Immortal ‘Highlander’ hits forty with a Collectors’ Box-Set…

For a film that’s about immortality, it’s somewhat ironic to find yourself celebrating said movie’s fortieth anniversary, but Highlander was, indeed, released all the way back in the distant Before Times of 1986. After something of a middling initial response and box-office, the movie gradually became one of the fantasy genre’s biggest cult successes.

By now, you likely know more of the specifics. Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) is a clansman alive in the Highlands of Scotland of the 1500s, but who somehow survives a ‘fatal’ attack by a mysterious warrior known as The Kurgan (Clancy Brown) who wants to decapitate him. But Connor doesn’t technically ‘survive’… the sword strike to his heart might have felled a normal person, but he comes back to life with no real understanding of his survival. Banished from his clan on suspicion of using dark magic, he finds love with the mortal Heather (Beatie Edney) but it is only the arrival of a flamboyant Spaniard/Egyptian (complete with a Scottish accent!) named Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez (Sean Connery) that reveals the truth. Connor (like Ramirez and The Kurgan) is that rare thing – an Immortal who can only be killed by decapitation. When that happens, a ‘Quickening’ occurs with the victor receiving all the life-force of the vanquished… a process that will continue until the very last Immortal is left and who will receive the Prize of unfathomable power to change the world as they see fit.

When Heather eventually passes from old age, Connor travels the world, learning more about the sword-work that may save his life. Through the years he becomes better at his craft and faces down various other Immortals… and ‘now’, in the New York of the mid-80s, the number of surviving Immortals has dwindled and the Kurgan has returned to seek out MacLeod once more… and for one last battle. because (all together now)…there can be only one!

The film (with a classic soundtrack by Queen) spawned a number of sequels, none of which quite lived up to the original – and some that, frankly, live in infamy – a beloved and inventive  six season television series (that had the time and space to explore the more nuanced advantages and disadvantages of such a long but dangerous life-style on both the protagonist and those for whom they cared) and a variety of other spin-offs.

But the original film and the franchise as a whole remains beloved by patient fans (whose loyalty is about to be paid off with a remake currently in production) and DVD releases of the original film always garner interest. The latest version is the StudioCanal edition celebrating the 40th anniversary with a Limited Edition and Collectors’ Edition / 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack.

It’s true that there have been quite a lot of releases of the Highlander film over the years (regular, re-releases, steelbooks etc.) and it’s likely most existing fans have at least one of those, but it’s no exaggeration to say that this fortieth anniversary edition may well be the most comprehensive with all the considerable extras involved… and with that reboot film wrapping up filming in some of the original locations, there’s more interest in the cult film than ever before.

Notwithstanding some of the fashion statements and a few dodgy effects, the film stands the test of time and it’s easy to see why writer Gregory Widen’s tale has stood the test of time.

Beyond a 4K restoration of Highlander itself, the contents of this release are comprehensive and a real treat.  There’s new artwork by Sophie Bland; a removable O-ring with additional info; a rigid slipcase with new artwork – displayable as clean artwork; Two-disc digipak; two posters; a 100-page collector’s booklet containing new essays and production materials;  From Script to Screen: In Search of Lost Scenes & Forgotten Immortals (including excepts from the script, scenes that were never filmed and scenes that changed drastically from page to screen  with new analysis from  Highlander expert Jonathan Melville. (While I would obviously and unashamedly recommend my own Fearful Symmetry guide to the Highlander franchise, Jonathan’s own tomes include A Kind of Magic and the forthcoming The Art and Making of Highlander. There’s also a 32-page booklet produced by Titan Comics.

 

The official list of contents reads…

DISC ONE – 4K BLU-RAY

  • Previously restored in 4K by STUDIOCANAL DOLBY VISION/HDR  presentation of the film.
  • THE IMMORTAL ATTRACTION OF HIGHLANDER: Looking back at four decades of Highlander magic
  • A KIND OF MAGIC: MUSIC OF THE IMMORTALS: A featurette on the Soundtrack
  • CAPTURING IMMORTALITY: Interview with photographer David James
  • THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE KURGAN: Clancy Brown remembers Highlander
  • Audio Commentary with author Jonathan Melville
  • Audio Commentary with Russell Mulcahy
  • Audio Commentary with Russell Mulcahy, William Panzer, and Peter Davis
  • Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature

DISC TWO – BLU-RAY

  • Previously restored in 4K by STUDIOCANAL
  • Interview with Russell Mulcahy
  • Interview with Christopher Lambert
  • Making of Documentary in 4 Parts
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Audio Commentary with Russell Mulcahy
  • Trailer
  • Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature

So – if there can be only one Highlander movie edition…. well, it should be only this one…

9/10

In the UK the set, released by StudioCanal this week, retails for £39.99, though some outlets may vary.  (The 4K UHD is Region Free.  The Blu-ray is Region B and will require a multi-regional capable player for those further afield…)