The Last UnicornThe rarities of the world must be cherished and protected, lest they lose their magic and their lustre. The Last Unicorn is the story of the eponymous last "Unicorn" (Mia Farrow) and her quest to find the rest of her kind, spurred by the ramblings of a glib butterfly (Robert Klein). Along her journey, she befriends an apprentice magician named Schmendrick (Alan Arkin) and a weary ex-bandit, Molly Grue (Tammy Grimes), as they venture to the desolate domain of King Haggard (Christopher Lee) and his son, the heroic Prince Lir (Jeff Bridges), braving harrowing danger after danger, those to their bodies and for the Unicorn, even to her immortal soul.
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The Last Unicorn is adapted from the novel by Peter S. Beagle, but is itself a marvelous animated feature with gorgeous character design by Lester Abrams. The characters are detailed and natural, save for the unicorn, who moves with the fluidity and majesty of a being of legend. The backdrops of the film are beautiful, as though they were reproductions from an illustrated tome from the Middle Ages; the title sequence highlights this similarity. One of the most memorable qualities of The Last Unicorn happens to be the music, written by Jimmy Webb and performed by folk rock band, America. The music sets the tone for The Last Unicorn--wistful and melancholy, but also vitalizing for this fantasy tale about the journey to find something, discovering more than you expected along the way, both gaining and losing something in the process. The story of The Last Unicorn is one which is also about maturity, for the Unicorn as well as her companions. At the start, the Unicorn is fairly naive, unacquainted with any world outside her forest. She is shocked when a farmer mistakes her for a mare, and her guileless nature is what affords the enterprising witch, Mommy Fortuna (Angela Lansbury), to capture her for her Midnight Carnival, where she ends up meeting Schmendrick. It is Schmendrick who frees her from her captivity--even if it is by virtue of his legerdemain rather than his prestidigitation--and yet the Unicorn sets about to free not only her fellow captives, but the very real, very lethal harpy which Mommy Fortuna has also caught, an act which nearly gets her and Schmendrick killed. The Unicorn's heart is that of a dispassionate immortal, unaware of sorrow, such as the sorrow felt by Molly Grue when she encounters the Unicorn, her heart heavy at what is implied to have been a hard life for her in the company of bandits like the spurious folk hero, Captain Cully (Keenan Wynn), who fancies himself more of a Robin Hood than the mythical one which Schmendrick conjures from thin air. It is not until they are within proximity of Haggard's castle that they are confronted by the terrifying Red Bull, and Schmendrick in his desperation to save her, inadvertently transforms the Unicorn into a young woman, who is referred to by them as "Lady Amalthea". Trapped in the human form, the Unicorn understands what it means to be mortal, but her mind struggles to cope with the implications of her feelings, such as her slowly growing affection for Lir, who woos her at first unsuccessfully with heroics, but later with an outpouring of his heart to her in a song. This love and the feelings that come with her compassion and "humanity" are what give her depth, and later the strength to accomplish her mission, having grown mature and capable to confront her fears.
Although set in a fantasy world, the thematic elements of The Last Unicorn are also appropriate for our own. The film is an ecologically-minded tale, since the eponymous "Last Unicorn" is a creature on the brink of virtual extinction. It is said of King Haggard that since he had claimed dominion of his realm, that the ground grew cold and hard, implying that his rule has been one which has been hostile to his environs, rather than beneficent; his personality conveys a selfishness and hateful malice. Haggard is so self-serving, that he proclaims that he keeps nothing around him which does not make him happy. His avatar, the Red Bull, could be interpreted as a manifestation of his warlike mein, as is his initial greeting of the travelers, posing as a soldier in his own castle, greeting them at the point of a spear. Haggard is paranoid, but his keen acumen gives him the ability to discern the Lady Amalthea for a fraud; yet he still entertains the idea of her presence, because he is avaricious to obtain all of the unicorns. Haggard represents the nigh absolute absence of magic and love in the world, utterly consumed by his own selfish greed. His castle is a representation of his corruption, a foreboding keep perched on the precipice at the edge of the world...a husk of his sovereignty. And yet, he claims that the one thing that does give him joy is their captivity, meaning that even in this infantile and obsessive compulsion to keep them all, he has some capacity to appreciate beauty in the world, even if it isn't enough to save him. The Last Unicorn also purports that humanity has a natural tendency to despoil the fantastic in the world, but in its longing, supplant it with artificial--controllable--replicas, not unlike Mommy Fortuna's illusions, Captain Cully's delusions, or Haggard's jealousy. This is a world where there is great beauty, but there are also fearful creatures, like the harpy, the Red Bull, or even a snickering, inebriate skeleton (René Auberjonois), who is quick to rouse to fiery anger. But each of these terrors are crucial for the characters--not just the Unicorn, but Schmendrick, Molly, and even Lir--to overcome their respective impediments and become stronger, more noble people. It is a story about how love and camaraderie overcome wickedness and selfishness, and about how cherishing the treasures life affords you makes life's pageant all the richer.
Recommended for: Fans of a beautiful animated film, ostensibly for children, but possessed of a maturity and intelligence that is rare for films with that target audience in mind, and appreciable by audiences of any age.
Although set in a fantasy world, the thematic elements of The Last Unicorn are also appropriate for our own. The film is an ecologically-minded tale, since the eponymous "Last Unicorn" is a creature on the brink of virtual extinction. It is said of King Haggard that since he had claimed dominion of his realm, that the ground grew cold and hard, implying that his rule has been one which has been hostile to his environs, rather than beneficent; his personality conveys a selfishness and hateful malice. Haggard is so self-serving, that he proclaims that he keeps nothing around him which does not make him happy. His avatar, the Red Bull, could be interpreted as a manifestation of his warlike mein, as is his initial greeting of the travelers, posing as a soldier in his own castle, greeting them at the point of a spear. Haggard is paranoid, but his keen acumen gives him the ability to discern the Lady Amalthea for a fraud; yet he still entertains the idea of her presence, because he is avaricious to obtain all of the unicorns. Haggard represents the nigh absolute absence of magic and love in the world, utterly consumed by his own selfish greed. His castle is a representation of his corruption, a foreboding keep perched on the precipice at the edge of the world...a husk of his sovereignty. And yet, he claims that the one thing that does give him joy is their captivity, meaning that even in this infantile and obsessive compulsion to keep them all, he has some capacity to appreciate beauty in the world, even if it isn't enough to save him. The Last Unicorn also purports that humanity has a natural tendency to despoil the fantastic in the world, but in its longing, supplant it with artificial--controllable--replicas, not unlike Mommy Fortuna's illusions, Captain Cully's delusions, or Haggard's jealousy. This is a world where there is great beauty, but there are also fearful creatures, like the harpy, the Red Bull, or even a snickering, inebriate skeleton (René Auberjonois), who is quick to rouse to fiery anger. But each of these terrors are crucial for the characters--not just the Unicorn, but Schmendrick, Molly, and even Lir--to overcome their respective impediments and become stronger, more noble people. It is a story about how love and camaraderie overcome wickedness and selfishness, and about how cherishing the treasures life affords you makes life's pageant all the richer.
Recommended for: Fans of a beautiful animated film, ostensibly for children, but possessed of a maturity and intelligence that is rare for films with that target audience in mind, and appreciable by audiences of any age.