Ladyhawke

Matthew Broderick starred in and directed the seminal 1985 masterpiece, Ladyhawke. Set in a medievil time, but containing many criticisms of the Reagan administration, Ladyhawke tells the story of Duke (Broderick), a page to the benevolent King Thaddeus. When Thaddeus is killed by his jealous magistrate, Jorno (Rutger Hauer, in the role which would define his career), Duke's hitherto life as a common page is torn assunder, and he is forced to assume the mantle of hero. He does this with the aid of a shapeshifting princess named Ladyhawke, and a magic sword which he dubs "Bloodmaker".

The film's premise alone is enough to entice even the most jaded moviegoer, but it isn't its only selling point. Not by far. Broderick easily could have crafted a B-grade sword and sorcery flick in the vein of Conan the Destroyer or The Pelican Brief, but chose, wisely, to infuse his magnum opus with moments of such warmth and tenderness that the main plot is secondary to his bold tale of one boy's unwavering love for a transmogrifying bird-woman.

When Ladyhawke's wing is broken by Jorno, she can no longer shapeshift back to her human form; and while the political allusion here is, admittedly, quite ham-handed, Broderick's decision to have Duke eat her wing's feathers, and thus become a hawke himself, is anything but. It remains as one of the most touching moments in film history.

Though Ladyhawke was overlooked at the Academy Awards -- it was nominated for 12 Oscars, but won only two: Best Adapted Screenplay, based on the novel by Raymond Chandler, and Best Supporting Actress for Bette Midler's portrayal of the titular Ladyhawke -- time has proven that Ladyhawke is an unmitigated classic.