Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Knightriders Blu-ray Movie Review

Ye Wilde Ones.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 26, 2013

With the recent mass media coverage of the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President Kennedy, there have been a lot of references to the iconic Lerner and Loewe musical Camelot. Camelot opened on Broadway in 1960, just a few weeks after Kennedy had won the election by a razor thin margin. The musical’s depiction of a young (and glamorous) leader with an equally young (and even more glamorous) wife ushering in an era of peace, respect and newfound humanism seemed to mirror what was happening in the White House. After Kennedy’s horrific murder, the title song’s already melancholic stanza “Don’t let it be forgot, that once there was a spot, for one brief shining moment that was known as Camelot,” seemed to be a fitting epitaph for the heart wrenchingly curtailed time Kennedy served in office. The Kennedy mythos helped to reinvigorate interest in Arthurian legends, and even though the 1967 film of Camelot was a spectacular bomb (by then the country’s mood had changed significantly from the hopeful days of the early sixties), an abiding fascination with all things Round Table seemed to have developed an indelible hold on the American (and perhaps even the global) imagination. It probably goes without saying that none of the recent Kennedy assassination coverage deigned to mention the rather odd 1981 George A. Romero film Knightriders, a film which, despite its patently bizarre premise (which will be detailed below), concerns in its own way the disconnect between ancient Arthurian ideals and the environment of the modern day world.

George A. Romero is probably always going to be a name firmly linked to horror films, and more particularly to the zombie genre, courtesy of the writer-director’s iconic series which began with Night of the Living Dead and then continued with such outings as Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead. But Romero has made no bones (undead or otherwise) about not being interested solely in this singular niche which has nonetheless granted him the bulk of his renown. Even granting Romero some slack in wanting to branch out into other types of stories, Knightriders is still a fairly odd outing for a number of reasons.

As odd as it may sound, Romero seems to be treading the same territory as long ago Group Theater icon Clifford Odets did in such legendary pieces as Golden Boy. Knightriders, much like that long ago play (and subsequent film), considers the conflict between Art and Commerce. It’s a thesis made especially odd by Romero’s decision to weave the story around a kind of Society for Creative Anachronism LARP troupe of modern day jousters who utilize motorcycles instead of steeds. This troupe is an itinerant bunch held together on the flimsiest of Arthurian foundations, led by their putative “king”, Billy (Ed Harris in one of his first film roles). Billy is in this odd line of “work” for the love of the pageant and the production values, such as they may be. He also perhaps derives a certain sense of self worth from his leadership position. But some of the other folks aligned with King Billy are trying to make a few bucks along the way, notably Billy’s aide Morgan (Tom Savini).

Knightriders is just weird enough to merit instant fascination by a certain element in the filmgoing public, but the fact is the film is too dispersed for its own good, going off on a huge variety of sidebars with the motley crew surrounding Billy. Romero also frankly never provides any really convincing external conflict for the troupe. There’s some quasi-sibling rivalry between Billy and Morgan, but even that never really rises to the level of compelling drama. The film clocks in at almost two and a half hours, which is way too long for an entry that never seems to fully capitalize on its already somewhat ambivalent ambitions.

What ends up saving Knightriders, at least in part, is some amazing stunt work. The “jousts” on the motorcycles, as well as a number of other circus like performances, make a lot of the film almost a giddy enterprise in Fellini-esque excess. It’s kind of ironic that Romero, a director who will probably forever be associated with the slowly marauding forces of hordes of zombies, more than capably stages some incredibly visceral action sequences here, with some actually frightening looking collisions and body to body impacts. Ultimately, Knightriders is probably best seen as a curiosity, a noble attempt by Romero to explore characters in a rather unusual setting (to say the least). Harris and Savini are both excellent, and the film is decidedly peculiar, but this is one filmic “moment” which neither shines convincingly nor is very brief.

Knightriders Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Knightriders is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout! Factory with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.84:1. I'm not sure if Shout! utilized the same master that was used for the British release by Arrow which was reviewed by my colleague Dr. Svet Atanasov, but a cursory comparison of the screenshots suggest that if it wasn't, there's no appreciable difference between the two. Anyone who owned the old Anchor Bay DVD of this title is in for a rather startling surprise, as what was once a washed out, dirty brown looking outing is suddenly relatively alive with color and a much sharper, better defined image. Some viewers may initially freak out by the really soft opening shots (see screenshot 6), but these are part of an extended optical featuring the film's credits. Once that element is passed, things improve markedly, and the rest of the presentation, while not razor sharp by today's standards, is naturally filmic and clear looking. There's virtually no damage at all in the elements utilized for this transfer, and there are likewise no obvious compression artifacts. This is another Shout! release that does have a somewhat finer grain structure than might be expected, but the opticals especially show that no overly aggressive denoising has been done to this release.

Knightriders Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Knightriders's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track (delivered via DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0) probably won't have the kick that many might expect from a film with such ubiquitous motorcycles, but Romero himself complains that there simply wasn't enough money to do a really thorough recording and foley job on the film. That said, what's here is certainly adequate, if not quite as forceful as might be hoped under optimal conditions. Dialogue is cleanly presented, and while the roar of the motorcycles never really provides a floorboard rattling experience, it's relatively palpable at times. Special mention must be made of the really wonderful score by Donald Rubinstein, which sounds great in this lossless format.

Knightriders Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Conscience of the King with Ed Harris (1080p; 8:11). Considering his subsequent career, Harris seems to have remarkably fond memories of the film. He also talks about having performed in the musical Camelot prior to shooting this film.


• Code of Honor with George Romero (1080p; 17:20) is a really interesting piece where Romero jokingly complains about having been pigeonholed as a "zombie" director, when he's really always wanted to branch out into other types of films.


• Memories of Morgan with Tom Savini (1080p; 10:15). Savini has of course has gone on to his own special effects and directorial career, but he talks about having been selected by Romero when Savini was still a high student to screen test for a film that was never made. He actually had a background in fencing, so when Romero approached him with Knightriders, he was ready to go.


• Behind the Scenes - The Stunts of Knightriders (1080i; 8:16) is an older piece sourced from pretty ragged looking video (replete with some minor tracking issues).


• Trailer and TV Spots (1080p; 3:08)


• Audio Commentary with Cast and Crew features George Romero, John Amplas, Tom Savini and Chris Stavrakis (Taso Stavrakis' brother). Romero typically provides great commentaries, and this is no exception. The group is very conversational, joking quite a bit about themselves ("How dare you bleed, I need you in the next shot!"), but they get into some of the nuts and bolts of the filming process, including a couple of very interesting anecdotes about various casting issues they encountered as well as information on some of the astounding stunt work. (Speaking of casting, horror fans should keep their eyes peeled for an amusing cameo.)

Knightriders Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I'm not immune to Knightriders' flaws, but there's something so inherently distinctive (some may prefer the word bizarre) about the film that I've always had a certain soft spot in my heart for it. Personally I think things would have been improved with some fairly liberal trimming, and perhaps a bit more emphasis on the Billy-Morgan dispute, but Romero offers one of his most unusual productions here, and fans of the writer-director really should check this film out, as it is about as far away from zombie-land as it's possible to get. This Blu-ray boasts solid technical merits and comes with excellent supplements. Recommended.