Peter S. Beagle’s 1968 novel The Last Unicorn is one of the best loved (and best deserving of love) fantasies ever written. Beagle writes with a lavish grace. He can stir sentiment as easily as cite Shakespeare through a butterfly’s voice. He brought much of the best of his novel to this 1982 animated feature. And adaptation may even have improved the story.
Story
A unicorn fears she is the last of her kind and goes in search of others. But the world has forgotten unicorns. Only a butterfly can tell her something of the Red Bull which hunted the unicorns. She is the last, and hers is a lonely story. The unicorn’s strange immortality only makes her seem more alone to humans: "I can never regret. I can feel sorrow, but it's not the same thing."
Wizards are also a lonely breed, and when the unicorn finds herself in a cage in Mommy Fortuna’s Midnight Carnival, it’s the bungling wizard wannabe Schmendrick who rescues her. He’s enough of a wizard to recognize her for what she is, and volunteers to lead her to King Haggard’s castle where the Red Bull dwells. On the way they have a run-in with a band of outlaws, and it’s the unicorn’s turn to save Schmendrick. The outlaws’ cook, Molly Grue, also recognizes the unicorn and insists on joining them.
But when the unicorn faces the Red Bull only an out-of-control spell from Schmendrick can save her—by transforming her into a human. In that form, as the Lady Amalthea, the three companions take up residence in King Haggard’s castle. Haggard’s noble son Lir falls in love with Amalthea, but the old king is suspicious. And as the days pass Amalthea becomes more fully human, forgetting her true self and her mission to free the other unicorns.
Animation
This is one of the better Rankin/Bass productions. Their The Hobbit (1977) and The Flight of Dragons (1986) are other examples of this style, but it is best achieved here. For those more familiar with the Rankin/Bass stop-motion Christmas classics like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964), you’ll still recognize the trademark edginess: if the Abominable Snowman frightened you, you’ll know why I’d hesitate to recommend The Last Unicorn to young children (in addition to the darkness of many moments, there is some infrequent, light swearing, and a harpy and a tree are portrayed with bare breasts).
The drawing here lacks the chubbiness of The Hobbit and the steroids of the Rankin/Bass cartoons like "Thundercats." The artists have instead achieved an etherealness appropriate to the fantasy. The unicorn is wispy, graceful. Haggard’s castle is grotesquely twisted on its precarious perch. At the same time, the outlaws are grubby, the farmer’s fingers are thick, and Haggard’s armor is fresh from the salvage yard. The cat is purrfect, with a wonderful eye-patch and wooden leg.
Unfortunately, animation doesn’t stand the test of time as well as live-action. It might be hard for someone who doesn’t already love The Last Unicorn to see past the dated appearance.
Voices
The voice talent for the film is superb. Alan Arkin is versatile as Schmendrick, both ridiculously pompous and sincere. But Jeff Bridges takes the cake for sincerity, his Lir’s earnestness as painful as it should be. His isn’t a flashy voice, but that’s perhaps appropriate. Tammy Grimes’s husky, gravelly voice adds great earthiness to Molly Grue. And Mia Farrow is suitably feminine, if annoyingly tremulous, as the unicorn. Angela Lansbury is an excellent choice for Mommy Fortuna. If only "Murder, She Wrote" had a little of Fortuna’s darkness I’d be a huge fan. Lansbury carries it off fantastically. She’s only outshined by everyone’s favorite baddie, Christopher Lee as King Haggard.
Lee is vulnerable to criticism that he overacts, but it’s easy to get away with a little melodrama in an animated fantasy. That said, it must also be pointed out that Lee gives Haggard delicacy. Lee is an actor who can emanate intensity like few others. Haggard’s obsession with unicorns goes beyond villainy. He embodies selfish ennui, allowing nothing in his presence that does not amuse him. And suspicion that Amalthea is the last unicorn may drive him mad if he cannot trick her into revealing herself. "Love is slowing you down, my lady. I will catch you at last, if you love much more." His voice gives the character the depth it demands.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack actually sold quite well. But, performed by America, it’s another thing that dates the film. Nevertheless, most of the tracks are fairly successful in capturing the transience and loss appropriate for the tale. They’re simple songs, performed simply. Which is important, because the more they veer toward pop or rock the less appropriate they are. There is one point where Amalthea and Lir sing a duet. The lyrics here, particularly for Amalthea’s part, are cheesy. And while Jeff Bridges carries his part well enough, Mia Farrow is horrible and when it cuts to a stand-in singer the difference is noticeable.
Recommendation
Again, if you haven’t already seen and fallen in love with this movie it’s unlikely that you will. The dated animation and pop soundtrack are significant obstacles. But beneath there is a rich story and some great characters. In some ways I actually prefer the movie to the novel. Beagle’s sometimes excessive exuberance didn’t survive the adaptation, while his sharpness and poignancy did, often in dialogue lifted exactly. The inability to translate the innumerable bits of figurative language to film also shortens the story. Though the movie only runs 92 minutes, there’s very little of substance lost from the novel.
Particularly pervasive is the illusion motif. Mommy Fortuna’s carnival is made up of old lions, lame monkeys and garden-variety snakes. Her magic is to convince the audience these are manticores, satyrs and midgard serpents. The only real creatures she holds captive are the unicorn and the harpy, and their very reality dooms her power. Later, as the Lady Amalthea the unicorn (involuntarily) perpetrates an illusion of her own. This time the illusion threatens to destroy the reality as she forgets her true nature. Ultimately, the Red Bull is the final mirage, his illusory might stemming from fear. And when he is dispelled the ineffectual illusion of happiness Haggard had striven to maintain crumbles along with the castle.
The reality The Last Unicorn puts forth in opposition to these illusions is not a Disneyfied happily-ever-after. There is sorrow in this story. This is why it works so well. Do not make the mistake of considering it juvenile, even if the presentation seems directed to the young.
You could certainly do worse than The Last Unicorn. It’s the best of the animated fantasies, and in some ways comparable to The Dark Crystal. Like many, I saw it at a young age and it made an impression. I love it to this day. While it’s not for everyone, and some may not see past its dated aspect, I do recommend it.
The 2004 Live-Action Adaptation
The last installment of The Lord of the Rings comes out in a month, but there’s half a decade of Harry Potter films still churning out. Is Peter Jackson’s breakthrough destined to amount to little more than a children’s franchise? Can fans of serious fantasy expect anything else worthwhile from Hollywood?
Well, we’ll see. But London’s Continent Film Ltd. isn’t about to wait around. They’ve secured the rights to film a live-action version of The Last Unicorn, and it’s due December, 2004. While the studio and some of the names aren’t too familiar to me, and the budget is nebulous, there are some encouraging signs. Most especially in the fact that the project is being spearheaded by Michael Pakleppa (who successfully produced the German version of the animated feature), Christopher Lee (voice of Haggard in both English and German versions) and Peter Beagle himself (who is writing the script for this version as he did for the animated version).
Christopher Lee will again play Haggard, and the choice is still right. Angela Lansbury will again play Mommy Fortuna, and seeing her in the role instead of only hearing her is a delightful prospect. Mia Farrow, who played Amalthea in the animated version, will play Molly Grue in the live-action film. Here my enthusiasm wavers. While it’s nice to have the continuation in the cast, I’m not sure she’s right as Molly. If she can pull off an earthy portrayal I’ll be happy. The lesser-known Jonathan Rhys Meyers will be Schmendrick, and the important roles of Amalthea and Lir have yet to be cast (a bad sign?).
In principle I’m not sure how I feel about a live-action adaptation. I used to feel The Last Unicorn was a prime example of a story better suited to animation than to live-action because of its fairy-tale mood. And while darkness is inherent in the story, what I’ve heard of the new adaptation makes me wonder if they’ll take that tone too far. Hopefully this time they’ll at least pass on the pop score. In any case, we’ll have to wait and see whether this new Last Unicorn surpasses the old (next to last?) Last Unicorn.
Brought to life by the luminary voice talents of Jeff Bridges, Mia Farrow, Angela Lansbury and Rene Auberjonois (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Boston Le...More at Buy.com
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