Talk:Highlander (film)

What was archived

 * Subtitle? - question about the subtitle for the film
 * Commendation - post complimenting on the article's comprehensiveness
 * different versions - differences between US and Euro versions, including the nazi scene
 * there can be only one - subtitle versus tagline
 * Reception - notability of reviewers
 * Heroscape| - relevance of Heroscape to the article
 * French/Quebec Controversy - the lying s.o.b. in France that cried foul
 * Fair use rationale for Image:Highlander.jpg - regarding the fair use of one of the secondary images utilized in Highlander

Original Film Poster (Image:Highlander 1 poster.jpg)
Ey up!

This artwork is for the Ocean Software computer game Highlander and not for the film it is based on. This artwork is by Bob Wakelin, his signature can be seen under Connor's shield. I have e-mailed the artist who also confirms this. Cheers, XtC of ExoticA 12:20, 9 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Clearly, we will need something more substantial to base any removal upon. Provide it here, please.


 * Meanwhile, here are the pics that have been used this far:

Image:Highlander 1 poster.jpg

Image:Orig.highlander.poster.ital.JPG.jpg

Where are the other two image files, and why can I not find them in the history? I am going to be royally pissed if someone opted to speedily delete them without discussion, and my ire is fearsome to behold.:( -  Arcayne   (cast a spell)  10:19, 15 August 2007 (UTC)
 * The second image is the official poster for the film's release. Someone please place it back into the inforbox, as I cannot get it to fit. As well, someone warn whatever adventurous soul that removes it again will face my editorial wrath - Arcayne   (cast a spell)  10:52, 15 August 2007 (UTC)


 * Ey up!
 * Why did I remove the image? Well, I did try to discuss this on the image itself on July 31st, but no one responded.  Next I posted a comment here on the August 9th and waited...  No response.  Although I removed the image from the Highlander page I did place it on the Ocean Software page - but now that's wrong too!
 * I guess I wrongly assumed that this wiki was about everyone taking part? Didn't know there was such a dictatorship! Anyway, with regards to citing my sources just take a look at this gallery of artwork provided to us by the original artist as an ongoing project that I am maintaining.
 * Ban or block me if you must, was just trying to help! Cheers,XtC of ExoticA 14:22, 15 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Sorry, I think my repsonse to you was pretty harsh, I apologize for it. I think what upset me more than anything else was that a primary image was removed without replacing it with another (which is kind of a no-no, as it is rather hard to track down the prior image). The image currently in place (l'immortale) is in fact the film poster for the movie, and I think the summary and reasoning for the image are on target, but please, feel free to check it out.
 * Again, I apologize failing to assume good faith on your part. - Arcayne   (cast a spell)  19:44, 15 August 2007 (UTC)


 * upon seeing that XtC said that it was for the game cover I updated the actual image. the previous image is still in the system under this link. But we should not use the Italian poster even though it may look nicer it is not the original American poster for the films release. This only matters since the film was released in the US first and it is general policy in Wikipedia to use the original version. If an older version is found just update the image at Image:Highlander 1 poster.jpg. Oh and since these images have copyright status we cannot display them in the talk page and only in the article itself, otherwise we could be violating US copyright laws :-) -- UKPhoenix79 03:44, 16 August 2007 (UTC)


 * You might want to review the Fair Use criteria for movie posters, and you might in fact take a look at other FA film articles. I copied the rationale from a few of them. Unfortunately, I have never seen the b&w poster for Highlander, and am unsure of its provenance - it may be a latter-day mock-up. The one from Italy is 4-color, more inviting, and within fair-use criteria to use. As well, it was used, with English-wording in the cities of Chicago and New York at the time. I remember being a kid bragging to my friends that I had a poster that they were all trying to get - and it was from another country to boot.
 * Please leave the image in place. If you disagree that it is a better image (for whatever reason), we will have to cinsider this a content dispute, and bring in neutral parties to evaluate the matter. - Arcayne   (cast a spell)  03:51, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

Taken from WikiProject_Films/Style_guidelines
 * The image presented in the table should ideally be a promotional style-A or teaser one-sheet (27" x 41") poster for the film. Failing that, a DVD or a video tape cover may be used [...] For films that have multiple posters, limit the infobox poster to either the teaser (first run) or style-A (occasionally second run) version.

if you follow the link provided you will see that this is indeed the original US style-A version. What you are putting up is the incorrect Italian Style B version. This is an American movie that was first released in the states. If you were to look at other foreign films like the original Japanese Godzilla you will see that it is the Japanese poster not he US poster that was released years later. Life Is Beautiful got many academy awards in the US and they use the Italian poster, The Triplets of Belleville was a French animated feature that had no French spoken throughout the film, only a few songs like the title song was in French, also released in the US, a French poster is used. I hope that I have made my point :-) I know that you mean well but I am keeping with the policy in using the poster that was used first in the country of origin. So I hope you don't mind but I'm going to revert the image again to the American original version. If there is an issue with this, even though I believe that the wikipedia policies back me up on this one we should take this to the WikiProject Films talk pages either Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Films or Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Films/Style guidelines. It seams that this user User:SkierRMH helps people with image disputes also. Please don't take offense at my actions as none is intended, but please if there is an issue we should either keep the US original version up or remove both images until this is resolved :-) -- UKPhoenix79 07:03, 16 August 2007 (UTC)


 * I would just like to say that it is not imperative to use the original poster for the main identifying image for the article's subject. If the poster was shown some time in the past, and it is not immediately conclusive which one is most appropriate, as opposed to the poster for Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, then I would suggest using the DVD cover for the film instead.  I think that there are two -- a US one and a UK one.  It seems that either DVD cover would be more recognizable by today's audiences, since there doesn't seem to be any indication that the original posters were renowned. —Erik (talk • contrib) - 04:34, 16 August 2007 (UTC)


 * Yea but that gets into the problem that the DVD covers for this film are rather lousy... Directors Cut and 20th Edition DVD are horrid, yes horrid covers, just not worth mentioning. Though I must say that the UK dvd cover is rather nice. But this is going against the agreed upon style guidelines set forth, so I doubt that this would be a good solution any way. I mean check out The Wizard of Oz (1939 film) poster they used the Original version one that I've never seen before. I mean there are many famous posters out there for this movie from the vhs and tape posters to re-release posters and they followed policy and used the first one. So if there is another original Teaser poster just upload it to Image:Highlander 1 poster.jpg if there is not we should use the original American Type-A theatrical poster. I hope that helps and if you think this is in error we should go to the WikiProject Films talk page and see what others think :-) -- UKPhoenix79 07:49, 16 August 2007 (UTC)
 * No, please do NOT do that. Do not overlay a picture on top of the one previously uploaded. That removes the presence of the original picture if there is a problem with the one uploaded as a replacement. As well, the Summary of the pic will be incorrect, as it was created for the original picture which you are overlaying. No wonder I couldn't find the previous image....grrrrr. Instead, upload a brand new pic, and create a brand new summary for it.
 * As well, when you refer to the American Type A poster, are you referring to the b&w image that is probably not from the original theatrical release? If so, then, yes, I have a problem with using that, as its provenance is at best suspect. It is not the American Type-A theatrical poster, and the very link that you posted pointing to the image doesn't identify it as such. It does however, identify the Italian versionas a type A. The same poster was released in the UK and US with text in English. - Arcayne   (cast a spell)  08:39, 16 August 2007 (UTC)
 * If we are going to fight to the death over this, we might need to find an agreeable alternative - even though i am utterly loathe to set aside an original artwork poster because of the foreign language available on AllPosters or wherever. - Arcayne   (cast a spell)  08:57, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

Ok since there is still a dispute I have removed the images since neither of us can agree on the image. The poster is really the poster from 1986 and is indeed the American Type A version and the version that you keep on putting up is the Italian version. Can we at least agree that you are putting up the Italian version? Do you have a copy of an original American version? I have spent a couple of hours scouring the net even to the official highlander forum and I have not found ANY American versions of that poster. It seams that the Italian version is preferred because it was one of the best looking versions created for this film, but the Italian version was released over half a year after the original theatrical release in America. And not only that it was the Italian Style B version here is the Italian Style A version. I'm sorry but everybody seams to think that this is the right poster. I don't know why your insisting that this is a remake when EVERYONE who makes a living from selling posters thinks that this was the original US version that came out in 1986. But I am going to put this up in the Wiki Films project to get other opinions. I have removed both images and I would kindly ask that we both avoid re-inserting images until this is resolved! If you cannot find a link to the talk page let me know and I would be happy to give you the link so that you can plead you case. Thanks -- UKPhoenix79 09:40, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

Ok I have placed the conversation here Please put in your input in to get some assistance. :-) -- UKPhoenix79 10:11, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

Highlander Main Pic
Here is the pic I'm proposing. The Immortal Edition cover of the DVD is apropriate as it is the defintive version out on DVD. It also captures the essence of MacLeod and the Highlander theme. It shows MacLeod, his katana, Glenfinnin, "Quickening" Lightning, New York City. 150px

FrankWilliams 01:50, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

I think the image is too crowded. Artistically, the person putting it together should be beaten with a baseball bat. In all fairness, it does show McLeod and his katana...towering over a melange cite of New York and what, China? Beware the 300' tall French-American running down the streets of NYC, beheading people! IEEEEEE! Run away! lol :)

Seriously, I saw that image, too. It really isn't all that expressive. - Arcayne   (cast a spell)  02:51, 31 August 2007 (UTC)


 * Yea I still think that the original poster should be used. I left this alone thinking that it might be discussed more by other users, but since none have joined I'll take it to the WikiFilms highlander group :-) -- UKPhoenix79 07:47, 1 September 2007 (UTC)
 * Well, there should be a place for the image, as it is a DVD cover:

thumb|left

DVD Section
I've added a DVD section including a gallery. These are all referenced. The images support the info in the article. I've not added any Region 2 info as I know nothing about it. FrankWilliams 20:23, 13 September 2007 (UTC)


 * Please read WP:FU, specifically that part that says "Acceptable use", where it lists "Cover art". If you have no critical commentary on the image, then you cannot use it. It's simple eye candy. NONE of those DVD covers meet FU criteria.   BIGNOLE     (Contact me)  20:46, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

Thank you for pointing out WP:FU. I have added critical commentary regarding the pressing of the various DVD iterations and the documented issues with the quality of each of the versions. FrankWilliams 14:35, 14 September 2007 (UTC)


 * "felt by fans?", generally unverifiable. Finding a forum where some fans lash out about a DVD cover is not significant coverage, because you cannot determine if that number of fans is a representative sample of all the fans. Also, none of that commentary actually discusses each of the DVD covers, at least it doesn't say that. It talks about what the difference in quality is, per what the fans think.   BIGNOLE     (Contact me)  16:33, 14 September 2007 (UTC)

Again thanks for your feedback. I've cleaned up the review information to be more precise. I also added a covers only section that comments on the covers themselves. Thanks again. FrankWilliams 18:17, 14 September 2007 (UTC)


 * Unfortunately, I think you might have misunderstood Bignole's informed advice. You need to provide cited references as to the artwork and cover information from reliable references (and sellers touting anamorphic this and that are not reliable, or notable to the article). What you have presented in the article is primary source information - ie, citing yourself as a source - which I am sure you recognize is not an acceptable method of attribution in Wikipedia. It cannot remain in the article. As well, since the DVD covers are not referenced by any citable information speaking specifically to them, they cannot remain either. I will be removing them now. - Arcayne   (cast a spell)  17:53, 15 September 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for your interpetation but I don't think its correct. Please stop removing all of my edits just because you don't agree. Thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by 151.200.237.167 (talk) 01:36, 17 September 2007 (UTC)

After you sign in, you might wish to consult with an admin (any admin - you can pick one from here). Until you do so, please do not add any further cruft involving DVD images. Thanks in advance. - Arcayne   (cast a spell)  18:36, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Citation needed
Since the vast majority of the article requires citation, can I suggest replacing the overabundance of "citation needed" tags with broader templates found at Template messages/Cleanup? —Erik (talk • contrib) - 17:30, 2 November 2007 (UTC)

Done. --TOOTCB 20:25, 12 November 2007 (UTC)


 * There is still a lack of citations - many sections do not contain any. Pirchlogan (talk) 19:00, 9 November 2009 (UTC)

DVD versions
The DVD section says that "Highlander has been released to DVD on four occasions in the United States", but only three versions are mentioned: the 2000 single-disc edition, the 2002 double-disc Immortal Edition, and the 2002 single-disc edition. What was the fourth?

Another problem: I can't find anything regarding a 2000 edition anywhere on the internet. I do, however, find plenty of sites referring to an edition that was released in either 1996 or 1997. Perhaps the year of release was mistaken? Or is this 96/97 edition the missing fourth edition? (DT29 23:15, 5 November 2007 (UTC))

Link error?
Ramirez (Connery)'s reference to the origin of his sword is that it was created by a man named Masamune in 593 BC. Masamune's link however leads to the famed swordsmith Masamune Okazaki who created swords during the late 13th/early 14th century. Maybe this link should be taken down since they are not supposed to be the same person or since it is an error.

Maybe a new section should be created that documents any errors within the film such as this and the one that I'm pretty sure Brenda makes when referring to MacCleod's katana. -Darthjarek (talk) 14:56, 13 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Any new section should be sourced. The Masamune of the movie is obviously a fictional character, so you're right, I'm going to remove the link. Cheers, Rosenknospe (talk) 10:43, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

Link error #2 ?
Why is a serious subject such as "A Metallurgical History of Ancient Sword Making" redirected to this movie-based site??? Dr.Bastedo (talk) 01:51, 23 February 2010 (UTC)
 * Lol! It would appear someone thought it wise to have the title of book that the film's character Brenda Wyatt, played by Roxanne Hart, wrote on the subject to be redirected to the Highlander wiki. Unless I've missed it I see no reference to the book in the Highlander wiki-page so it does appear more than a little redundant. Ferdinandhudson (talk) 16:38, 23 February 2010 (UTC)

Leapt from the cliff?
Er, I don't remember that actually happening. McLeod and Ramirez dueled on the cliff and Ramirez' sword went over the side, but the two of them didn't jump after it or anything. - Arcayne   (cast a spell)  14:39, 3 September 2008 (UTC)


 * Yes it did. When Remirez is teaching Connor how to feel the heart beat of the stag, he says "Come on! MacLeod Come on!" and Connor says "I feel it!" they both run, at which point they both reach the cliff, and jump off into the water. then Ramirez yells, "MacLeod, this is the Quickening!" but you see in the U.S Director's Cut, Ramirez and Connor just yell as they jump... but he doesn't say that line. So can you please put that information back, because its correct.
 * Also the other part that you removed.. the part with the Kurgan is driving into New York, the opening guitar to the Queen song "Gimme The Prize" can be heard over the news report and the vocals start when the Kurgan pops in the tape. However in the Director's cut, the opening guitar part has been taken out and the song starts at the vocals like before when the Kurgan pops in the cassette...and another part, European cut also has the "Kill the MacLeod!" chanting dialogue at the flash back Connor has at the beginning of film, just like the original U.S cut does, where as the Directors cut does not.
 * Its a minor thing but the fact is these 3 parts are correct, I have all 3 version of highlander, European cut, U.S theatrical, and U.S directors cut, so I know what I'm talking about.
 * I'm going to add another part, about the wires that where visible holding Connor MacLeod when he received the prize.. the wires are still visible in the European cut of the film just like the original U.S version. Once again the Directors cut does not.  The Unbeholden (talk) 15:15, 3 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Respectfully, I'e seen the movie at least a dozen times, and you are the very first person I've ever spoken to who seems to think they jumped off the cliff. It did not happen. If you think it did, I would question if you actually saw the same film.
 * Additionally, the links you added do not support the additional information you wish to add. A lot of the info being added is your observations, and while you might be a spiffy gentleman (or gentle-woman), your observations are not citable.
 * Lastly, realize that not everything that is citable is not necessarily notable. - Arcayne   (cast a spell)  21:39, 3 September 2008 (UTC)


 * Yes it did, its the whole point to the film. Remirez is teaching MacLeod how feel the Heart beat of living things, this is what Remirez's goal was, the last step of the training. Take out your DVD and go to go to 45:00 minutes in. thats the scene right there, on the European Cut, its also in the Theatrical version, and the Directors cut.
 * Everything that I wrote needs to be written because it changed my mind about the Directors cut, before i had trouble in which one to choose, the directors cut is superior and thus the changes need to be noted. You on the other hand have absolutetly no idea what you talking by the sounds of things, you can't even remember that part of the film. I suggest you let me handle the wiki.
 * And if you won't then what do I have to do to change your mind? Maybe this Imdb link will,  added this reference, check it out for yourself. Imdb has editors that specifically check everything out, before they list information, thus everything there is true, and fact checked.
 * But I was not able to find these..
 * The wires that are holding Connor MacLeod when he received the prize are visible in European cut just like the Theatrical U.S version. However in the Directors cut they are not.
 * The European cut does not have the added wind blowing sounds added to certain scenes to indicate that one immortal has detected the presence of another like the Directors cut has.
 * So I will leave them out, until they have proper reference. But I'm 100% sure of these differences because I have all 3 cuts of Highlander, and thus noted the differences with extreme precision. I have written down all the difference on my note pad and will try to find a reliable reference so I can list them. The Unbeholden (talk) 05:16, 4 September 2008 (UTC)


 * Thanks for responding, Unbeholden. There are many things about your post I would like to address, but we will start with format. Since you are new, you might be unaware of some of the protocols we use when posting; to distinguish your responses from others, We usually add successive indenting (look at the edit page to see what I mean) to demonstrate how a conversation advances. This escapes the notice of a lot of users, who tend to think that what they say is a so much more important than formatting - they are, of course, incorrect. You might wish to jump ahead of the new user curve by learning to use them now. To that end, I put a new user welcome template on your user page, so that you can learn how editing works here.
 * Secondly, comments like "I suggest you let me handle the wiki" is counter-productive, as it implies your fellow contributors are basically morons, and at least I tend to react with significant volatility when confronted with that sort of behavior. No one here owns articles, or is in charge of them. We guide them together, as a collaborative group. Maybe you need to work on being a little more politeness, because if you don't someone with far less restraint than me will open a few cans of whupass on you.
 * On the off-chance that I had missed it in the last few dozen times that I have seen the original Highlander film, I took a look again last night (at all three versions: American, Euro and French) to see if I had somehow missed something. I had not. They did not jump off the cliff. They fought on one, and McLeod disarmed Ramirez there, sending the latter's sword over the edge, but they did not jump after it.
 * Maybe you are watching some weird bootleg or whatnot - I am inclined to give you the benefit of the doubt. They had the fun in the boat, running on the sand, feeling the heart of the stag. I also recall the discussion of the Quickening. No leaps over cliffs were involved, I can assure you.
 * Also important to remember is something which I mentioned before, and something that you perhaps missed: not everything is notable. That we can see wires in one version and not in another is not really notable, as most post-production things aren't. The zoo scene is an important alternate scene, and we can note it. It was odd that you didn't also note the reviewer's comment about the poor quality of the film stock, which was a recurrent theme of the review.
 * A side note: Wiki-en doesn't typically use Imdb for a lot of sourcing information beyond cast lists and production dates (and even then, we tend to double-check it). This is because Imdb is nowhere near as reliable as you believe. It is mostly added to by users just like yourself,, and a substantial amount of trivial cruft and rumor tends to find itself into the movie listing. As there is no real oversight as to its content, we tend to avoid using Imdb because it is largely unreliable. Most of this is covered in WP:CIMDB. Read up there.
 * Towards that end, I've reverted - yet again - you additions to the article, on the basis that we do not cite imdb as a source. Additionally, a lot of the info you are adding as trivial - as that is really what it is - and culled from the Imdb source, and not the far more reliable IGN review. I have also removed the cliff-jumping note as utterly inaccurate. I cannot understand why you seem to think it occurred, but I would recommend you watch few more versions, as they one you possess appears to be different from every other one in existence. -  Arcayne   (cast a spell)  14:24, 4 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Now, now, gentlemen. If you allow me to intervene... I think you are both right. Let me explain. Can you see this scene with the deer again ? Put the CD back in the driver if you have to. Ramirez tells Connor how to feel the heart beat of the stag, and then they run on the beach, right ? Then they reach the top of a big rock, from which they jump in the water, which happens at 45:52 in this version, 46:24 in that version, and 46:07 in that other one. (Yes, those are all European versions, but I don't think it matters right now.) I think this is what Unbeholden calls "jumping off a cliff," so s/he's right on that one. Don't stop reading just now, I'm not finished ! Then, right after that, there's that scene where Connor and Ramirez fight at the top of a peak, and Ramirez's sword flies over and away, and Connor celebrates, but nobody jumps over the edge. I think that's what Arcayne calls "jumping off a cliff", so he's right on that one. Is that so ? Then sheathe your swords and shake hands like the fine swordsmen you are.
 * May I just add, dear Unbeholden, that Arcayne gives you excellent advice about Wikipedia, especially about IMDB and notability, and he's speaking from experience. Please take the time to read the links he posted on your page, they are worth it. We are a bunch of (mostly) amicable fellows and we'd like to work together in good spirit. (No, honestly !) If you see things the same way, then welcome here.

And now it's time for a nice cup of tea and a sit down. Cheers, Rosenknospe (talk) 21:48, 4 September 2008 (UTC)


 * Excellent advice. Perhaps a clearer rewrite is needed. :) - Arcayne   (cast a spell)  21:55, 4 September 2008 (UTC)


 * Fair enough, I guess I'm not to familiar with policies, but it would be extremely informative for people reading the Highlander wiki article to know this information. Maybe a accurate source can be listed, in order for everyone to receive this info, If I was going to read the wiki, I would like to know the differences between the different cuts of the film, it would help me in making a choice in which to buy, I'm not entirely sure as to why Arcayne cannot find the jumping off the cliff part on his DVD version, I'll get to the bottom of it, I'm pretty sure even the heavily edited U.S theatrical has that scene? anyways I apologize for being a bit of a ass - The Unbeholden (talk) 08:12, 5 September 2008 (UTC)


 * That's because you guys were talking about different scenes. Unbeholden was talking about the scene on the beach (picture - sorry, couldn't find a shot of the exact spot) after which Ramirez and Connor climb a rock running and jump in the water, so you're quite right when you say that they did jump. Arcayne, on the other hand, meant the scene where Ramirez and Connor fight at the top of a peak (picture) and he was quite right to say that they didn't jump at the end of it. Rosenknospe (talk) 13:59, 6 September 2008 (UTC)

We don't use Imdb for citation purposes
We don't, and we certainly don't replace more reliable citations with those from Imdb. The argument that we do not use the same citation more than once is incorrect. We do, if the same citation supports two different statements. I realize you are new, Unbeholden, but a lot of these sorts of issues could be sidestepped if you would but ask for assistance. - Arcayne   (cast a spell)  14:12, 6 September 2008 (UTC)
 * You've got to be kidding me. That Imdb link has reliable information, all of it is true... if you don't believe it we can check it all out ourselves just to be sure. I believe that even though Imdb isn't normally used for citation purposes I think we should make a exception in this case. The Unbeholden (talk) 07:11, 7 September 2008 (UTC)
 * cough*Policy*cough* Trivia on sites such as IMDb or FunTrivia should not be used as sources. These media do not have adequate levels of editorial oversight or author credibility and lack assured persistence. Check the link to read more. I'm sorry to spoil your fun, but this article will never make it to GA if it is badly sourced and IGN is certainly a better source. Don't let this deter you though. Have a nice day, Rosenknospe (talk) 12:20, 7 September 2008 (UTC)
 * It is reliable, all information there is fact checked by IMDB editors. And the so called Trivia on sites such as IMDb or FunTrivia should not be used as sources. These media do not have adequate levels of editorial oversight or author credibility and lack assured persistence. its not trivia, its the "Alternate versions" section, which gives a detailed differences between cuts and Editions of the Movie. Which is alot more credible, Just to be sure, On highlander I checked out all the information listed there, on the 3 cuts of highlander I have, and its all true. It appears that the IMDb Editors aren't as sloppy as you think. The Unbeholden (talk) 13:47, 23 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Unbeholden, you seem to be thinking that Rosenknospe and I pulled these rules out of thin air, and are implementing them to fuck with you. We are not. Rosen specifically directed you to the policy and guidelines on point. They are what all of us use. If you do not like these rules, I have already pointed out where you could vamoose off to change them. Imdb, by our current policy, doesn't replace our RS policy. Your issue is not with us, but with the policy. Why not mosey off and tilt at windmills over there? - Arcayne   (cast a spell)  15:17, 23 September 2008 (UTC)

Highlander Cuts
Highlander currently has 3 different cuts. U.S theatrical, European and Directors cut. There's also a French theatrical, but its mainly the same as the U.S theatrical, but with the scene inside Detective Bedsoe's in his car removed, and a scene with MacLeod rescuing Rachel during WW2 added (and of course all the dialogue replaced with French voice actors). There are many changes done in the cuts that is only touched upon in the Wiki article, here I will do my best to give the utmost precise description of the differences in the Directors cut compared to the European and U.S theatrical cut. Highlander U.S theatrical is the oldest cut, featuring alot of continuity errors. The European cut is like the U.S theatrical, but has alot of added scenes and only has one dialogue missing "I want to go home," after Connor receives The Prize and only one missing scene of Detective Bedsoe in his car. The Directors cut is based on the European cut but has lots of edits made to fix continuity errors, as well as a important special effect touch up to remove the wires visible holding Connor when he receives the prize.

Differences between the Directors cut and the U.S theatrical. "I want to go home," after Connor receives The Prize. "MacLeod, this is the Quickening!" when Remirez and Connor jump into the water. "Kill the MacLeod!" chanting dialogue in the beginning of the film. "I can breath...I'll split you in half!" when Connor was underwater.
 * In the directors cut the there is the following missing dialogue;
 * Directors cut is missing a short scene shot from inside Det. Bedsoe's car as he stakes out Brenda's apartment during MacLeod's visit.
 * The Directors cut has the following additional scenes;

A flashback to World War II that further develops the character of Rachel Ellenstein.

A new scene between Connor and Brenda talking at a zoo about how he's not willing to commit to another relationship after his wife's death. The most important thing about this scene is that Kurgan can be seen in the background trailing the twosome. This solves the continuity problem in the American version about how Kurgan finds Brenda's apartment in the next scene.

MacLeod having a short flashback about his first battle in Scotland during the wrestling match.

Fazil doing a backward cartwheel as he flees from MacLeod in the parking garage.

MacLeod's girlfriend wishing him luck before the first battle in Scotland.

MacLeod's dueling partner (remember, he kept stabbing MacLeod to no avail?) shooting his assistant in the back for being annoying.

Kurgan licks the priest's hand in the church.

Much longer fight scene between MacLeod and the Kurgan at the end of the movie.

Longer Love scene between Connor and Brenda.
 * Dialogue difference, U.S theatrical Ramirez says he's "...chief metallurgist of King Phillip II of Spain" while in Directors cut he says he's "...chief metallurgist of Charles V."
 * When the Kurgan is driving into New York, the opening guitar to the Queen song "Gimme The Prize" can be heard over the news report and the vocals start when the Kurgan pops in the tape. However in the Director's cut, the opening guitar part has been taken out.
 * In the Directors cut wind whooshing sounds are added to certain scenes to indicate that one immortal has detected the presence of another. It's quite noticeable, before the MacLeod vs Fazil and the Ramirez vs Kurgan fights.
 * In the Directors cut the wires that where visible holding Connor MacLeod when he received the prize have been removed.

Differences between the Directors cut and the European cut. The Unbeholden (talk) 00:07, 14 September 2008 (UTC)
 * In the Directors cut, when Connor falls from the boat and end up on the sea floor, he says "I'm alive", whereas the European version still has the: "I'm alive...I can breath..." Shortly followed by; "I'll split you in half!" (spoken while drawing his sword under water).
 * After the scene where Remirez is teaching Connor how to feel the heart beat of the stag, they both run until they reach the cliff and jump off into the water. In the European cut Ramirez yells, "MacLeod, this is the Quickening!" where as Director's cut, Ramirez and Connor yell as they jump without the line.
 * The European cut has the "Kill the MacLeod!" chanting dialogue in the flash back Connor has during the wrestling match, where as the Directors cut does not.
 * In the European cut when the Kurgan is driving into New York, the opening guitar to the Queen song "Gimme The Prize" can be heard over the news report and the vocals start when the Kurgan pops in the tape. However in the Director's cut, the opening guitar part has been taken out.
 * The Directors cut has whooshing sound effects added before the MacLeod vs Fazil and the Ramirez vs Kurgan fights to indicate that one immortal has detected the presence of another where as the European cut doesn't.
 * The wires that are holding Connor MacLeod when he received the prize are removed in the Directors cut, they are still visible in the European cut.


 * Can you cite that, please? - Arcayne   (cast a spell)  23:54, 14 September 2008 (UTC)

There Can Only Be One
I typed that into google to find out what the hell it means and this page came up. I'm sure I'm not the only disappointed person who had to resort to Urban Dictionary to find out. Please make it more clear what this catch phrase means! Maybe even give it its own subheading! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.233.207.225 (talk) 23:40, 10 December 2009 (UTC)

Rewrite of several parts
This article needed a bit of work, so I sat down and edited it tonight after looking it up following a recent re-watching of the film.

For starters, there was a major problem with the short summary at the start with a sentence that didn't make sense.

Certain problems had crept in - elements in the text such as the three numbered "rules" that were in the "The Immortals" section, which are never presented in this manner during the film. The second rule stated on the page even said "combat between immortals is one-on-one", which is NEVER stated in the film, nor is it stood by during the fight scenes (in one scene another character does intervene to help Connor). Admittedly, there is no scene in the film that has more than two immortals in combat, but it is not stated in the film that this is a "rule" - it presumably comes from the tv series and I'd argue that has no place in an article specifically about the original movie.

Anyway, this is a single example, but there were a few other items that were from the rest of the Highlander franchise that I don't believe belong in this article. I've added a comment at the start before after the plot summary to explain this.

I'm not a wiki editing expert, but I've done my best with it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.1.234.61 (talk) 20:09, 18 December 2009 (UTC)

redirect
I thick we should have "Highlander" redirected to here. When somebody says "Highlander" the first thing to pop into your head is the movie. - It&#39;s for the Lutz (talk) 16:38, 26 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Not the first thing that comes to my mind. Feel free to start a formal move-request discussion. Remember to provide some evidence to back up your claim that this is the primary topic. DMacks (talk) 00:48, 28 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Using "Google's Sorting logic" (which accounts for which links are most often clicked in response to which search terms) if you search for "Highlander" the first two links are for Highlander film references (IMDb and Wikipedia), the third is for the franchise, the fourth for the TV series. It takes until #5 before you finally get to something not derived from the movie (the Toyota SUV). DBalling (talk) 00:49, 20 July 2014 (UTC)

"Highlander Endgame" and "The Source"
Why aren´t "Endgame" and "The Source" not mentioned in this article?77.11.172.221 (talk) 20:55, 7 May 2013 (UTC)
 * Because you haven't added them yet? Evanh2008 (talk&#124;contribs) 21:18, 7 May 2013 (UTC)
 * There is a Highlander template at the bottom of the article that you can uncollapse to see different Highlander-related links. :) Erik (talk &#124; contribs) 21:23, 7 May 2013 (UTC)

In popular culture
The claim that the quote 'better to burn out than fade away' is attributable to Def Leppard and Neil Young is unsupported by any citation. Is this something the film makers have stated or just an assumption? 31.53.189.102 (talk) 01:52, 19 July 2014 (UTC)

Well, it's worth noting that the Kurgan "sings" (and I use that word generously) the phrase in the same cadence and "tune" essentially as the version on the Def Leppard song "Rock of Ages". I'm not sure there's a definite "authoritative" connection, but by listening to the two, there's certainly an "audible" reference. DBalling (talk) 00:45, 20 July 2014 (UTC)

The phrase 'in popular culture' does not mean 'pop culture references' in the film itself. If it did, and we allowed this here, such sections would go on forever. As it is unsourced it and is not notable (knowing this provides no insight into the film), it should be deleted. ZarhanFastfire (talk) 20:29, 17 November 2014 (UTC)

I'm not arguing for should/should-not, simply replying to the original Talk point re the origins of the 'burn out' phrase. I don't think it even appears in the actual article anymore, so it's somewhat moot. DBalling (talk) 20:37, 17 November 2014 (UTC)

Production and development
It's strange how nothing in this entire set of assertions is sourced. Not one word. I hope someone can back up most of it because I would hate to see it all go. I'll look back in a week or two. ZarhanFastfire (talk) 20:33, 17 November 2014 (UTC)

British-American co-production
The article had been stable as a British-American co-production until someone recently removed this in favor of it being a British production. I didn't notice that until now. I restored it, as AllMovie and the British Film Institute say it's a British-American co-production. However, The New York Times' film database says its a British-only production. I think this is probably good enough to label it a British-American co-production, but I figured I'd start a talk page discussion over it. NinjaRobotPirate (talk) 16:27, 13 November 2015 (UTC)
 * With respect, I understand the confusion, the BFI list by nationality including production credits but the film was 100% financed by Thorn EMi which the Thorn-EMI article sources support, otherwise many so-called 'American' films and tv series would be listed as 'British'. If editors feel strongly about this they could request a policy decision but believe me if production credits are allowed (in reference to country of origin) many 'Hollywood' productions such as Star Wars, Guardians of The Galaxy, Aliens or Game Of Thrones will immediately become British or British-American co-productions.Btw, here is Russell Mulcahy on the subject: article DNA Cowboy (talk) 10:24, 14 May 2018 (UTC)
 * Update. Tell you what, I'll revert the country of origin back to 'British' and at the same time we can jointly ask administration for a decision on the wider issue regarding 'country of origin' film/tv articles as co-productions become increasingly popular ok? I'll also add the Guardian source. DNA Cowboy (talk) 10:34, 14 May 2018 (UTC)
 * We got by what reliable sources say, not what companies financed the film. If they label it as an international co-production, that's what we report. NinjaRobotPirate (talk) 00:13, 15 May 2018 (UTC)
 * Exactly, the sources state that the film is a EMI production, one hundred percent financed by them, please just refer to the EMI Film [|EMI article] if in doubt, thank you and for the record please stop threatening editors with blocking from one well-meaning edit, it brings Wikipedia into disrepute and can make editors look foolish.DNA Cowboy (talk) 08:06, 15 May 2018 (UTC)
 * Funding is just one factor taken into consideration when determining nationality. Films can be classified as British in three principle ways as outlined by the BFI: i) via the cultural test; ii) through a bilateral co-production agreement; iii) the European Convention on Cinematographic Co-production. Because different countries have different criteria the nationality of a film needs to be explicitly sourced rather than left to the judgment of editors. There seems to be very little debate about Highlander: the BFI, AFI and the European Audiovisual Observatory all agree that the film is a co-production, so I don't know why this is an issue. Sometimes there is a double standard at work on Wikipedia but that does not seem to be the case here. Betty Logan (talk) 07:57, 17 May 2018 (UTC)

Perfecting the Spanish accent
> The opening voice-over by Connery has an echo effect because it was recorded in the bathroom of his Spanish villa (where he had been working with a voice coach in order to perfect the Spanish accent he used in the film). It was played for the producers over the phone and they approved of it because they could not discern the quality of the recording that way.

I don't have the DVD cited but surely perfecting the Spanish accent is rubbish. His accent is entirely Scottish and a point of confusion in the film when his character claims to be Egyptian. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Niedzielski (talk • contribs) 23:30, 30 August 2016 (UTC)
 * The citation itself was, but the text existed before that. I'm guessing that it does exist on the DVD commentary if two editors have corroborated it, but I agree it does sound kind of strange. NinjaRobotPirate (talk) 05:56, 1 September 2016 (UTC)
 * I've changed up the sentence a bit, I think this will work better. It would be nice if someone with the DVD dropped in, though. Daß Wölf (talk) 12:37, 1 September 2016 (UTC)
 * Thanks! Today my wife discovered a very similar passage on IMDB. It looks like the original wording was likely corroborated but I much prefer your updated phrasing which clarifies that he never actually did perfect it. -Niedzielski (talk) 03:10, 9 September 2016 (UTC)
 * Many factoids on Wikipedia originally come from the IMDb. Whenever I see something dubious, I automatically check the IMDb trivia page to see if it was copied from there.  In this case, secondary sources have repeated it, so that it was said on the DVD commentary is likely true.  Since none of us seem to have the DVD commentary handy, I cited the claim to the secondary source. NinjaRobotPirate (talk) 01:44, 11 September 2016 (UTC)

There is no opening voice-over in the movie, Connery's voice-over part is at the end. 86.45.47.195 (talk) 03:18, 15 January 2017 (UTC)
 * So what is this then? Ferdinandhudson (talk) 19:19, 17 January 2017 (UTC)

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The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for speedy deletion: You can see the reason for deletion at the file description page linked above. —Community Tech bot (talk) 15:23, 19 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Highlander 1986.jpg

Helen Ballbag?
In the summary Helen Ballbag is listed in the cast. Very funny, but not true. 81.147.7.236 (talk) 16:51, 19 March 2022 (UTC)


 * Good spot. Removed. Ta. The joy of all things (talk) 17:04, 19 March 2022 (UTC)