| Knights: In Search of the Ravishing Princess Herzelinde | |
| Director: | Til Schweiger |
| Cinematography: | Christoph Wahl |
| Studio: | Warner Bros. Film Productions Germany Barefoot Films Lionheart Entertainment SevenPictures Film |
| Distributor: | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Runtime: | 115 minutes |
| Country: | Germany |
| Language: | German |
Knights: In Search of the Ravishing Princess Herzelinde (German: Ritter – Auf der Suche nach der hinreißenden Herzelinde) is a 2008 German film directed by Til Schweiger. It stars Til Schweiger, Rick Kavanian, Julia Dietze, Thomas Gottschalk and Udo Kier. The film centers on two knights, Lanze (Schweiger) and Erdal (Kavanian) who are trying to save kidnapped Princess Herzelinde (Dietze) from the Black Knight (Tobias Moretti). Some characters from Der Ring des Nibelungen by Richard Wagner, such as Siegfried (Thierry van Werveke) and Brünnhilde (Stefanie Stappenbeck) appear in the film.
In the Middle Ages, the dodgy businessman Count Luipold Trumpf approaches the financially troubled King Gunther to court his daughter, Princess Herzelinde. Herzelinde refuses, and so Trumpf has her kidnapped by the Black Knight. So the shy and naive knight Lanzethe princess's bodyguardand the Turkish petty thug Erdal, the "half" knight, set out to free Princess Herzelinde from the Black Knight's clutches. But it is not enough that their quest is constantly disrupted by the people they meet during their travelsLanze and Erdal also fall victim to an insidious plot by the royal family. Erdal invents the Döner kebab along the way. Roberto Blanco makes a guest appearance as the beverage supplier for the Black Knight's hippie commune. In the end, with the help of his friend Erdal, the naive knight Lanze becomes sensitive and learns to talk to women, and is allowed to marry his sweetheart Herzelinde.
The Knights – In Search of the Ravishing Princess Herzelinde soundtrack album was released through the Interscope Records on 19 December 2008, and includes the song "Walta Sattla", performed by Til Schweiger.[1] In the review of the album, the Bild wrote that "unlike the film itself, the soundtrack is just beautiful, not a funny parade".
The film earned mostly negative reviews from film critics. German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung described it as an "embarrassing parade of celebrities", "[...] Til Schweiger has got both the critics and the press to hate him for this film. Not without reason. [...] The film is just as lame as its trailer".[2] TV Movie.de wrote, "If the jokes were better and went beyond adolescent humor, it would become a real comedy". Cinefacts.de added that "Til [Schweiger] once again tried in the comedy genre, but that, unlike his previous films Barfuss and Keinohrhasen, it lacks gags".[3] Dorit Koch from General Anzeiger Bonn wrote "Though the film lacks good gags, the famous cast will attract the audience".[4] Cinema.de described the film as a "shallow medieval farce with a few funny ideas".[5] "Til Schweiger directs and stars in his middle age film with childish jokes and Monty Python style. You can try to find it funny, but you won't", the Die Welt wrote.[6]
| Country | Release date | Title | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 18 December 2008 | Ritter – Auf der Suche nach der hinreißenden Herzelinde | ||
| Switzerland | 18 December 2008 | Ritter – Auf der Suche nach der hinreißenden Herzelinde | ||
 Austria | 19 December 2009 | Ritter – Auf der Suche nach der hinreißenden Herzelinde | ||
 Russia | 26 February 2009 | Полтора рыцаря: В поисках похищенной принцессы Херцелинды | ||
 Hungary | 26 March 2009 | 1 és 1/2 lovag – Az elbűvölő Herzelinde hercegnő nyomában | Straight-to-DVD |
A video game based on the film was developed by Daedalic Entertainment and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.[7]