16 things I found out watching the Red Sonja / Solomon Kane double bill at Forbidden Worlds

Saturday evening saw me atop my charging steed as I raced to Bristol's Mega Screen for another double bill.

Okay, it was actually a number 44 bus, but you'll forgive my excitement as I was heading to see a double bill of Solomon Kane and the new Red Sonja movie courtesy of Forbidden Worlds, complete with a Q&A with director MJ Bassett and Kane himself, James Purefoy – who I had the pleasure of meeting in the break between movies.

Based on the stories of Robert E. Howard, Solomon Kane is one of my favourite movies, but I'd never seen its bleak and rainswept glory on the big screen, so this was a real treat... as was seeing Red Sonja, a film that definitely tries to punch above its low budget.

There's a lot to enjoy, MJ wearing her 80s heroic-fantasy-loving heart on her sleeve, from soft focus candle-lit boudoirs to the blood and mud of the arena. I particularly loved how the CGI cyclops moved as if it were a Harryhausen stop-motion creation.

Hats off for that choice – and for making a sword and sorcery film in the first place! It's a genre I loved as a kid and miss today. And if Hollywood won't make 'em, then we need to look at low-budget and direct-to-digital flicks instead. Such a shame when fantasy is so hot. It belongs on the big screen!

Okay, stepping off my soapbox for a moment, here's the list of things we learned in the Q&A:

1. MJ wrote the first 35 pages of the script on spec as a proof of concept.
2. The project lingered for a year and a half, financing proving difficult as Kane was perceived as a niche REH character, and heroic fantasy films were considered a risky commercial venture.
3. MJ had met James Purefoy years earlier while working as an EPK (electronic press kit) documentary maker. His kindness and generosity left a strong impression, so he was at the top of her list for Kane.
4. Henry Cavill also auditioned for the role of Solomon Kane.
5. James insisted that Kane spoke with a West Country accent, wanting to create a local hero who could push back against stereotypes of the accent being associated only with bumpkins or fools. Producers tried to get him to tone it down in post, but he stood his ground!
6. The film was shot in Prague during a cold snap so severe that the rain machines froze, icicles forming mid-shoot. The drenched costumes also froze during the breaks between takes.
7. Looking at the film now, MJ stands by the practical, in-camera effects (of which there are many), admitting that the CGI sequences are weaker, especially the lava monster at the end. She still loves the mirror spirits at the beginning, though. There were supposed to be more later in the film, but they were cut to bring the film under budget.
8. Max von Sydow took a role because his father had collected folk tales, which initially drew him to the Solomon Kane stories. He was on set for two days, which 'changed the temperature' of the shoot, raising everyone's game.
9. James Purefoy adored Pete Postlethwaite's cheekbones so much that he jokingly cupped them after Postlethwaite's character had died, and couldn't react!
10. Both MJ and James were determined that there would be no romantic subplot between Solomon and Meredith. Cast Rachel Hurd-Wood was a deliberate choice for her 'innocence and luminosity.' The producers pushed for a romance, but both the director and star said no.
11. MJ's daughter, Izzy, played the creepy child witch – and was in the audience!
12. MJ pitched a sequel that took Solomon Kane to Africa to battle demons. She still wants to do it, although James insists he's now too old. The movie would have opened with Kane in the middle of a burning rope bridge and lions advancing from both ends!
13. James collects swords from his films – a fact usually written into his contracts. His collection now tops fifteen. He forgot to stipulate it on Masters of the Universe, but the director still let him keep King Randor’s sword.
14. He learned of Heath Ledger’s death while filming Kane’s crucifixion – on the same backlot where he’d first met Ledger during A Knight’s Tale.
15. MJ is currently chasing the rights for Michael Moorcock's The Warhound and the World's Pain. She tried to sneak a Moorcock Easter egg into Kane, naming REH's Puritan as an Eternal Champion, an idea the legal department shot down.
16. James insists his happy place is between “action” and “cut” – the only part of the process an actor can control. Everything after that – how the film is marketed and sold – is out of his hands. MJ feels the same way. The real joy is the storytelling itself.