A Kind of Magic

Making the Original Highlander

Jonathan Melville

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Paperback

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English

Polaris Publishing Limited
01 January 2023

Films, movies & cinema; Film theory & criticism; Film movie guides & reviews; Film & movie: styles & genres; Film movie production: technical skills

Telling the story of an immortal Scottish warrior doomed to survive through the centuries while watching those he loves die around him, 1986's Highlander was a British film that took the fantasy genre and infused it with a few thousand volts of energy from the rock video industry to create a timeless, genre-defying, classic.

The story of an immortal Scottish warrior battling evil down through the centuries, Highlander fused a high concept idea with the kinetic energy of a pop promo pioneer and Queen's explosive soundtrack to become a cult classic. When two budget-conscious American producers took a chance on a college student's script, they set in motion a chain of events involving an imploding British film studio, an experimental music video director still finding his filmmaking feet, a former James Bond with a spiralling salary, and the unexpected arrival of low-budget indie film company, Cannon Films.

Author Jonathan Melville looks back at the creation of Highlander with the help of more than 60 new cast and crew interviews, including stars Christopher Lambert and Clancy Brown, revisiting the gruelling shoot that took them from the back alleys of London, to the far reaches of the Scottish Highlands and onto the mean streets of 1980s New York City.

By: Jonathan Melville
Imprint: Polaris Publishing Limited
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 195mm, Width: 130mm, Spine: 25mm
Weight: 313g
ISBN: 9781913538446
ISBN 10: 1913538443
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 01 January 2023
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Jonathan Melville is a freelance arts journalist whose first book, 2015’s Seeking Perfection: The Unofficial Guide to Tremors, was called 'Informative, entertaining and, above all, a joy to read - 9/10' by Starburst, while Empire said 'This high-access tell-all...[is] an unexpected treat - 4/5'. He has contributed to The Guardian, The Scotsman, SFX and BBC Radio Scotland. He lives in Edinburgh.

Reviews for A Kind of Magic: Making the Original Highlander

'An engrossing read with plenty of on-set anecdotes' 4 out of 5 stars * Total Film * 'A definitive history ... which every fan should read' * Starburst * 'As well as being the story of the Highlander film itself, it’s a fascinating look at the film-making process ... Jonathan Melville's A Kind of Magic - Making the Original Highlander is an absolute joy to read and an absolutely essential purchase for any Highlander fan' * We Are Cult * 'There really can only be one Highlander… and you’re highly unlikely to find a better account of it.' 9/10 * Sci-Fi Bulletin * 'Jonathan Melville rounds up an impressive number of the key players… and mixes new interviews with plenty of material from the archives' * SFX * 'At over 300 pages, this is literally Everything You Wanted To Know About Highlander But Were Afraid To Ask. An epic with a cast of thousands' * The Dobermann Always Rings Twice * 'A Kind of Magic: Making the Original Highlander tracks down an astonishing number of the film's cast and crew to give an unparalleled account of its creation... if you’re one of the film’s many fans this is the perfect companion' * The Courier, Book of the Week, 9/10 *