Product: The Last Unicorn [VHS] (1982)
Rating: 5.0
The Last Unicorn: A Magical Masterpiece
Peter S. Beagle, one of the modern era's finest story-tellers (and certainly the *premiere* writer of fantasy in contemporary literature), has written in the preface of his "The Fantasy Worlds of Peter S. Beagle" (1978) that,"The Last Unicorn is the book that people know who don't know anything else I've ever written; it will probably haunt the rest of my career..." His prediction has not gone unrealized, and with good reason. The story of a unicorn who fears she is the last of her kind in the world and sets out to find what may have happened to the others is a world class example of a story thoughtfully, intelligently, and unforgettably told.The same holds true for the screen adaptation of Beagle's novel, primarily for one reason and one reason only: it is based on a screenplay written by Beagle himself. He remains overwhelmingly faithful to the original story, preserving not only the major portions, but the more subtle details as well.The film explores the relationship between identity and illusion. It is not (repeat NOT) a happy story full of whimsy and silly horned creatures prancing in meadows of dandelions. It explores mythology, reality, art, magic, greed, sexuality, and other such adult themes. It is not a film for the immature (which is certainly not restricted to those who happen to fall under a certain age group) and if you deem it a "kiddie" flick solely because it is animated, be prepared for a rude shock.The animation, though an early example of the then budding art form of anime, is splendid. The opening sequence features the famous "Unicorn Tapestries" and are expertly combined with the initial credits. More splendid than any other drawn figure in the film, however, is the Unicorn herself. She is shown in the most magically delicate depiction I have ever seen for mythology's most popular and cherished hero.Part of the magic which the film generates lies in its absolutely fantastic voice performances, led by the peerless Mia Farrow who lends the unicorn a tragic innocence with her emotionally aware dialogue delivery. Christopher Lee is pat perfect as the consciously mad King Haggard. A truly brilliant performance. Angela Lansbury, for all her performances in the past as celluloid's ideal mum/nanny, puts tangible terror and self-delusion in the character of the faded witch Mommy Fortuna. Arkin voices Schmendrick capably, by turn stoic and clumsy, while Tammy Grimes(Molly) puts in yet another terrific performance as a woman wounded, but not defeated, by Fate. Robert Klein is inspired in his cameo as the Butterfly, and Jeff Bridges is suited to the character of Lir.Though he is a dependable film critic, Leonard Maltin knows not what he speaks of when it comes to the soundtrack of this film. It is brilliant. It is unforgettable. The title track remains one of the most haunting songs ever composed for a feature, and the combined efforts of Jimmy Webb and AMERICA are a listener's delight. Especially memorable are the tracks "Man's Road" and "In the Sea". True, the soundtrack is entirely alien to the realm of show tunes and Broadway-style songs which saturate recent Disney (and wannabe-Disney) animated features, but then this film has a very different sensibility. There is nothing flashy or theatrical about this unicorn story.Fortunately, the film has grown in popularity in recent years (probably because of the public's growing interest in both fantasy and animation (and anything made during the eighties)) so it may yet emerge from its cult-following to a more mass appreciation.