Flesh & Blood (film)
Encyclopedia
Flesh & Blood is a 1985
film directed
by Paul Verhoeven. It is set in the year 1501 in Italy, and follows a group of mercenaries as they loot, rape and kill.
The script is partly based on unused material for the Dutch
TV series Floris
, which was the début for Paul Verhoeven, Gerard Soeteman
and Rutger Hauer. The movie was also known as The Rose and the Sword on early VHS releases.
while its rightful ruler, Arnolfini (Fernando Hilbeck), is away. With few loyal troops, Arnolfini has hired mercenaries and motivated them by granting 24 hours of looting
if they succeed in taking the city. The city is captured, the defenders are slaughtered, and chaos reigns.
Arnolfini, fearing there will be nothing left of his city for him to rule, turns to Hawkwood (Jack Thompson
), the commander of his troops, to stop the mercenaries' pillage. Hawkwood is indifferent to Arnolfini's demands, for he has accidentally attacked a young nun
during the siege and fears this will doom him
to eternal damnation
. Arnolfini promises to get medical attention for her if Hawkwood will rein in his men. Hawkwood reluctantly agrees, turning on Martin (Rutger Hauer), his friend and second-in-command. Arnolfini's cavalry, who are personally loyal to him, round up the foot-soldiers and summarily eject them without food, weapons or shelter. They disperse throughout the Italian countryside, bitter and angry.
Soon thereafter, Martin's son is stillborn
to one of the camp followers in the pouring rain. Martin buries the infant but in doing so, unearths a wooden statue of Saint Martin of Tours - a saint with a sword. The mercenaries' cardinal
takes this as a sign from God that they should all follow Martin as their new leader. Desperate, Martin and his small band soon head out to seek revenge and better fortunes.
Meanwhile Arnolfini's son, Steven (Tom Burlinson
), is betrothed to Agnes (Jennifer Jason Leigh
), a young heiress he has never met. Steven is an intellectual who prefers to work on his inventions
than worry about romance or politics and he has misgivings about the arranged marriage
. Agnes wins him over once they meet and they eat from a mandrake
to magically stay in love, but while taking Agnes back with them, Arnolfini's entourage is attacked and robbed by Martin's band, who have taken to brigandage
. Arnolfini is seriously injured, and Agnes hides. She is hauled away, hidden among her valuable dowry.
Martin discovers Agnes' hiding place later that evening when they strip the caravan of its valuables. The men seek to gang rape the pretty noblewoman but Martin (as their new leader) decides to take her himself. He rapes her, but she surprises him by turning into the aggressor in mid-coitus. Immediately afterwards, she begins flirting with the virile Martin, realizing that he will protect what he considers "his" property.
Martin, Agnes and the rest of the band come upon a castle, some of whose inhabitants are suffering from the Plague
. The mercenaries capture the place with ease, thanks to the help of Agnes, who appears to be adapting to her new circumstances remarkably well. They set themselves up in style and Agnes begins grooming Martin as a feudal lord. He enjoys his new, fine clothing (formerly belonging to the castle's owner), the food and the notion of being a Peer
. While a competent soldier, he has never dreamed of much more. Agnes recognizes this and strokes his ego in order to aid her position. She proves herself a remarkable manipulator and succeeds in making Martin fall in love with her. After a raw sexual encounter in a steaming tub, it is quite clear that Agnes is enjoying Martin at least as much as he is enjoying her. She is soon considered part of the group by the mercenaries. Seemingly content with the situation she finds herself in, she appears to have given up on her former life.
Agnes' fiancé is determined to win her back. Steven, though well educated, is not a soldier and has only a small group of cavalry at his disposal. He desperately turns to Hawkwood for guidance but discovers that Hawkwood only wants to lead a quiet life married to the former nun he had injured. Steven is forced to blackmail
Hawkwood by threatening to have the nun — now mentally impaired by her injury — locked away, proving that he can be as ruthless as his father. Steven pursues Martin with Hawkwood's help.
After discovering Martin's whereabouts, Steven finds his forces insufficient to take their castle. During the siege, Martin confronts Agnes about where her feelings lie in regard to himself and her fiancé. He reveals that he loves Agnes and could not exist without her, claiming he'd kill her before losing her to Steven. Agnes, in turn, says she loves them both, because they are one and the same, only of different ages. In spite of her affections for both men, she makes it clear that she's relishing the fact that they are engaged in a duel to the death over her, and says that she doesn't need to choose between them—winner takes all.
When Steven builds an experimental siege tower
in an attempt to storm the castle, Martin recalls Steven's earlier (failed) gunpowder bomb and uses a version to successfully destroy the siege tower. The stalemate is broken when the bubonic plague begins to spread among Steven's forces, infecting Captain Hawkwood and others. Trapped in the castle after the destruction of the siege tower, Steven is captured by the mercenaries and shackled in their courtyard. Though she still has feelings for Steven, Agnes joins in the torture and abuse of the captive and even makes love to Martin in his presence.
Using a new Arabic medical technique mentioned by Steven, Hawkwood is able to cure his plague. He has no forces to continue the siege and Steven is presumed lost anyway. Before leaving to get additional troops, Hawkwood flings pieces of a diseased dog into the castle via catapult. One chunk lands near the chained Steven, who flings it into the castle's water well, poisoning the water supply. Agnes observes this and Steven tells her to make her choice whether or not to tell the mercenaries.
Most of the mercenaries wish to leave the castle and flee with their loot, for fear of contracting the plague, but Martin convinces them to stay. The next day they meet for breakfast
, and Agnes watches as one by one they drink the infected water. When Martin begins to drink, she slaps the cup from his hands. The other mercenaries soon begin dying of the plague. Furious at Martin, they beat him and hurl him into the well. As she did before with Steven, Agnes joins in with the mercenaries in taunting Martin and hurls a jug at him.
Soon after, as the mercenaries flee the castle, Hawkwood and Arnolfini, who has recovered from his wound, return with an army. Inside the castle, Martin escapes from the well with the help of Steven, whom he promises to release in exchange for his aid. However, on seeing the besieging army, Martin flees to the belfry, leaving Steven still chained. The castle is soon breached and a bitter but one-sided fight ensues.
Steven frees himself and as the final battle rages, he races to find Agnes. During the fighting, the wooden structure of the belfry catches alight. Before long all the remaining mercenaries, save for Martin, are dead. Hawkwood watches dispassionately as one by one, his former soldiers meet their end.
Martin confronts Agnes, who says that she still loves him. Maddened and convinced that she has been manipulating him all along, he seeks to murder her as he promised. Before he can, Steven attacks him. The cunning and hardened mercenary eventually overpowers Steven and has nearly succeeded in drowning him when Agnes strikes him over the head. Leaving the unconscious Martin to drown, she recovers Steven and they run to escape the blazing castle. Hawkwood finds them and leads the pair out. Martin is still alive but before he can confront them, a burning rafter falls from the ceiling, sealing him in. Just before the room collapses, we see Martin staring after Agnes with a look of loss and for the first time, sadness. Agnes is stricken by Martin's plight, and has to consciously resist an impulse to go to his side.
Agnes and Steven leave the burning castle along with Hawkwood and his army. We see the surviving camp followers of the mercenaries beginning their careers anew with the victors. The couple embrace but over Steven's shoulder, Agnes sees a figure, Martin, still alive and escaping from the castle, a sack of loot over his shoulder. She says nothing, allowing him to slip away unnoticed.
gave the film a limited theatrical release on August 16, 1985 in New York City and Los Angeles. By 1986, the film was being shown in the U.S. on HBO, a business partner of Orion Pictures
.
, Cáceres
and Ávila.
1985 in film
-Events:* 3 December - Roger Moore steps down from the role of James Bond after twelve years and seven films. He is replaced by Timothy Dalton.* The Academy Award for Best Picture was won by Out Of Africa, while the highest grossing film was Back to the Future.* Bliss wins AFI Award for best Movie...
film directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
by Paul Verhoeven. It is set in the year 1501 in Italy, and follows a group of mercenaries as they loot, rape and kill.
The script is partly based on unused material for the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
TV series Floris
Floris (TV series)
Floris is a 1969 Dutch television action series, written by Gerard Soeteman starring Rutger Hauer and Jos Bergman and directed by Paul Verhoeven.-Concept:...
, which was the début for Paul Verhoeven, Gerard Soeteman
Gerard Soeteman
Gerard Soeteman is a Dutch screenwriter. He worked together with Paul Verhoeven on several films, such as Turkish Delight and Black Book...
and Rutger Hauer. The movie was also known as The Rose and the Sword on early VHS releases.
Plot
The film begins in 1501, where an unnamed city in Renaissance Italy has been taken by a coup d'étatCoup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
while its rightful ruler, Arnolfini (Fernando Hilbeck), is away. With few loyal troops, Arnolfini has hired mercenaries and motivated them by granting 24 hours of looting
Looting
Looting —also referred to as sacking, plundering, despoiling, despoliation, and pillaging—is the indiscriminate taking of goods by force as part of a military or political victory, or during a catastrophe, such as during war, natural disaster, or rioting...
if they succeed in taking the city. The city is captured, the defenders are slaughtered, and chaos reigns.
Arnolfini, fearing there will be nothing left of his city for him to rule, turns to Hawkwood (Jack Thompson
Jack Thompson (actor)
Jack Thompson, AM is an Australian actor and one of the major figures of Australian cinema. He was educated at University of Queensland, before embarking on his acting career. In 2002, he was made an honorary member of the Australian Cinematographers Society...
), the commander of his troops, to stop the mercenaries' pillage. Hawkwood is indifferent to Arnolfini's demands, for he has accidentally attacked a young nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
during the siege and fears this will doom him
Sacrilege
Sacrilege is the violation or injurious treatment of a sacred object. In a less proper sense, any transgression against the virtue of religion would be a sacrilege. It can come in the form of irreverence to sacred persons, places, and things...
to eternal damnation
Damnation
Damnation is the concept of everlasting divine punishment and/or disgrace, especially the punishment for sin as threatened by God . A damned being "in damnation" is said to be either in Hell, or living in a state wherein they are divorced from Heaven and/or in a state of disgrace from God's favor...
. Arnolfini promises to get medical attention for her if Hawkwood will rein in his men. Hawkwood reluctantly agrees, turning on Martin (Rutger Hauer), his friend and second-in-command. Arnolfini's cavalry, who are personally loyal to him, round up the foot-soldiers and summarily eject them without food, weapons or shelter. They disperse throughout the Italian countryside, bitter and angry.
Soon thereafter, Martin's son is stillborn
Stillbirth
A stillbirth occurs when a fetus has died in the uterus. The Australian definition specifies that fetal death is termed a stillbirth after 20 weeks gestation or the fetus weighs more than . Once the fetus has died the mother still has contractions and remains undelivered. The term is often used in...
to one of the camp followers in the pouring rain. Martin buries the infant but in doing so, unearths a wooden statue of Saint Martin of Tours - a saint with a sword. The mercenaries' cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
takes this as a sign from God that they should all follow Martin as their new leader. Desperate, Martin and his small band soon head out to seek revenge and better fortunes.
Meanwhile Arnolfini's son, Steven (Tom Burlinson
Tom Burlinson
Tom Burlinson is an Australian actor and singer.He attended Pittwater High School on Sydney's Northern Beaches and was the School Captain in his final year...
), is betrothed to Agnes (Jennifer Jason Leigh
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Jennifer Jason Leigh is an American film and stage actress, best known for her roles in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Single White Female, Last Exit to Brooklyn, Georgia and Short Cuts...
), a young heiress he has never met. Steven is an intellectual who prefers to work on his inventions
Renaissance technology
Renaissance technology is the set of European artifacts and customs which span the Renaissance period, roughly the 14th through the 16th century. The era is marked by profound technical advancements such as the printing press, linear perspective in drawing, patent law, double shell domes and...
than worry about romance or politics and he has misgivings about the arranged marriage
Arranged marriage
An arranged marriage is a practice in which someone other than the couple getting married makes the selection of the persons to be wed, meanwhile curtailing or avoiding the process of courtship. Such marriages had deep roots in royal and aristocratic families around the world...
. Agnes wins him over once they meet and they eat from a mandrake
Mandrake
Mandrake may refer to:* Mandrake , a plant of the genus Mandragora* Mandragora , in occultism* Mandrake Linux, former name of Mandriva Linux, a computer operating system...
to magically stay in love, but while taking Agnes back with them, Arnolfini's entourage is attacked and robbed by Martin's band, who have taken to brigandage
Brigandage
Brigandage refers to the life and practice of brigands: highway robbery and plunder, and a brigand is a person who usually lives in a gang and lives by pillage and robbery....
. Arnolfini is seriously injured, and Agnes hides. She is hauled away, hidden among her valuable dowry.
Martin discovers Agnes' hiding place later that evening when they strip the caravan of its valuables. The men seek to gang rape the pretty noblewoman but Martin (as their new leader) decides to take her himself. He rapes her, but she surprises him by turning into the aggressor in mid-coitus. Immediately afterwards, she begins flirting with the virile Martin, realizing that he will protect what he considers "his" property.
Martin, Agnes and the rest of the band come upon a castle, some of whose inhabitants are suffering from the Plague
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
. The mercenaries capture the place with ease, thanks to the help of Agnes, who appears to be adapting to her new circumstances remarkably well. They set themselves up in style and Agnes begins grooming Martin as a feudal lord. He enjoys his new, fine clothing (formerly belonging to the castle's owner), the food and the notion of being a Peer
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
. While a competent soldier, he has never dreamed of much more. Agnes recognizes this and strokes his ego in order to aid her position. She proves herself a remarkable manipulator and succeeds in making Martin fall in love with her. After a raw sexual encounter in a steaming tub, it is quite clear that Agnes is enjoying Martin at least as much as he is enjoying her. She is soon considered part of the group by the mercenaries. Seemingly content with the situation she finds herself in, she appears to have given up on her former life.
Agnes' fiancé is determined to win her back. Steven, though well educated, is not a soldier and has only a small group of cavalry at his disposal. He desperately turns to Hawkwood for guidance but discovers that Hawkwood only wants to lead a quiet life married to the former nun he had injured. Steven is forced to blackmail
Blackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
Hawkwood by threatening to have the nun — now mentally impaired by her injury — locked away, proving that he can be as ruthless as his father. Steven pursues Martin with Hawkwood's help.
After discovering Martin's whereabouts, Steven finds his forces insufficient to take their castle. During the siege, Martin confronts Agnes about where her feelings lie in regard to himself and her fiancé. He reveals that he loves Agnes and could not exist without her, claiming he'd kill her before losing her to Steven. Agnes, in turn, says she loves them both, because they are one and the same, only of different ages. In spite of her affections for both men, she makes it clear that she's relishing the fact that they are engaged in a duel to the death over her, and says that she doesn't need to choose between them—winner takes all.
When Steven builds an experimental siege tower
Siege tower
A siege tower is a specialized siege engine, constructed to protect assailants and ladders while approaching the defensive walls of a fortification. The tower was often rectangular with four wheels with its height roughly equal to that of the wall or sometimes higher to allow archers to stand on...
in an attempt to storm the castle, Martin recalls Steven's earlier (failed) gunpowder bomb and uses a version to successfully destroy the siege tower. The stalemate is broken when the bubonic plague begins to spread among Steven's forces, infecting Captain Hawkwood and others. Trapped in the castle after the destruction of the siege tower, Steven is captured by the mercenaries and shackled in their courtyard. Though she still has feelings for Steven, Agnes joins in the torture and abuse of the captive and even makes love to Martin in his presence.
Using a new Arabic medical technique mentioned by Steven, Hawkwood is able to cure his plague. He has no forces to continue the siege and Steven is presumed lost anyway. Before leaving to get additional troops, Hawkwood flings pieces of a diseased dog into the castle via catapult. One chunk lands near the chained Steven, who flings it into the castle's water well, poisoning the water supply. Agnes observes this and Steven tells her to make her choice whether or not to tell the mercenaries.
Most of the mercenaries wish to leave the castle and flee with their loot, for fear of contracting the plague, but Martin convinces them to stay. The next day they meet for breakfast
Breakfast
Breakfast is the first meal taken after rising from a night's sleep, most often eaten in the early morning before undertaking the day's work...
, and Agnes watches as one by one they drink the infected water. When Martin begins to drink, she slaps the cup from his hands. The other mercenaries soon begin dying of the plague. Furious at Martin, they beat him and hurl him into the well. As she did before with Steven, Agnes joins in with the mercenaries in taunting Martin and hurls a jug at him.
Soon after, as the mercenaries flee the castle, Hawkwood and Arnolfini, who has recovered from his wound, return with an army. Inside the castle, Martin escapes from the well with the help of Steven, whom he promises to release in exchange for his aid. However, on seeing the besieging army, Martin flees to the belfry, leaving Steven still chained. The castle is soon breached and a bitter but one-sided fight ensues.
Steven frees himself and as the final battle rages, he races to find Agnes. During the fighting, the wooden structure of the belfry catches alight. Before long all the remaining mercenaries, save for Martin, are dead. Hawkwood watches dispassionately as one by one, his former soldiers meet their end.
Martin confronts Agnes, who says that she still loves him. Maddened and convinced that she has been manipulating him all along, he seeks to murder her as he promised. Before he can, Steven attacks him. The cunning and hardened mercenary eventually overpowers Steven and has nearly succeeded in drowning him when Agnes strikes him over the head. Leaving the unconscious Martin to drown, she recovers Steven and they run to escape the blazing castle. Hawkwood finds them and leads the pair out. Martin is still alive but before he can confront them, a burning rafter falls from the ceiling, sealing him in. Just before the room collapses, we see Martin staring after Agnes with a look of loss and for the first time, sadness. Agnes is stricken by Martin's plight, and has to consciously resist an impulse to go to his side.
Agnes and Steven leave the burning castle along with Hawkwood and his army. We see the surviving camp followers of the mercenaries beginning their careers anew with the victors. The couple embrace but over Steven's shoulder, Agnes sees a figure, Martin, still alive and escaping from the castle, a sack of loot over his shoulder. She says nothing, allowing him to slip away unnoticed.
Cast
- Rutger Hauer as Martin, a mercenary.
- Jennifer Jason LeighJennifer Jason LeighJennifer Jason Leigh is an American film and stage actress, best known for her roles in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Single White Female, Last Exit to Brooklyn, Georgia and Short Cuts...
as Agnes, virgin daughter of an aristocrat. - Tom BurlinsonTom BurlinsonTom Burlinson is an Australian actor and singer.He attended Pittwater High School on Sydney's Northern Beaches and was the School Captain in his final year...
as Steven, learned son of Arnolfini. - Jack ThompsonJack Thompson (actor)Jack Thompson, AM is an Australian actor and one of the major figures of Australian cinema. He was educated at University of Queensland, before embarking on his acting career. In 2002, he was made an honorary member of the Australian Cinematographers Society...
as Hawkwood, a captain of mercenaries. - Fernando Hilbeck as Arnolfini, feudal lord.
- Susan TyrrellSusan TyrrellSusan Tyrrell is an American actress of Irish descent, known for her role as Ramona Rickettes in the film Cry-Baby.-Background:...
as Celine, a prostitute attached to Martin. - Ronald LaceyRonald LaceyRonald Lacey was an English actor. He made numerous television and film appearances over a 30 year period and is perhaps best remembered for his villainous roles in Hollywood films, most famously Major Arnold Toht in Raiders of the Lost Ark.-Career:Lacey attended Harrow Weald Grammar School and...
as Cardinal, a visionary. - Brion JamesBrion JamesBrion Howard James was an American character actor. Known for playing the character of Leon Kowalski in the movie Blade Runner, James portrayed a variety of colorful roles in well-known films such as 48 Hrs., Another 48 Hours, Tango & Cash, Silverado, Red Heat, The Player and The Fifth Element...
as Karsthans, a mercenary. - Bruno KirbyBruno KirbyBruno Kirby was an American film and television actor. He was perhaps best known for his roles in the Hollywood films City Slickers, When Harry Met Sally..., Good Morning, Vietnam, The Godfather Part II and Donnie Brasco.-Early life:Kirby was born Bruno Giovanni Quidaciolu, Jr. in New York City,...
as Orbec, a mercenary. - Nancy Cartwright as Kathleen, Agnes' lady.
Theatrical release
Though the film received a worldwide release in the summer of 1985 in the United States, Orion PicturesOrion Pictures
Orion Pictures Corporation was an American independent production company that produced movies from 1978 until 1998. It was formed in 1978 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and three former top-level executives of United Artists. Although it was never a large motion picture producer, Orion...
gave the film a limited theatrical release on August 16, 1985 in New York City and Los Angeles. By 1986, the film was being shown in the U.S. on HBO, a business partner of Orion Pictures
Orion Pictures
Orion Pictures Corporation was an American independent production company that produced movies from 1978 until 1998. It was formed in 1978 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and three former top-level executives of United Artists. Although it was never a large motion picture producer, Orion...
.
Locations
It was shot in Spain, in Belmonte, CuencaBelmonte, Cuenca
Belmonte is a municipality in Cuenca, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. As of 2009, it has a population of 2.251....
, Cáceres
Cáceres, Spain
Cáceres is the capital of the same name province, in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. , its population was 91,131 inhabitants. The municipio has a land area of 1,750.33 km², and is the largest in geographical extension in Spain....
and Ávila.