Highlander (1986) is the name of a movie released in 1986 that has become a lifelong favourite among moviegoers. This film is an action/ fantasy movie in which a Scottish swordsman from the 16th century is transported to modern day New York. The Highlander’s name is Connor MacLeod and he is immortal. Through flashbacks, we learn of Connor’s early life. He was born in 1518 in Glenfinnan on the shores of Loch Shiel. This is the same village where Bonnie Prince Charlie gathered his troops in April, 1745. Connor was part of the Clan MacLeod and through the movie, we get a sense of the feuding that went on between the clans. Clan MacLeod, for example, was embroiled in a rivalry with Clan Fraser and it was in this rivalry that Conner fought his first battles.
While he was killed in battle, his clansmen rescued his body and he revived a few days later. His clansmen branded him a witch and he became a exile between heaven and earth. He married, settled in Glencoe and became a blacksmith. He was known to be immortal and was sought out by another older immortal to help him search for a prize. He battled for the second time with an immortal of the Clan Fraser, the Kurgan, who raped and killed Connor’s wife. After her death he wandered the world and became very bitter and cynical.
1985 finds Connor in New York, where Immortals are gathering for a confrontation. Conner and the Kurgan are the two survivors, as all the other immortals are killed by decapitation. This series of murders comes to the attention of the police and forensic scientist Brenda Wyatt. She and Connor fall in love. The Kurgan kidnaps Brenda, luring Connor into a fight. Connor defeats the Kurgan and captures the prize, but his real prize is Brenda. The Highlander movie spurred other movies and a series about Connor’s crime fighting in a modern world.
