There can be only one… but thirty years on and in time for the Edinburgh International Film Festival, its time for the original ‘Highlander’ to be restored…
It’s been thirty years since Highlander first graced cinema screens, a film that is generally regarded as one of the biggest cult hits of the 1980s and a movie that spawned a franchise that has seen both ups and downs and a still-loyal fanbase. The story of Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) echoes through the centuries, telling the tale of a Scottish warrior who survives a deadly battle only to find out that he cannot grow old or die unless decapitated by one of a dwindling number of fellow Immortals. He’s trained by mentor Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez (Sean Connery) but as the years go by, a confrontation to decide who will win the Immortal prize gets ever closer. In 1980s New York, Connor and the Kurgan (Clancy Brown) look to be the final two left standing… and in the end… there can be only one.
To mark the anniversary, several events will be taking place surrounding a specially 4K-level quality restoration taken from the original negative by Deluxe London. The restoration will get its public debut at this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival, being screened on Saturday 18th June at the Cineworld Complex in Fountain Park. Clancy Brown, who played the iconic Kurgan in that first outing, will be a special guest at the event.
Tickets are available now. But for those unable to make the event itself, the restoration, with a running time of 116 minutes (certificate: 15) will be released onto both DVD and blu-ray formats on 11th July. The extras included on those formats will include:
• New interview with Russell Mulcahy
• New interview with Christopher Lambert
• Deleted scenes
• Making of doc in 4 parts
• Audio commentary with Russell Mulcahy
• HD trailer
Also celebrating the landmark year is, of course, Impact editor John Mosby’s acclaimed overview of the entire Highlander franchise currently available through Amazon US and UK…
