Absolutely brilliant

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Yes it is low budget but the music is enchanting and the costumes are excellent. The storyline was hard to follow the first time i watched it but since i like the movie so much I didn't mind watching it over and over to figure out all the stuff going on in it. I think Rugerro is so handsome and the scenery is really quite perfect for the storyline. By far though the music really made the movie for me. I have been looking for this movie to add to my collection and am glad to have found it again. I can highly recommend this film to those of you that like the knights and damsels in distress genre. It has been said to be a poor imitation of Excaliber but I think in many ways it is its equal. Yes the acting is a bit lacking in places but what is good in the film more than makes up for that little flaw.

This was shown in a first run theatre in the Philippines under the title Hearts and Armour.Now that I know from the other reviewers that this was originally a TV series, I begin to understand why the plot was so disjointed and somewhat incoherent when I saw it on its movie run.It is the time of the crusades when knights from the Christian and Muslim sides sought to outdo one another in chivalrous single combat.The dramatic acting was "over" especially of the women but the fight scenes were great. The photography and the scenic landscapes are treats to the artistic eye.The ornate Italian Renaissance armors are gems. Never mind that by the time such armors were made, the Crusades against the Moors were over.I saw a Manila jeepney (a public conveyance in the Philippines), known for their ornate decorations, on which motifs from the film were used and even displaying the English title Hearts and Armor. There was also an embossed shield. A Manila jeepney driver who fantasizes about being an Italian knight? Who says blue collar workers are prosaic and pedestrian? It would be helpful if a DVD version of the entire series is released so we can better appreciate the story and critique it with justice. By the way, there are Mexican film versions of the book on which it was based.

The movie reviewed here was ostensibly edited down into it's present form from a much longer TV mini series.In fact after viewing the movie, it is very easy and indeed very tempting for one to imagine the source material contained within as a far more expansive, stirring epic of forbidden love and chivalry.Sadly however, it has to be said, that due to the aforementioned editing/condensing, much of the stories coherence appears to have been inevitably lost, rendering the movie with a distinctly rushed and overall muddled feel.This is a particular shame in fact, as aside from this, the film really does shine.Take for instance the look of the film: It boasts some truly stunning location shooting ranging from beautiful Autumn woodland to desolate tide swept beaches. The costumes here are also a particular standout with some truly innovative armour designs that rival even those found in John Boorman's far higher budgeted Excaliber. The fight choreography to, is particularly well executed here with some truly ferocious clashes between knights (and a healthy splattering of gore!)I would love to view this in its original series format, which I have a suspicion would have been rather better than what we are in fact left with here.However, having said this, what is indeed left is still very much worthy of viewing if you, as I am, happen to be a fan of films such as the aforementioned Excaliber and sword and sorcery genre movies in general.

This movie is really cheesy. It seems to even sort of aim for comedy value with the slightly excessive gore scenes. There's a girl in the movie that keeps getting her dress torn more and more and practically everyone tries to rape her, even a priest and one of her own soldiers along with a group of bandits. In the beginning, the group of bandits try to rape another girl, and a knight comes in and chops off some of their limbs and cripples most of them and rescues the girl. It seems the bandits never learn, because they try again, in their crippled state with missing limbs to try to rape a girl again, and then again they are scared off by a knight. It was hilarious.Still, the movie had some great fantasy elements. The wacky and bizarre costumes I really liked, even though they weren't realistic at all and kind of cheesy. Reminded me more of superhero knights.I like the story - sort of a Romeo & Juliet set in the medieval ages.The music was great. It's one of my favorite soundtracks besides the Neverending Story - very "80s"-like. The scenes and music combined sort of reminded me of video games.I think it's a very fun movie, even though it's cheesy and doesn't fit out standards or expectations of a good movie at all. It's actually one of my favorites. However, I don't expect too many others to like it. I would recommend giving this a try, however, if you're like me and want to watch all the medieval/medieval fantasy movies you can get your hands on.