"Before Romeo and Juliet, there was..."
The 2006 film based on the legend of Tristan and Iseult, directed by Kevin Reynolds and produced by Ridley Scott. It stars James Franco and Sophia Myles as the eponymous lovers of the title; they fell in love after Tristan is left for dead and the Irish princess Isolde and her nurse tend to his wounds, causing the affection between Tristan and Isolde to grow, but things turn sour when Isolde (who is deeply in love with Tristan) learns she is instead to be betrothed to his lord and father figure Marke. The film also attempts to be as realistic as possible for the setting, one example being that there is no mention of King Arthur, who usually is present, at least in the background, of most versions of the legend.
Contains examples of the following tropes:
- Adaptation Distillation: Definitely shorter than some of the interpretations.
- Adaptational Nationality: In the legend Tristan is a Cornish knight and thus a Celtic Briton. In the beginning of the movie, it's established that Tristan is Jutish and raised by Marke, the Celtic lord of Cornwall. This comes from the movie lumping "Pict, Celt, Angle, Jute and Saxon" all under the British tribes against the Irish in the wake of Rome's withdrawal from the British isles. In reality and in early Arthurian legend, the Jutes were a Germanic group related to the Angles and Saxons, and they along with the Celtic Picts, Scottish (both distinct groups from Scotland) and Irish were rivals to the Celtic Britons.
- An Arm and a Leg: Marke gets his hand chopped off when he saves the boy Tristan's life. Years later, he points out his missing hand when he wishes he hadn't.
- Annoying Arrows: Multiple characters take arrows in combat. At most, they take a few seconds to remove and the character continues on. Near the end, one character takes an arrow to the back, mid torso; he looks annoyed and charges into battle, arrow still sticking out of his back.
- Artistic Licence – History: While the Irish did actually invade Britain at one point during the Dark Ages, their forces were nowhere near as powerful as shown in the film. British forces were more concerned with fighting off the Anglo-Saxons than the Irish.
- Bittersweet Ending: Tristan dies during the epic battle at the end, though Isolde is left alive, mourning her love. Potentially, it could have a been a Downer Ending, since most adaptations of the story usually end with both the lovers dying together.
- Composite Character: The legend's association with King Arthur usually has him in the background as The High King whom Marke is (at least in name) allied with and subordinate to as king/lord of Cornwall. Here, while Arthur does not directly appear, Marke is cast as the Arthur-figure, who aims to unify the British as their high king against the Irish.
- Intimate Lotion Application: One scene has Isolde rubbing an ointment into Tristan's chest wound in an intimate fashion, and she's embarrassed when Bragnae walks in on them, instantly pulling back her hand from his chest.
- Love Triangle: Isolde loves Tristan, Marke is betrothed to Isolde for political reasons, Tristan loves Isolde. Made complicated by the fact that Marke and Tristan love each other as surrogate father and son.
- Meaningful Name: Counts for all the retellings: "Tristan" alludes to "triste" (French for "sad"), which foreshadows the Downer Ending of the love story.note
- Mortal Wound Reveal: To Tristan near the beginning of the film. His wound initially appears not that serious, but just as we're informed that the weapon was poisoned he collapses, apparently dead. Being the protagonist,
he gets better, but his friends don't know that. - Pragmatic Adaptation: Pretty much necessary.
- Related in the Adaptation: Inverted. Marke is Tristan's uncle in the mythology, but in the film he is Tristan's father's friend who saves his life when his parents are killed by Irish raiders and raises him like a son. The role of Marke's nephew is instead given to the character Melot, who was not related to Marke in the prior sources.
- Romantic Runner-Up: Marke, who marries Isolde. For added salt in the wound, Tristan wins Isolde's hand on his behalf, not realising until it's too late.
- Someone to Remember Him By: Mentioned briefly at the end by Isolde, who is presumably pregnant with Tristan's child.
- Spared by the Adaptation: Unlike in the original story, Isolde survives.
- Star-Crossed Lovers: Kind of a given, considering its foundation in the tragic legend.
- Together in Death: Averted, Isolde lives and speaks the last lines of the film - about Tristan.
