Hearts and Armour

Hearts and Armour (Italian: *I Paladini: Storia d'armi e d'amori*), directed by Giacomo Battiato, is a 1983 Italian adventure film. Its story draws loosely from the tales of the Paladins, particularly Ludovico Ariosto’s epic poem *Orlando Furioso*.

During a war between pagans and Christians, the Saracen Ruggero and the Christian Bradamante fall in love. A sorceress warns Bradamante that the paladin Rolando—who is in love with Ruggero’s sister, Isabella—will kill Ruggero in battle. Isabella escapes captivity but is pursued by enemies while Rolando searches for her. The wizard Atlas tries to protect Ruggero from his fate but gives up, seeing the prince distracted by love and the warrior Marfisa’s attention. When Rolando and Isabella finally meet, they agree their love has caused too much suffering and return to their own sides. As armies prepare for battle, Bradamante tries to stop the prophesied duel between Rolando and Ruggero. Marfisa takes Ruggero’s place and is killed. Ruggero initially seeks revenge, but Rolando refuses to fight him; Ruggero forgives him and reunites with Bradamante, who thought he was dead. After Marfisa’s funeral, the four leave together to start a new life.

The cast includes Zeudi Araya as Marfisa, Barbara De Rossi as Bradamante, Rick Edwards as Rolando, Ronn Moss as Ruggiero, Maurizio Nichetti as Atlante, Tanya Roberts as Isabella, Giovanni Visentin as Gano, Tony Vogel as Ferraù, Leigh McCloskey as Rinaldo, Lina Sastri as Maga, Lucien Bruchon as Aquilante, Alfredo Bini as King Cristiano, and Pier Luigi Conti (Al Cliver) as Selvaggio.

Critics generally panned the film but praised its visuals. *The Sydney Morning Herald* noted “the settings are sensational, the costumes are magnificent. The story, on the other hand, is almost non-existent.” *Starburst* called it “the best film to come out of Italy in a long while.” The film won the David di Donatello for Best Costumes. A much longer version aired as a mini-series on Italian television.