget the gorgeous costumes.

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Post by Gillian » Mon Aug 31, 2009 9:18 pm

It could've been better, I thought. Perhaps with a different director. The sets and locations were great and the costumes gorgeous, but the plot was a bit choppy, as if written by two totally different people. As I mentioned before, some scenes felt totally out of place and some were just downright ludicrous (peppercorns anyone?).

I don't think I'd watch it again, but I wouldn't talk anyone else out of watching it either. It's still good just for Jason's scenes, plus and the other eyecandy we've mentioned.

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thunder
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Post by thunder » Tue Sep 01, 2009 7:32 am

A lot of very good costume dramas have been made recently and it's natural too compare this film with them. This one isn't as good as some of them, but it's not terrible. (That's what I think).

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Post by Gilly_sirl » Thu Apr 22, 2010 3:37 pm

Is it absolutely impossible to find a copy of the DVD in North America?

'Cause I'd love to see this movie, even if it seems it's not great. For Jason, of course, but also for the costumes, the historical setting, and Julia Ormond, whom I kinda like!

Thanks for any info!

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Post by Angel Tavington » Thu Apr 22, 2010 8:32 pm

Gilly_sirl,

The dvd is available on Ebay (but it's region 2):

http://cgi.ebay.com/CONJURA-EL-ESCORIAL ... 4cebf5ddce


I'm not sure if you can find it in North America- sorry!




~me

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kjshd05
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Post by kjshd05 » Thu Apr 22, 2010 9:22 pm

you can buy a "Region Free" DVD player online....

some DVD players can be programmed 2B region free, but that takes
a bit more knowledge (there used 2B a website where you could find
your DVD player, and it would tell you how to reprogram it)...

Living here in the US, you CANNOT play a Region 2, on a DVD player you purchased here. US is REGION 1....

about 4 years ago, I bought a region free DVD player (allows me to watch Good and Escorial).....you can only buy them online, not in a store...

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Post by wolfsaver » Thu Apr 22, 2010 10:30 pm

Will there ever be region 1 dvds of these two films available? Many of us are anxious to see them. Is it thought there would be no interest here, or what?

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thunder
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Post by thunder » Fri Apr 23, 2010 1:41 am

VLC media player (free software) can play any region DVD on your computer. (In case you can't buy a region free DVD player...)

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kjshd05
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Post by kjshd05 » Fri Apr 23, 2010 5:49 am

wolfie, I highly doubt it (region 1 dvds for Good and Escorial)...I think they would have made them available, by now...

good idea thunder, although many people want to watch movies on their
larger, TV screens...older computers may also not support that software
(mine probably would not, and it's only 4 years old)....

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Post by grannybear » Fri Apr 23, 2010 6:58 am

Quite a few months ago I signed up with Amazon to be notified when Good region 1 was available. Never heard a word though they still have it listed as pending. Region 2 is available but not region 1.

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thunder
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Post by thunder » Fri Apr 23, 2010 7:10 am

kjshd05 wrote:good idea thunder, although many people want to watch movies on their
larger, TV screens...older computers may also not support that software
(mine probably would not, and it's only 4 years old)....
VLC player even worked at my antique work computer from 1998 (I had that at work up to 2007 before I cried my self to a new one...) So you definitely don't need a new advanced computer. You need a DVD player, though. (Very old computers often have CD players instead).

But when that's said: Jason should be watched on the biggest screen possible.:D
(Some new computers can be connected to TVs. (f.ex by HDMI))

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Post by Angel Tavington » Fri Apr 23, 2010 8:53 am

good idea thunder, although many people want to watch movies on their
larger, TV screens
Yeah...seeing Jason on a big tv screen is much better, eh? :D
I watch dvds on my computer sometimes (I have cyberlink installed). There are many options of region free dvd player software that allows you to view all movies from all regions. Some of them are free and available online for download.




~me

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