Xena - The warrior princess
| Television series | |
|---|---|
| German title | Xena - The warrior princess |
| Original title | Xena: Warrior Princess |
| Country of production | USA / New Zealand |
| original language | English |
| Year (s) | 1995-2001 |
| length | 44 minutes each |
| Episodes | 134 in 6 seasons ( list ) |
| genre | Fantasy , action series |
| idea |
Robert G. Tapert , John Schulian , Sam Raimi |
| music | Joseph LoDuca |
| First broadcast | September 4, 1995 (USA) |
| German-language first broadcast |
October 27, 1996 on RTL |
| occupation | |
| |
Xena - The Warrior Princess is an American - New Zealand television series produced between 1995 and 2001 , which was created as an offshoot of the Hercules series . The series, which is attributed to the fantasy genre, is loosely set in Greek mythology and was filmed in New Zealand.
Opening credits
Original opening credits : “ In a time of ancient gods, warlords and kings, a land in turmoil cried out for a hero. She was Xena, a mighty princess forged in the heat of battle. The power, the passion, the danger. Her courage will change the world. ”
German opening credits: “In a time when the old gods ruled, the land that was stirring up warlords and kings cried out for a heroine who fought for good. Xena followed the call, the warrior princess who had acquired her strength in fierce battles. With her strength and her passion, she defied every danger. Your courage should change the world. "
action
Xena is a merciless warrior who initially robs, murders and loots as the leader of outlaws. However, through the influence of Hercules , she reconsiders. When she meets the bard Gabrielle one day , whose vital energy and purity changes her, she fights for the good from now on. Through her extraordinary fighting technique and with the help of special weapons (for example the chakram ) she succeeds again and again in defeating entire armies and even gods, but sometimes the victory demands high sacrifices. Xena also catches up with her past again and again. Xena has two children, Solan - killed by Gabrielle's daughter Hope - and Eve. Solan's father is the warlord Borias, with whom Xena was with for years. She gave Solan to centaurs because she was afraid she would make him a target and she would not be a good mother anyway.
Solan is mentioned for the first time in season 2 and can be seen in a few episodes from then until he finally dies in season 3. When Xena was very young, her mother, Cyrene, murdered Xena's father, Artius, to protect her family. Cyrene appears in several episodes and has a partly leading role.
In the course of the six seasons, Xena and her companion Gabrielle not only end up in ancient Greece , but also in Rome , China , India , Britain , Egypt , Japan and Germania .
The series links the fictional adventures of the heroines with various mythologies and religions as well as with historical events. In many episodes, characters from mythology appear, such as B. Odysseus . But historical figures also play a major role in the entire series: u. a. Julius Caesar , Augustus , Cleopatra and Homer .
main characters
Xena : After the warlord Cortese attacked her hometown Amphipolis and murdered her younger brother, the young Xena started a campaign of revenge and became a cruel warrior herself who traveled through the country with a marauding army. Only through the encounter with Hercules is she purified and decides to fight only for the good. In Gabrielle she finds a loyal friend and family replacement. But Xena still tends to be angry and is put to the test again and again and caught up with her dark past again and again.
Gabrielle : When the bright, imaginative, somewhat talkative girl from the small village of Poteidaia is about to be married against her will, she joins Xena and travels the world with her. Gabrielle is a talented storyteller who initially uses words to save herself from dangerous situations until she gradually learns the martial art. Over the years at Xena's side, she went through a profound development and was named Queen of the Amazons, among other things.
Joxer : He thinks he's a great warrior, but he's actually quite a clumsy guy who goes from one slap to the next. However, since he has a good heart behind his ostentatious demeanor and clumsiness, over time he becomes a close friend of Xena and Gabrielle. He is also unhappily in love with Gabrielle, who sees him only as a friend. Joxer is from Athens and has two twin brothers, the hit man Jett and the singer Jace. He is killed by Livia.
Callisto : As a young girl, she saw Xena's army raid her village of Cirra and kill her family. Callisto developed into a cruel warrior and Xena's nemesis . Again and again it comes to life and death fights between the vengeful Callisto and the purified Xena. In the end, however, Callisto experiences redemption and is reborn as Xena's daughter Eve.
Ares : He is the god of war and a former mentor to Xena. Over the years he leaves no stone unturned to turn Xena into a murderous warrior again, and uses numerous insidious tricks. However, in many situations it turns out that Ares has real feelings for Xena and Xena for him too. After all, he even sacrifices his immortality for her.
Eve : She is Xena's daughter and the reincarnation of Callisto. While Xena and Gabrielle are trapped in eternal ice for 25 years, she grows up to be a cruel warrior in Rome and calls herself Livia. But Xena manages to purify her daughter. Eve becomes a pacifist and prophetess who spreads the teachings of Eli, which is based on Christianity .
background
Due to external circumstances, the scriptwriters were forced to come up with unusual ideas several times. Since leading actress Lucy Lawless was seriously injured during the 2nd season and could not turn, Xena's soul was placed in the body of her mortal enemy Callisto, so that Callisto actress Hudson Leick could play the lead role in several episodes and represent Lucy Lawless. Lawless' pregnancy during the production of the fifth season also forced the scriptwriters to make unplanned changes that had a significant impact on the series.
1999 came the series in the criticism of the Hindu community in the USA, because it is Hindu deities insulting and used for "cheap entertainment".
criticism
The series (like its predecessor Hercules ) was exposed to extensive criticism. The costumes, which had little in common with contemporary clothing in antiquity, the random jumbling of ancient myths and history and the often trashy staging were criticized in particular .
Despite the numerous reviews, the series gained a large fan base.
reception
Xena gained great popularity and popularity well beyond the time of production and broadcasting of the series, especially because of the variety of characters and actions, but above all the lesbian subtext interpreted in the relationship between the two characters Xena and Gabrielle. Various people and actors involved in the production have repeatedly confirmed that this facet of reception was perceived, welcomed and partially consciously incorporated into the development of the characters.
"[It] is [...] teeming with lesbians and those who want to become one ... [...] [...] Xena is always about one thing : the love between two women. There is no doubt that this is so, because after all, both the warrior princess and the bard often express this in an inflationary manner. […] [It creeps in] the 'subtext', which is famous in fan circles: the suggestion that the two young women are in a lesbian relationship - a circumstance that only came about through the wonderful interplay between the two actresses Those responsible for the series were happily picked up. No opportunity is missed to allude to a possible love affair between the two. […] And […] often the 'subtext' [becomes] the 'main text': When the two women are once again ready to sacrifice their own lives for that of their friends; when they once again confess their love for each other (which, because of its portrayal in the series, does not allow for a double interpretation, despite the somewhat different use of the term 'I love you' in English); when she reveals that they are soul mates and that they belonged together in their past life, it is clear that their relationship is much more than 'just' a friendship. "
To this day, Xena is not only seen in the LGBT community as the “mainstream” series with the strongest and most widely perceived lesbian subtext, but also and continues to be an important milestone in popularizing lesbian topics to the general public frequently mentioned and cited:
Xena ushered in the golden age of lesbian subtext. For six seasons between 1995 and 2001, the show's writers danced around the issue of the Warrior Princess' relationship with Gabrielle. Perpetual innuendo, running jokes and subtle references to Xena and Gabby's sexuality permeated the plot and dialogue. And though Lucy Lawless is on record as calling the couple 'married,' the show's creative team never offered up a definitive answer about their relationship.
“ Xena ushered in the golden age of lesbian subtext. For six seasons, between 1995 and 2001, the series 'writers danced around the theme of the warrior princess' relationship with Gabrielle. Constant allusions, running jokes and subtle references to Xenas and Gabby's sexuality permeated the plot and the dialogues. And although Lucy Lawless is known to have referred to the couple as 'married,' the show's creative team never gave a definitive answer about their relationship. "
Awards
Joseph LoDuca received an Emmy in 2000 for the music he composed for the series and the ASCAP Film and Television Music Award five times .
astronomy
On October 21, 2003, a trans-Neptunian object was discovered which was initially given the provisional designation 2003 UB 313 . However, the working group named it "Xena" and the associated satellite "Gabrielle". However, these names did not become official. Since September 13, 2006 the object has been called Eris and the Trabant Dysnomia . In Greek mythology, Dysnomia was the demoness of lawlessness, which alludes to the name of the actress Lucy Lawless .
Episode list
→ Main article: Xena - The Warrior Princess / Episode list
literature
- Robert Weisbrot: Xena, Warrior Princess. Heyne, 1998, ISBN 3-453-14829-0 .
- Jutta Swietlinski: When Ally kisses women ... , Ulrike Helmer Verlag, 2003, ISBN 3-89741-119-9 .
- K. Stoddard Hayes: Xena: Warrior Princess: The Complete Illustrated Companion. Titan Books, 2003.
- Wim Tigges: "Her Courage Will Change the World": An Appraisal of Xena: Warrior Princess. 2007, ISBN 978-90-812010-1-8 .
- Wim Tigges: "I Have Many Skills": Additional Papers on Xena: Warrior Princess. ISBN 978-90-812010-2-5 .
Web links
- Xena - Warrior Princess in theInternet Movie Database(English)
- Xena - The Warrior Princess in the online movie database
- Episode guide on xenavirtualprincess.de
- Xena - The warrior princess in the German dubbing index
Remarks
- ↑ Jutta Swietlinski, When Ally kisses women ... Lesbians in US TV series, Königstein im Taunus 2003, pp. 91, 107-108.
- ↑ Heather Hogan, Does lesbian subtext still matter? ( Memento of March 9, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (English) at AfterEllen , December 27, 2011 (accessed: May 10, 2013).