Overview
Queen Involvement
Cast
Storyline & Chapters
Standard DVD Extras
30th Anniversary DVD/Blu-ray
Extras
'The Immortal Edition' DVD
Directed by Russel Mulcahy
Produced by Peter S. Davis and William N. Panzer
Screenplay written by Gregory Wilden, Peter Bellwood and Larry
Furguson
First released in 1986
Length 116 minutes
Filmed at Jacob Street Studios, London, England, and various
locations in Scotland and New York.
So far, this film has been released as a European DVD, a US
'Immortal Edition' DVD/CD set, a 30th anniversary DVD/Blu-ray, and
available free in the UK through the 'News Of The World'
newspaper on 22 January 2006 (this has the basic film with no
extras, in a card sleeve).
'Highlander' was Queen's second major film soundtrack, after
'Flash Gordon' in 1980. Queen wrote, recorded and produced seven
new tracks for the film. Six of these tracks would later be
remixed or re-recorded for the 'A Kind Of Magic' album, and in
some cases the film versions are significantly different. The
film also uses a short excerpt of 'Hammer To Fall', although this
is no different to the album version.
Full details of the music can be found on the A Kind Of Magic album
page.
The approximate position of each track is as follows (for the
30th anniversary Blu-ray)
- Princes
Of The Universe - 1:04
- Gimme
The Prize - 23:40
- One
Year Of Love - 28:17
- Who
Wants To Live Forever (long version) - 69:00
- Hammer To
Fall - 77:49
- Don't
Lose Your Head (short version) - 82:00
- Who
Wants To Live Forever (short version) - 95:05
- Don't
Lose Your Head (long version) - 97:45
- New
York, New York - 100:00
- A
Kind Of Magic - 113:20
Unfortunately, despite one being advertised in the credits of
the film, a full soundtrack album has never been released. The
only film version to be officially released, outside the DVD, is A Kind Of
Magic, which appears on the 'Live At Wembley Stadium' 2003
DVD on one of the menus, and as a bonus track on the 2011
double-disc reissue of 'A Kind Of Magic'.
Connor Macleod (Christopher Lambert)
Russell Nash (also Christopher Lambert)
Juan Sanchez Ramirez (Sean Connery)
Victor 'Kurgan' Kruger (Clancy Brown)
Brenda Wyatt (Roxanne Hart)
Heather Macleod (Beattie Edney)
Sunda Kastagir (Hugh Quarshie)
Storyline & Chapters
The chapters below refer to the 2001 UK DVD release, and the song
titles in brackets refer to the tracks that start in each. The
scenes involving Connor MacLeod are set in Scotland in Medieval
times, those involving Russel Nash are set in New York City in
the 1980's.
- Introduction (this is not part of the film, but an
introduction before the DVD menu)
- Credits ('Princes Of The Universe')
Start titles. Russell Nash attends a wrestling bout at
Madison Square Garden.
- Car Park Clash
Nash leaves to the car park, where he has a battle with,
and defeats, another immortal.
- Into Battle
The clan Macleod go into battle against a different clan,
which includes Kurgan. Kurgan severely injures Connor.
- Investigation
Nash drives at speed out of the car park, but is captured
by police. Connor is mourned on his death bed. The police
investigate the swordfight scene, and forensic expert
Brenda Wyatt discovers an ancient sword. Nash is
interrogated about the swordfight.
- The Gathering ('Gimme The Prize' and 'One Year Of Love')
Kurgan arrives in New York, and books into a hotel. Nash
returns to the car park to look for the sword and sees
Brenda taking additional samples from the scene. Nash
follows Brenda to a pub, where he asks about Madison
Square Garden. She leaves, hides, and follows Nash when
he leaves.
- Banished
Kurgan finds Nash and they fight in a scrapyard, but the
fight is interrupted by the police. Connor makes a
miraculous recovery, and is banished from the village as
they believe he is the devil.
- Ramirez
Connor is working on his 'farm' with Heather, when
Ramirez approaches on horseback. Connor experiences the
'quickening'. Brenda steals the police file on Nash, the
main suspect in the swordfight case. At his flat, Nash
discovers that Brenda is an expert in swordmaking and
metallurgy.
- The Quickening
Ramirez explains to Connor about his immortality and
trains him as a highlander.
- Fight To The Death
Ramirez tells Connor that he cannot have children and
that he must leave Heather. Kurgan discovers Ramirez at
Connor's home. Kurgan defeats Ramirez.
- Brenda Wyatt
Brenda traces Nash to his flat and they arrange dinner.
Nash talks to his secretary, we see Nash saving a little
girl during a war. Nash goes round to dinner at Brenda's,
where he discovers that she has bugged the flat.
- Who Wants To Live Forever ('Who Wants To Live Forever')
Connor spends his last days with Heather before she dies.
Connor sets fire to their home before leaving.
- Duelling
Nash meets Kastagir, another immortal. They reminisce
about The Duel On Boston Common, and we see his
opponent's attempts to defeat Connor. Meanwhile, a
'survivalist nutter', Kirk Matunas, discovers Kastagir
and Kurgan fighting in a backstreet. Kurgan defeats
Kastagir and then Matunas shoots Kurgan, seemingly dead.
Kurgan injures Matunas and then steals the car of a
passing elderly couple.
- A Discovery About Nash ('Hammer To Fall' and 'Don't Lose
Your Head')
The police question Matunas about the swordfight. Brenda
discovered that Nash died shortly after birth. A
handwriting expert reveals from Nash's signature that he
has been alive for 290 years. Nash goes to a church to
light a candle to remember Heather, but he is found by
Kurgan. Kurgan tells Nash that he raped Heather after
killing Ramirez.
- Afraid To Live ('Who Wants To Live Forever', 'Don't Lose
Your Head' and 'New York, New York')
Brenda visits Nash at his flat, where Nash reveals that
he is immortal by stabbing himself. Kurgan kidnaps Brenda
from her flat and drives her to the Silvercup building.
- It's A Kind Of Magic
At his flat, Nash hears a tape from Kurgan of Brenda
screaming. Nash finds Brenda on top of the 'Silvercup'
building. Kurgan and Nash battle, falling through the
roof, before Nash finally defeats Kurgan.
- There Can Be Only One ('A Kind Of Magic')
Nash experiences another 'quickening', and we see clips
and dialogue from various points within the film.
- Filmographies of Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery and
Russel Mulcahy
- Original Trailer (which includes a short excerpt of
'Don't Lose Your Head' and 'Princes Of The Universe')
- Posters (5 promotional posters used to promote the film)
- Photo Gallery (22 still photos from the film)
- Interview with Christopher Lambert
- Audio commentary with director Russell Mulcahy
- Interview with Russell Mulcahy (22:06)
- Interview with Christopher Lambert (19:44)
- Archive Interview with Christopher Lambert (in French,
with subtitles) (8:32)
- Original Trailer (which includes a short excerpt of
'Don't Lose Your Head' and 'Princes Of The Universe')
- The Making Of Highlander (4 part documentary) (1:55:41)
- Deleted Scenes (video only, with orchestral music) (6:13)
- Photo Gallery (22 still photos from the film)
The film was re-released in the USA in 2002 in a special edition
set, which came in a special embossed metal box, with a card
surround, a colour booklet, and a three track companion CD of
Queen tracks (oddly, one of which has no connection to the film).
The menu on the DVD contains a 56 second edit of 'Princes
Of The Universe' and the extras menu includes a 1:38 edit of
'A Kind Of
Magic'. The extended version of 'One Year Of
Love' on the companion CD is exclusive to this set.
- 'Highlander' film, digitally remastered with Surround
Sound
- Audio commentary by director Russell Mulcahy and
producers Peter Davis and William Panzer
- Two original theatrical trailers
- Talent biographies of Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery
and Russell Mulcahy
- 'Highlander' photo gallery
- Queen photo gallery, featuring photographs from the three
music videos and albums/singles sleeves
- Queen music videos for 'Who Wants To Live Forever', 'A
Kind Of Magic' and 'Princes Of The Universe' (identical
(including the title screen) to those on 'Greatest Flix
II' and 'Greatest Flix III')
- Princes
Of The Universe
- One
Year Of Love (extended version)
- Friends
Will Be Friends
