- 3 months ago
In this installment, we take a look at a classic story about a mythical creature off on a quest to search for the rest of her kind and goes through many trials along the way, The Last Unicorn.
Originally uploaded on July 14, 2011.
Originally uploaded on July 14, 2011.
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00The
00:30Groovy.
01:00Groovy.
01:30Peter S. Beagle is an American fantasist and author of such novels as A Fine and Private
01:44Place, Tamsin, and The Innkeeper's Song.
01:48While not a huge name in popularity, his work has gained a decent fan base that is greatly
01:54respected and keeps expanding throughout the ages.
01:57But it wouldn't be until the early 1980s when he would team up with famed animation studio
02:03Rankin-Bass to bring his most famous work of fiction to the silver screen.
02:08This was The Last Unicorn, a film of self-discovery, faith, and romance.
02:14Although it doesn't revolutionize the art of fantasy, it does, however, give it a more
02:19unique and interesting look of adventure and magic.
02:23I love The Last Unicorn.
02:25It's one of my favorite anime films of all time.
02:28And I don't really consider it different from other fantasy films at the time because in
02:321982 you were having fantasy films like Conan the Barbarian, The Secret of Nym, E.T.
02:38The Extra-Terrestrial, and The Dark Crystal.
02:40Now, some of those films were aimed for kids, but they were written like they were written
02:44for adults.
02:45That especially goes to the animation company of Rankin-Bass.
02:50Because when you hear the name Rankin-Bass, you think of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,
02:55Frost the Snowman, Little Drummer Boy, and all these other great classic Christmas specials.
03:01Well, that's what they were famous for at the time, but over the years, they wanted to expand
03:08their audience.
03:10Like, in the late 1970s, they made an adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit for television.
03:19And it wasn't really dark.
03:22I mean, I watched it as a kid, but compared to their previous endeavors, it was dark.
03:28I mean, you had monsters, you had death, you had these epic battles.
03:36And I think that's what made it successful.
03:39And later on, Rankin-Bass would also do stuff like Thundercats, which was a very nostalgic
03:47animated series.
03:49It had some very dark elements to it.
03:51I mean, it had a planet exploding, it had the last survivors of a dead planet going onto
03:56another planet and facing off against an evil mummy.
04:00What makes The Last Unicorn such an interesting fantasy film is that it's not always this magical,
04:06lovely, happy world that these characters are in and coexisting in.
04:11It can be a very frightening world.
04:14And especially, I mean, if you look at the movie cover of this movie, you'd never know
04:21that it can be quite scary for what was marketed as a children's film.
04:26What makes it interesting is that they are a balance between light and dark.
04:35In the world of fantasy, they're not entirely friendly.
04:44So, having a not-so-happy ending, which I was actually glad to speak with Peter about while
04:54doing this show, that does sort of separate itself from every other fantasy film out there
05:03that does end with one.
05:06And it's an acceptable ending, too.
05:08But that's an accomplishment right there.
05:12What also adds to it as a worthwhile fantasy movie is that it has a very well-written plot.
05:18It has very distinctive animation.
05:22And it has a very unique score.
05:25It's one of those movies that's gained an audience over the years.
05:28And I remember seeing it as a little kid and just being totally enraptured by the world
05:38of The Last Unicorn and watching it.
05:43And just my imagination was just totally into this movie.
05:48It really captures your imagination.
05:51The success of the film amazes me.
05:54I saw it when it was first released in 1982.
05:58I saw it previously in the studio.
06:00And I like it very much.
06:02I like it better as time goes by.
06:04But the only thing I'm sure of is, first, it's not like your average Disney or Pixar fantasy film.
06:14And not like the smaller stuff like My Little Polly and so on.
06:21It doesn't have a built-in happy ending.
06:24I think it shakes up certain preconceptions about fairy tales.
06:29The story is about a unicorn who finds out that she may be the last of her kind.
06:36One day, she encounters a wandering butterfly that tells her that an evil creature known as the Red Bull
06:42has herded the rest of the unicorns to the ends of the earth.
06:46So, she decides to go out and search for them, leaving the safety of her forest.
06:51Along the way, she is captured by the witch, Mommy Fortuna, and is put on display in the cages of the witch's midnight carnival,
07:00with other mythical creatures who aren't what they truly appear to be, with the exception of a monstrous harpy.
07:07The unicorn eventually escapes with the help of an incompetent magician named Schmendrick,
07:12and later gains a second traveling companion, Molly Gru, the careworn cook of the Outlaws of Greenwood Forest.
07:20When the unicorn nears the seaside castle of King Haggard, supposed keeper of the Red Bull,
07:26she comes face to face with the creature itself and runs off in fear.
07:31At the last moment before her final surrender and capture,
07:34Schmendrick's unpredictable magic transforms her into a mortal woman,
07:39which leaves the Red Bull uninterested in her and departs.
07:43Schmendrick, Molly, and the unicorn, now in human form, proceed to Haggard's castle.
07:49Schmendrick introduces the unicorn only as his niece, the Lady Amalthia,
07:55and requests that the three of them stay there as members of Haggard's court.
08:00While there, Amalthia begins to forget her identity and her reasons for coming to the castle,
08:06and eventually falls in love with Prince Lear.
08:10Caught in a complex web of newfound emotions,
08:12she struggles with thoughts of abandoning her quest for the sake of mortal love.
08:18As stated before, the film was based off of the novel of the same name by Peter S. Beagle that was published in 1968,
08:25with Beagle himself writing the screenplay.
08:28While Rankin-Bass provided the film's dialogue and story based on Beagle's work,
08:33the animation was done by Japanese animation studio TopCraft.
08:38The studio was later hired by Hayao Miyazaki to work on Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind,
08:43and their core members eventually went on to form Studio Ghibli.
08:48During her quest, the unicorn faces various obstacles in her path.
08:53In one way, the trials that she faces almost symbolize and relate to her quest to find a place in the world
08:59and keep magic alive in a hopeless and harsh reality.
09:04The journey of the unicorn symbolizes innocence and the loss of innocence.
09:10We have this very pure creature, this unicorn,
09:13and she finds out that she might be the last one in the world of her kind.
09:18And so she sets out on this quest to find the other unicorns,
09:23and it turns out they've been all driven out by this creature called the Red Bull.
09:29So this creature has been pushing all of these pure, innocent things out of the world,
09:34and what's left is only illusions and evil creatures.
09:40And in order for her to survive in the world,
09:42she has to become something else entirely,
09:45a human.
09:47And then she starts to forget who she is once she transforms into a human,
09:52where she puts up this...
09:54Once she puts up the mask of the human,
09:56she starts to become human and starts to lose who she once was.
10:00Well, first, I don't symbolize a bloody thing.
10:03I'm like Mark Twain,
10:06the writing of the very beginning of Huckleberry Finn.
10:09The person's attempting to find a moral...
10:12And this novel will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
10:15A person's attempting to find a plot and it will be shot.
10:18I was making up the story as I went along.
10:21I hate parables.
10:23I hate books that teach moral lessons that can be easily analyzed.
10:29I didn't have a...
10:30It's very important.
10:31I didn't know what the hell I was doing.
10:33I was letting the story tell itself.
10:35I can't tell you how many times I was that close to giving up on it.
10:39As I say, I'd given up on it once.
10:40And I can say after the fact,
10:44oh, this, you could say, symbolizes that,
10:46or that might indicate.
10:48But I really don't know.
10:49As far as I was concerned, it was just a story.
10:52I see certain things turn up in it
10:54that turn up later on in my other work.
10:59I thought of it as trying to be a fairy tale
11:01and a spoof on fairy tales at the same time.
11:04Now it's called metafiction
11:05because one or two of the characters
11:07realize they're in a fairy tale.
11:09And there are jokes in there
11:12that are literally private jokes
11:16between me and my old buddy
11:17that were making us laugh that summer of 1962.
11:20I just threw them in.
11:22So, as I say,
11:24there is no overall structure,
11:27symbolic structure,
11:30that was conscious of,
11:31although I've heard it analyzed many times
11:33over the last 40 years.
11:36Throughout the film,
11:37we get to see various characters and creatures
11:40that have their own unique personality
11:43and creative design,
11:44but still keeps within the same style
11:47of the original story
11:48and leaving a lasting impression on us all.
11:52One of my favorite characters in the movie
11:53is the unicorn
11:54because, well,
11:56she's the title character.
11:57She's the last unicorn.
11:58Plus, she's just so beautiful to look at
12:02because before watching this film,
12:04I had never heard of unicorns,
12:06but when first seeing her on the screen,
12:09this white, shining creature
12:13with a mane like satin,
12:17the amalgamation of a horse,
12:19a deer,
12:20a lion's tail,
12:21and this horn jutting out of her head.
12:24And it was just so beautiful to look at.
12:28I mean, every time I look at a unicorn
12:30based on how it looks in the movie,
12:33I just get awestruck.
12:38Plus, I like how she is a strong female lead
12:42because you don't really get to see
12:45strong female characters
12:47as the main character in a movie.
12:50I mean,
12:52like, back then, you didn't have any,
12:54but later on, you had figures like
12:56Wonder Woman, Ripley,
12:58Sarah Connor.
13:00They're all great characters.
13:01I consider the unicorn being one of them.
13:04Also,
13:05the person who does her voice,
13:08Mia Farrow,
13:08is just a terrific actress.
13:12I mean,
13:13the voice she gives the unicorn
13:16makes her sound so innocent and pure.
13:21Every time I hear her voice as the unicorn,
13:26my heart melts.
13:28Plus, I just love the journey she has to go on
13:31to find the rest of her kind.
13:33I mean,
13:34when you look at something like that,
13:35a creature like a unicorn,
13:37you think it's going to be a coward, right?
13:40Well, no.
13:42She hears that she is the last of her kind.
13:45She hears what happened to the rest of her kind.
13:47She wants to go look for the rest of her kind.
13:51Because a world without unicorns
13:53is practically a world without innocence,
13:56a world without hope,
13:57a world without purity.
13:58And she wants to bring all those back to the world.
14:03Oh,
14:03they've all got something of me in them.
14:06All of them.
14:07The nearest I can say
14:08to people who ask,
14:09who assume I identify with Shmendrick,
14:11they don't particularly.
14:13It comes out of bedtime stories
14:15I used to tell my oldest daughter
14:16about the adventures of the world's worst magician.
14:20And for people who don't know,
14:21Shmendrick is a name.
14:24It's a double barrel.
14:27It's a play on Mandrake the Magician,
14:31which is a very popular comic strip
14:33when I was a boy.
14:34I think they even made a couple of serial movies
14:36in the days when they made serials.
14:39And Shmendrick in Yiddish
14:40is the boy who's sent to do a man's job,
14:45the person could take me out of his depth.
14:49And so there's a point where I needed Shmendrick.
14:52He just walked into the book.
14:54He was older than the book.
14:56And if I see any character as a personal sketch,
15:01it's a butterfly.
15:03Butterfly is very much a sketch
15:06from the inside of my head at 23.
15:10I'm not a scholar.
15:11I have a magpie mind
15:12that picks up shiny things
15:14and puts them away
15:15because you'll never know
15:16when you might need one.
15:18So the butterflies talk
15:20is a mixture of songs, poems, commercials,
15:24one-liners from plays, old jokes.
15:27But beyond that,
15:29every character is something of me
15:30in the haggard circling.
15:33When he says that
15:34I always knew nothing in this world
15:37was worth the investment of my heart,
15:39and I was right,
15:40and so I was always old.
15:41there's something of me in there, too.
15:47Christopher Lee
15:48is such an amazing actor
15:51when it comes to villains.
15:52I mean, he was Count Dooku
15:55in the Star Wars prequels,
15:57he was Saruman
15:58in the Lord of the Rings movies,
16:00and he was Dracula
16:02of the hammer horror films
16:03of the 50s, 60s, and 70s.
16:06But, in my opinion,
16:09I think King Hagger
16:10was the first villain
16:11he ever played
16:12that had depth to him.
16:13I mean,
16:15here you have this
16:16skinny
16:18old
16:20king
16:21living in this
16:23dilapidated old castle
16:24with a monster
16:26he keeps underneath it,
16:28and ruling over this
16:29barren wasteland
16:31where
16:31practically nothing grows.
16:34And,
16:36yet,
16:37his true intention
16:38is to
16:39feel joy.
16:41He wants to feel joy,
16:42but for all the wrong
16:44selfish reasons.
16:46There's a scene
16:47in the movie
16:47where
16:48he encounters
16:49the unicorn
16:50disguised as Lady Amalfia
16:52looking out over the ocean.
16:54And,
16:54he knows
16:55that she's really
16:57the last unicorn
16:57he's looking for.
16:59But,
17:00she does,
17:01she's like losing
17:02her identity
17:03at the time.
17:04But,
17:04he's convinced.
17:05And so,
17:06he tells her that
17:08he is keeping
17:09the rest of the unicorns
17:10in the ocean
17:12to watch them
17:13drift in and out
17:14with the waves.
17:15And,
17:16he gives this
17:17speech as to
17:19why he's keeping them there.
17:21they fill me
17:22with joy.
17:24The first time
17:25I felt it
17:26I thought
17:26I was going
17:27to die.
17:30I said to the Red Bull,
17:32I must have them.
17:33I must have all of them,
17:34all there are,
17:35for nothing makes me
17:37happy,
17:38but
17:38their shining
17:40and their grace.
17:45So,
17:46the Red Bull
17:47caught them.
17:48each time
17:52I see
17:53the unicorns,
17:54my unicorns,
17:56it is like
17:57that morning
17:58in the woods
17:58and I am truly
18:00young
18:01in spite of myself.
18:05And that was
18:05such an amazing
18:06piece of dialogue.
18:07I mean,
18:08Peter S. Beagle
18:09himself said
18:10that he went
18:10into the recording studio
18:12and heard
18:12Christopher Lee
18:13recite those lines.
18:14and afterwards
18:15Christopher Lee
18:16came in
18:17and Peter said
18:18you just recited
18:19my favorite speech
18:20in the book.
18:22And Christopher Lee
18:23said,
18:23oh,
18:23did I do anything wrong?
18:25I can re-record it
18:26if you want.
18:27And Peter was like,
18:27no,
18:28it was perfect.
18:30And I have to
18:31agree with Peter,
18:31it was
18:32perfect.
18:33and whenever
18:35I read
18:36the book
18:36and I come
18:37across that speech
18:38I only think
18:40of Christopher's
18:40voice,
18:41I only think
18:42of his voice
18:43when reading
18:44that piece
18:44from the book.
18:45By the same token,
18:46I'm enormously
18:47grateful
18:48for Molly Grew
18:49because Molly
18:51came out of
18:51some place
18:52I never understood.
18:53I have no business
18:54creating Molly Grew
18:57a white male
18:5827 or 28.
19:01I don't know
19:02where I am,
19:03where the hell
19:03she come from,
19:04but I've never
19:04stopped,
19:04that came from,
19:06but I've never
19:06stopped being grateful.
19:08I can't even say
19:08that one of me
19:09is in Molly,
19:10I don't know.
19:12But,
19:12which is
19:15certainly true.
19:18I always liked
19:19Molly the best.
19:21She's a very tough
19:22and feisty woman,
19:24yet she's very
19:24caring
19:25and cares about
19:27the unicorn
19:28and the unicorn
19:29as a symbol
19:30of innocence.
19:31I think it's
19:32very refreshing
19:33to see
19:34a woman character
19:36in a kid's film,
19:38one of the main
19:38characters
19:39who isn't there
19:40purely to be
19:41eye candy
19:43purely to be
19:45just the beautiful,
19:47dazzling woman
19:48that is sort of
19:50the prize
19:50for the man
19:51to have
19:52at the end.
19:53It's very nice
19:54and I think
19:55that characters
19:57like that
19:57are much more
19:58relatable
19:59than these
20:00untouchable,
20:01beautiful people
20:01that we usually
20:02see in kid's films.
20:05I also liked
20:06the Red Bull a lot.
20:08He didn't even
20:08have any speaking lines
20:09and yet he was
20:10so effective.
20:11He was just this
20:11scary, scary, scary
20:14character.
20:17Another thing
20:18that this movie
20:19is well known for
20:20is its music.
20:21The film's music
20:22was composed
20:23and arranged
20:24by Jimmy Webb
20:25with songs performed
20:26by the group
20:27America.
20:27In the distance
20:29hear the laughter
20:31of the last unicorn
20:35Here I am
20:39on man's road
20:44Walkin' in the road
20:51In the sea
20:55The fish have learned
21:01to fly
21:02Their songs and music
21:06managed to stay
21:07within the fantasy
21:08of the film
21:08as well as keeping
21:10within the aspects
21:11of the title character
21:12and her journey
21:13throughout the story.
21:15I was thrilled
21:16to know
21:17they signed him
21:18because in
21:19the Wreck and Bass
21:20movie
21:20they
21:21they need a song
21:23that mostly went
21:24to Jules Bass
21:25who's a closet lyricist
21:26and Romy
21:28Maury Laws
21:30who was always
21:31their musical director
21:32and with all
21:34due respect
21:35to Jules
21:36he's not
21:38a first-rate
21:39songwriter
21:40and the fact
21:41that they'd
21:42gone out of their
21:42way to hire
21:43someone like
21:43Jimmy Webb
21:44really meant
21:46a good deal
21:46to me
21:47and I lo
21:49America
21:50as it happened
21:50because of that
21:51bloody song
21:52of theirs
21:52Horse With No Name
21:53which my daughters
21:54played over and over
21:55and over
21:56one summer
21:57so I could have
21:58screamed
21:59in fact
22:00the
22:01singers
22:03who are
22:03America
22:04did quite a good
22:05job on the
22:06soundtrack
22:06and as Webb
22:08said
22:08this book
22:09Toonsmith
22:10it's a serious
22:11book about
22:12songwriting
22:12he said
22:13but the nicest
22:15experience I had
22:16writing for a film
22:16was an animated
22:17movie called
22:18The Last Unicorn
22:19which opened me
22:21up to an
22:22entirely new
22:22audience of
22:23seven-year-old
22:23girls
22:24they may not
22:26have known
22:26that I wrote
22:27by the time
22:28I get to
22:29Phoenix
22:29or Up
22:30Up
22:30and Away
22:31or
22:31MacArthur Park
22:34because I know
22:35I wrote
22:36Man's Road
22:37and
22:39I'm
22:41generally
22:42delighted
22:42by the score
22:43The film's music
22:45far surpasses
22:47the film itself
22:48in my opinion
22:49I mean
22:50I heard the
22:50theme song
22:51by America
22:52before I ever
22:54watched the movie
22:55and I just
22:55remember thinking
22:56to myself
22:57this is one
22:58incredible
22:59theme song
23:00and
23:02then I watched
23:03that
23:03you know
23:04crappy DVD
23:06version
23:06and I was like
23:07this is
23:08it was attached
23:09to this movie
23:10of course
23:12later on
23:12I liked it a little bit
23:13better watching it
23:14on Blu-ray
23:15but that's
23:16besides the point
23:17the point is
23:18if there's anything
23:20to get out of this movie
23:21for me
23:22it's the music
23:23I'm a huge
23:24music person
23:25and
23:25I
23:27really thought
23:28the soundtrack
23:28was exceptional
23:30in this film
23:31The Last Unicorn
23:33by America
23:34is
23:34one of the most
23:36beautiful things
23:37I've ever listened to
23:38in my entire life
23:39and it's
23:41probably my
23:43favorite song
23:45of all time
23:45every time
23:48I listen to it
23:48I just want to cry
23:51I mean
23:51because it's
23:52it's so
23:53soothing
23:55gentle
23:56and so uplifting
23:58at the same time
23:59even if I'm
24:01if I'm on my hands
24:02and knees
24:02and I've
24:04given up
24:05because the world
24:06is such a cold
24:07and cruel place
24:08that song
24:10it'll cheer me up
24:12in fact
24:13it's what the song
24:15talks about as well
24:16like
24:17let's say
24:18the worst thing
24:20in the world
24:21happened to you
24:22and you just want
24:24to throw it all away
24:25there's nothing
24:26in the world
24:27that'll make you
24:28happy ever again
24:29well
24:30if you look
24:33at a unicorn
24:34your heart
24:36will be filled
24:39with joy
24:39you'll be happy
24:41again
24:41and that's why
24:45I love the song
24:46so much
24:47because
24:49it's
24:54so inspirational
24:55the other songs
24:59are nice too
25:00but
25:00The Last Unicorn
25:03has a special place
25:07in my heart
25:07I have a theory
25:10as a musician myself
25:11that anyone
25:13can sing
25:16at least decently
25:17if they
25:18are given a song
25:19that's in the right key
25:21in the right range
25:22for them
25:22this
25:23this does that
25:25for Jeff Bridges
25:27and Mia Farrell
25:28I love their
25:29I love their duet
25:31in the movie
25:31that's all I've got to say
25:32it's just
25:33terrific
25:34how they bounce
25:35off each other
25:36and it's their
25:36real singing voices
25:37not like they do
25:39with some Disney films
25:40where they
25:41hire a singer
25:43to come in
25:44and do the
25:46soundtrack
25:46this was their
25:49real voices
25:50it all came across
25:51as natural
25:52normal
25:53they didn't
25:54sound any different
25:56and
25:57the song
26:00was actually
26:01later redone
26:02by Art Garfunkel
26:03who also did
26:04a very good job
26:06of it
26:06but he only sang
26:07one verse
26:08so you don't get
26:09the full impact
26:11of the song
26:11unless you watch
26:13the original movie
26:14version
26:14that's what I think
26:16that's what I'm going to do
26:17I'm going to do
26:18that's what I'm going to do
26:19aside from the music
26:20The Last Unicorn
26:21has scenes to tend to be
26:23highly memorable to the viewer
26:25while revolving around the main character
26:28and the journey
26:29these moments can range from being
26:31spectacularly artistic
26:33or simply impressive
26:34considering the art and beauty
26:36of visual animation
26:38the scene where the red bull
26:41confronts the unicorn
26:42was always the most memorable
26:44for me
26:45it
26:45from the red bull's entrance
26:48to the
26:48kind of
26:49standoff between the bull
26:51and the unicorn
26:52it was just very memorable
26:53and
26:53probably because of the scary factor
26:56in there
26:57and then
26:58the fact that she gets turned
26:59into a person
27:00at the end of this
27:01standoff
27:02It's a very good scene
27:04it's a turning point
27:05in the movie
27:06and
27:07it's the first time
27:08we get to see the red bull
27:09so
27:09there's a lot
27:11that's a couple of minutes
27:12that you can't miss
27:13in the movie
27:14definitely
27:15My favorite scene
27:16in the movie
27:16is definitely the finale
27:17when the unicorn
27:19defeats the red bull
27:20and drives him in the sea
27:23because
27:23without the bull
27:25to watch over the ocean
27:26the unicorns
27:28there in the sea
27:29can get out
27:30and you see them
27:32when the red bull
27:33walks
27:34into the ocean
27:35defeated
27:36you see these huge waves
27:39just
27:40rising up out of the ocean
27:42and you see the unicorns
27:43riding the crest of these waves
27:45and there's
27:46almost like
27:47hundreds of them
27:48and they all
27:50run up on the shore
27:51and as soon as they
27:52run up on the shore
27:53you hear this
27:54loud
27:56beautiful angelic choir
27:58as they're all running
28:00you see all these
28:01beautiful unicorns
28:03running across
28:04King Haggard's castle
28:06and
28:07then the castle
28:08begins to collapse
28:09the last
28:11I knew you were the last
28:16it truly shows that
28:26good has triumphed over evil
28:29and that's why I love that scene so much
28:32the music
28:35the actions
28:37and the payoff
28:39that's why I love that scene so much
28:41my favorite scene has to be
28:44Molly Gru
28:45meeting the unicorn for the first time
28:47because
28:48Molly Gru
28:51is
28:52the type of person
28:54who has
28:55believed in
28:56fairy tales
28:57their whole life
28:59and they've had such
29:00strong
29:01faith
29:03in this set
29:05that
29:07it's
29:08it's come into question
29:09it's probably
29:11left them
29:13wondering
29:16what it is
29:17that they believe in
29:18and when she finally
29:20sees the unicorn
29:21she's
29:21she's finally
29:23for the first time
29:24in her life
29:24seeing something
29:25that's fantastic
29:26and
29:27I know a lot of people
29:28out there
29:29who are like that
29:30they're waiting
29:31to see something
29:32just
29:33absolutely amazing
29:34and when they don't see it
29:36they wind up getting depressed
29:38they make decisions in life
29:39that
29:39perhaps they later on
29:41regret
29:41etc
29:42and maybe that
29:43explains why she's
29:44hanging out with a bunch of thieves
29:46so
29:47I don't know
29:49maybe there's some
29:49psychosis going on there
29:51where were you when I was new
29:53when I was one of those
29:55innocent young maidens
29:56you always come to
29:57how dare you
30:00how dare you
30:02come to me now
30:03when I am this
30:06can you really see her
30:18do you really know
30:19what she is
30:20if you had been waiting
30:21to see a unicorn
30:22as long as I have
30:25she's the last unicorn
30:26in the world
30:27it would be the last unicorn
30:29in the world
30:30that came to Molly
30:31it's alright
30:33I forgive you
30:36I don't know how I knew
30:37to write it like that
30:39I don't
30:40Molly's mix of anger
30:42tears
30:43reverence
30:44I don't know how the hell
30:46I do that
30:46and
30:47and Tammy Grimes
30:49who I never met
30:50simply throws herself
30:51into it
30:52and
30:53truly gave it the works
30:54that's
30:56that's
30:56always the scene
30:57that
30:58makes me shiver a little bit
30:59because I wrote it
31:00but I don't know how
31:01the film was released
31:04on November 19th
31:061982
31:06grossing over
31:08two million dollars
31:09on its opening weekend
31:10and received over
31:11six million dollars
31:12domestically
31:13it had mixed reviews
31:15from the critics
31:16but was praised
31:17by Beagle himself
31:18saying it was
31:19magnificent
31:20compared to the
31:21animated
31:21Lord of the Rings
31:22film by Rolf Bakshi
31:23which was another film
31:25he had written
31:25a screenplay for
31:26in 2003
31:28Granada International
31:30earned a revenue
31:31for DVD and TV sales
31:33of The Last Unicorn
31:34with over
31:34one million pounds
31:35which would round out
31:37to 1.55 million dollars
31:39in US currency
31:40however
31:41Peter S. Beagle
31:42didn't receive
31:43his share of the intake
31:44which would be
31:455% of net profits
31:47from all revenues
31:48from the film
31:495% of gross revenues
31:51from the merchandise
31:5220,000 dollars
31:53for any sequels
31:54or remake
31:55and various fees
31:56for any possible
31:57television series
31:58adaptions
31:59or spin-offs
32:00when Granada
32:01failed to negotiate
32:02with the issue
32:03a public campaign
32:04was launched
32:05for Beagle support
32:05by Conlin Press
32:07in August of 2005
32:08thousands of fans
32:10from over 50 countries
32:11signed up
32:12to help make sure
32:13that he was paid
32:13fairly for what
32:15was owed to him
32:15as of October of 2008
32:18there was a word
32:19of a solution
32:20to the problem
32:21but it has yet
32:22to be presented
32:23for a long time
32:25so till today
32:27I've gotten absolutely
32:28no income
32:29from the DVD sales
32:30of the movie
32:31and the lies
32:34about why that was so
32:35so completely
32:38contradicted each other
32:39that we were set
32:40to go to court
32:41until
32:42Andrew Garrard
32:44the
32:45attorney
32:47the lawyer
32:48that had
32:49legal head
32:50essentially
32:50the number two man
32:51at ITV
32:53ITV media
32:55and
32:56Andrew
32:58and
32:58Adam Crozier
33:00the new head
33:01of ITV
33:02actually felt
33:05that
33:05this was morally wrong
33:07and
33:09almost immediately
33:10determined
33:11to do something
33:12about it
33:12and
33:14as I've said
33:15when talking about it
33:16all in public
33:17my inner Marxist
33:19sort of rears up
33:20in its high legs
33:21the whole concept
33:22of
33:23a capitalist
33:25for the moral sense
33:26but
33:27every once in a while
33:29you do get one of those
33:30and we've been
33:31we've been very lucky
33:32with these Englishmen
33:33so I do think
33:36that it will be
33:37resolved
33:38in
33:38the very near future
33:40still working out
33:41the smallest kinks
33:43but
33:44as Conor said
33:47when we were
33:48telling
33:49spreading the news
33:50at
33:51this most recent
33:55Dallas convention
33:56ACOM
33:57the war's over
33:59without fan support
34:00as we told them
34:01then
34:02both of us
34:02nothing would have
34:04happened
34:04but the
34:06outrage
34:06was so palpable
34:07people
34:08spent so much time
34:09online
34:11and writing letters
34:12and
34:13letting
34:14first for another
34:16films
34:17essentially
34:17ITV's the parent
34:19company
34:20letting
34:21it be known
34:23how they felt
34:23and without that
34:25backing
34:26it would have been
34:27hard to
34:28to announce
34:30that
34:30if this isn't settled
34:31we're going to court
34:32the usual feeling
34:34in
34:35circles that high
34:38is that writers
34:38don't go to court
34:39to have the money
34:40and
34:41that's perfectly
34:43true
34:43how we would have
34:44done it
34:45I don't really know
34:46but we'd have done it
34:47and I'm very grateful
34:49that
34:49we didn't have to
34:51not only because
34:52of the expense
34:53saved
34:53but because of the
34:55atmosphere
34:56that developed
34:56between
34:57Conor
34:58and Adam
34:59and Andrew
35:00and me
35:01and I think
35:03we are going to be
35:04working together
35:05on other projects
35:05than The Last Unicorn
35:06after the film's release
35:10Peter S. Beagle
35:11published
35:12a coda story
35:13to The Last Unicorn
35:14titled Two Hearts
35:15in the
35:16October-November issue
35:17of Fantasy
35:18and Science Fiction
35:19Magazine
35:19in 2005
35:20it won three awards
35:23including
35:23the World Fantasy Award
35:25the Nebula Award
35:26and the Hugo Award
35:28for Best Novelette
35:29in 2006
35:30and in 2010
35:33IDW Publishing
35:35released a six-issue
35:36comic book adaptation
35:37of the original
35:38Last Unicorn novel
35:40which was then
35:41comprised
35:42into a hardcover book
35:43a year later
35:44a live-action film adaptation
35:47was originally
35:47in development
35:48for a few years
35:50but little news
35:51exists on its
35:52current progress
35:53there was some
35:54controversy
35:55on the possibility
35:56of mixing real horses
35:57with digital effects
35:58which was considered
36:00by many
36:00that it would ruin
36:01the physical appearance
36:02of the unicorn
36:03depicted in the book
36:04Continent Films
36:06later revealed in 2006
36:07that the world
36:08was in development
36:09and had plans
36:10to have Christopher Lee
36:11reprise his role
36:12as King Hagar
36:13still
36:14there were no funds
36:16a shooting script
36:17or any cast created
36:19to move the project
36:20forward at the moment
36:21a live-action adaptation
36:24of The Last Unicorn
36:26would have been
36:26a very bad idea
36:28in 1982
36:29when The Last Unicorn
36:32just came out
36:32they didn't have
36:35the special effects
36:36to do it
36:37back then
36:38I think
36:39and since most
36:40of the characters
36:40are mythical
36:41like the unicorn
36:43the red bull
36:44different characters
36:47in the movie
36:47I think it would have
36:49been very campy
36:51to do them
36:51with puppets
36:52or animatronic
36:55things
36:55or even with
36:57the special effects
36:57they had back then
36:58it wouldn't
36:59it wouldn't be laughable
37:00now
37:00whereas with a cartoon
37:02it keeps the effect
37:04it was going for
37:05throughout the years
37:05and
37:07I think
37:08a live-action adaptation
37:10could be
37:10great today
37:11but
37:13I think
37:15the one that will
37:16always have a place
37:17in my heart
37:17will be
37:18the animated
37:191982 version
37:21of The Last Unicorn
37:22I'd love it to happen
37:23and
37:24back then
37:25in 1982
37:26it couldn't have been
37:27but
37:28it can be now
37:29and
37:30we're
37:33sorting out
37:35the rights
37:35on that
37:36the rights
37:36were so scrambled
37:37thanks partly
37:39to my agent
37:39at the time
37:40to
37:42the fact
37:43that the
37:44films
37:45disappeared
37:45because
37:46its original
37:46distributor
37:47went broke
37:48went bankrupt
37:48and the rights
37:51still belong
37:51to a small
37:53company
37:53in
37:54in
37:55London
37:56which we are
37:58have been
38:00for quite some time
38:01trying to get
38:01back from them
38:02and we do want to
38:05upgrade
38:05the original film
38:07so that
38:08looks like something
38:10that might have been
38:10done today
38:11with a better budget
38:13and getting it back
38:14into theaters
38:15because every time
38:16we've produced it
38:17shown it in theaters
38:18we've got packed houses
38:19so
38:21there are a lot of
38:23things to look forward to
38:24I want there to be
38:25a life action
38:26last unicorn movie
38:26because
38:27you have all these
38:28other books being
38:29turned into movies
38:30like Narnia
38:31Lord of the Rings
38:32Harry Potter
38:32why not the last unicorn
38:34I think it'll be perfect
38:35especially with the
38:37technology we have today
38:38I'm sure they can make
38:39a unicorn
38:40a realistic unicorn
38:41in CGI
38:42maybe they got
38:43Weta Studios
38:44I mean
38:45it'll be awesome
38:46as for the director
38:47I don't know
38:49who should direct
38:49I have three candidates
38:51there's Peter Jackson
38:54there's Guillermo del Toro
38:56but
38:56why not Tim Burton
38:59I mean
39:00yeah
39:01why not have Tim Burton
39:02direct a live action movie
39:03I mean
39:04it's perfect
39:06I mean
39:06he is a great
39:08visual director
39:08and
39:09I think he'll do
39:11justice
39:11to what the animated
39:13version did
39:14I mean
39:14I can see him designing
39:16King Haggard's castle
39:17the unicorn's forest
39:18the monsters
39:20the Red Bull
39:21the unicorn
39:22the costumes
39:24the atmosphere
39:25I think it'd be perfect for it
39:27plus
39:28we would get
39:29Johnny Depp
39:30as Schmendrick
39:31and
39:31Helena Bonham Carter
39:33as Molly Grew
39:34I know
39:35that they're
39:36perhaps in all of
39:37Tim Burton's films
39:38and people are getting sick of it
39:39but
39:39I just think
39:40they would pick
39:40the characters to a T
39:41I don't know who would voice
39:43The Last Unicorn
39:44but
39:44whoever they'd get
39:46it'd be perfect
39:47as for King Haggard
39:49maybe Christopher Lee
39:50can reprise his role
39:51but if he's too old
39:52maybe
39:53Patrick Stewart
39:54I'm not sure
39:55what I'm saying is
39:56there needs to be
39:57a live action
39:58The Last Unicorn movie
39:59if they get Tim Burton
40:01I'll be happy
40:02anyone else
40:02I don't care
40:03as long as the movie gets made
40:04because
40:05it's such a terrific book
40:07I want to see it
40:08on the big screen
40:09with all the technology
40:12we have today
40:12it'll be perfect
40:14it'll be awesome
40:16please
40:18whoever
40:19is out there
40:20right now
40:21please
40:22I beg you
40:23Peter S. Beagle
40:25anyone
40:25make this
40:27a live action movie
40:29your fans
40:30will be happy
40:31that you did
40:32we really will
40:34A live action
40:36Last Unicorn
40:36just make it good
40:40please
40:40Despite the uncertain future
40:45for a live action feature
40:47the animated adaptation
40:48will always be considered
40:50a classic
40:51for its magnificent
40:52style of animation
40:53and cast of
40:54unforgettable characters
40:55The Last Unicorn
40:57is a true example
40:58in how traditional animation
40:59can be greatly effective
41:01in making a magical world
41:02and its inhabitants
41:04feel real
41:04to its audience
41:05Then look into
41:08the sky
41:10where through
41:11the clouds
41:13are back this
41:15torn
41:15Look and see her
41:18how she sparkles
41:20It's the last
41:22unicorn
41:24I'm alive
41:27I'm alive
41:29I'm alive
41:30I'm alive
41:31I'm alive
41:32I'm alive
41:33I'm alive
41:34I'm alive
41:35I'm alive
41:37I'm alive
41:38I'm alive
41:39I'm alive
41:40I'm alive
41:41I'm alive
41:42I'm alive
41:43I'm alive
41:44I'm alive
41:45I'm alive
41:46I'm alive
41:47I'm alive
41:48I'm alive
41:49I'm alive
41:50I'm alive
41:51I'm alive
41:52I'm alive
41:53I'm alive
41:54I'm alive
41:55Cut.
Comments