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The longer I review film, the more convinced I become that there truly are a limited number of plots, simply retooled with variations and settings.  Tristan + Isolde is said to be based on legends that may have spawned the Arthur, Guenevere, and Lancelot love triangle mythology.  And there are certainly themes reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet.  Screenwriter Dean Georgaris has distilled ancient folklore into a highly accessible romance punctuated by brutal violence.

It’s a time before the tribes of ancient Britain united under one ruler, fourteen hundred years ago.  Disorganized after the withdrawal of the Romans, English tribal warlords feud among themselves for power.  Consequently, King Donnchadh (David Patrick O'Hara) dominates England from Ireland.  We learn of his brutal oppression through Tristan’s young eyes; as a child he watches his parents slain and his village destroyed during an Irish raid.  He’s taken in by a tribal leader, Lord Marke (Rufus Sewell), and becomes a loyal adopted son and a fierce warrior.

As a young adult, Tristan (James Franco) is mortally wounded and cast out to sea in a flaming boat, a ritual funeral.  But fate has quite another destiny for this warrior.  Weather extinguishes the fire before it can harm him and the boat drifts to the shores of Ireland.  Donnchadh’s daughter, Isolde (Sophia Myles), finds him.  She cares little for war and that this dying man is her father’s mortal enemy; Isolde nurses Tristan back to health, concealing her true identity.  And as they spend more and more time together, they inevitably fall in love.

As his strength is restored, Tristan must flee to England before he can be discovered and slain.  And it’s here that the story takes an ironic twist.  Donnchadh devises a cunning plan.  He offers his daughter in marriage and the promise of peace and power to the victor of a tournament of combat among the leaders of the English tribes.  Donnchadh cleverly expects any potential for an alliance among the English lords that could threaten his dominance to crumble with the competition.  He is quite right.  Lord Marke, arguably the noblest and wisest among the tribal leaders, had been working toward unifying England.  Now that seems out of reach as his fellow tribal leaders seek ultimate power in England under the auspices of Donnchadh. 

Lord Marke sends Tristan as his champion and our hero has no idea that he is risking his life to win the hand of his beloved for his master and adopted father.  And win he does.  This places Tristan in a most unfortunate position.  Torn between duty and the painful longing for the woman he loves, he’s in agony.  As is she.  And even though they fight against their urges, fully realizing that they are putting at risk the cessation of a century of bloodshed, they succumb to inevitable betrayal. 

Ultimate redemption is made possible by Donnchadh’s denial of his daughter and his reneging on his agreement; he strikes the English when they are most vulnerable.  High drama indeed . . . arguably melodramatic.  But director Kevin Reynolds creates a dirty, muddy, visceral world in which blood is spilled with little provocation and civilization isn’t very civil.  It’s a convincing portrayal of tribal warfare and two appealing lovers caught in the brutality of their age.

The principal cast is uniformly excellent, projecting believable emotions as they deal with the conflicts - political, familial, conjugal - that threaten their existence.  None overplays a part.  Each avoids a performance as melodramatic as the circumstances.  Perhaps one can partially attribute the film’s qualities to the contributions of master filmmakers Ridley and Tony Scott in their roles as co-producers.  Here are two directors who most often are able to find precisely which cinematic buttons to push to solicit the intended audience reaction.  Tristan + Isolde exceeded my expectations.

The Video: How Does The Disc Look?

The film’s theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 is presented in anamorphic video.  This is a rare instance in which subtle mosquito noise is visible.  Halos are nicely suppressed, but in brightly lit, outdoor scenes, such as the long shot of Isolde walking down the beach toward Tistan’s hiding place, she’s surrounded by busy little bits of dancing video noise.  This effect is not visible in darker scenes.  The palette is dominated noticeably by gray and brown, emphasizing the mud and grime of the time.  Small object detail is quite good, as are finely grained textures.  Color accuracy is spot on based on very natural skin tones.  Shadow detail is also quite nice.  I didn’t notice any macroblocking. 

The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

There are two 5.1 tracks on this DVD: Dolby Digital and DTS.  Each is quite fine.  The surrounds are used effectively to create persuasive acoustic environments and a sense of space as well as locating off-screen action.  Deep bass is not present, surprising since I would have thought the sound designer would have used the bottom end during battles and hand-to-hand conflict to increase the emotional level of strikes and blows.  The orchestral score by Anne Dudley is very affecting and conveyed convincingly across a broad soundstage.  The dialog is distortion-free throughout.  The inevitable comparison between DTS and Dolby Digital once again gives the DTS track a slight edge for a more convincing timbre.

The alternate languages are in French and Spanish, each presented in Dolby Surround 2.0.  Optional subtitles are in Spanish and English.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

The DVD offers two feature-length audio commentaries, one by screenwriter Dean Georgaris, and one by producers Jim Lemley and Anne Lai.  As you might expect, Georgaris describes the evolution of the script and how the shooting script departs from what was actually shot.  The modifications were apparently a collaborative effort; he describes how he was on set to work out such changes with the director.  He’s a little dry and laid back, unlike the two producers, who seem to have a better time.  Perhaps Georgaris was lonely in the studio.  Lemley and Lai offer anecdotes from the shoot and complain a bit about how the film’s original bloodiness had to be toned down to achieve a PG-13 rating.  For example, blood was digitally removed from young Tristan’s face after the Irish raid early in the film.  They take us thorough the production, describing details as the film spools out.

There is a making-of featurette, Love Conquers All (29:11) that contains typical EPK content, and then goes further.  Cast members are interviewed about the film, its general plotline, and the nature of their characters.  A few words are offered concerning how this tale could have been the origin of the Arthur legend.  But then we’re educated about the difficulties of the shoot, including the Irish locations, funding problems, costuming, and how Ridley Scott would have liked to direct the film himself until Alien distracted him. 

There are image galleries that cover behind the scenes, production design, and costume design.  Interested viewers can expect to find over 200 pictures.  There are two versions of Gavin McGraw’s music video of “We Belong Together.”  The film’s theatrical trailer and a bunch of TV spots are also included.

Exclusive DVD-ROM Features: What happens when you pop the disc into your PC?

There are no DVD-ROM features on this DVD.