by Angelina Brown

Created on: May 10, 2008

"You are lost in it, little mouse, with the rest of us." Leo McKern's prediction to Philippe Gaston could apply to the audience as well. Michelle Pfeiffer's eleventh film in a powerful career, she starred opposite Matthew Broderick in this medieval fantasy about a beautiful young woman cursed to live a half life because she spurns the love of a dark and dangerous man, played by John Wood. Filmed in Italy, it has the look and feel of a fairy tale. Philippe Gaston, the Mouse, is a thief, imprisoned in the dungeon of Aquila in France. Managing to escape, he is on the run from the Bishop of Aquila's men, led by Captain Marquet (Ken Hutchinson). Unbeknown to him, he is also being tracked by a mystery man in black played by Rutger Hauer. This mystery man saves him from being recaptured bye Marquet and his men and the Mouse becomes a player in a story bigger and more magical than he could believe. He meets a mysterious woman, with "eyes like a dove" (Michelle Pfeiffer) who stops him from killing a wolf who has just attacked a charcoal maker and ripped his throat out. We learn, with Philippe, that his benefactor is Etienne of Navarre, former captain of the Bishop's guard and the mysterious woman is Isabeau of Anjou, orphaned daughter of the Comte D'Anjou, "an intemperate fellow. He died slaughtering Saracens in the Holy Land." Imperious, played by Leo McKern, a disgraced monk who lives alone in drunken splendor in a ruined castle tells Philippe the story of Isabeau and Navarre. Having spurned the attentions of the Bishop, Isabeau is in love with Navarre and he with her. Betrayed by their mutual confessor, the lovers are forced to run to escape the Bishop's retribution. But they couldn't run far enough or fast enough. The Bishop, abandoning his sanctity, curses them. Isabeau is forced to spend her days in the body of a hawk, lovely but unaware of her human existence, and Navarre spends his nights as a wolf, powerful and fearless but ignorant. Now, Navarre has a plan. He needs the Mouse to find his way back into the dungeons of Aquila to open the door for Navarre. Navarre's plan? To kill the Bishop and end the curse. But, things don't go according to plan and Navarre nearly dies while in his wolf form, falling through the ice of a mountain river. It's up to Philippe, Imperious, and Isabeau to find a way to end the Bishop's curse.

Matthew Broderick as Philippe the self-proclaimed liar and thief is delightful. His character keeps up a running dialog with God throughout

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