Harlequin (also known as Dark Forces) is a 1980 Australian thriller directed by Simon Wincer (Free Willy, Quigley Down Under) and starring Robert Powell, Carmen Duncan, David Hemmings, and Broderick Crawford. The film is a modern-day retelling of the story of Grigori Rasputin.
An up-and-coming U.S. senator, Nick Rast (Hemmings), has a young son named Alex (Mark Spain) who suffers from terminal leukemia. A mysterious faith healer named Gregory Wolfe (Powell) appears and claims to have the power to cure the young boy's cancer. Nick's wife Sandra (Duncan) subsequently falls for Wolfe, but the government higher-ups are less than satisfied with this turn of events.
No relation to the novel by Bernard Cornwell or the DC Comics character Harley Quinn.
Are these tropes more than magic?
- Artistic License – Cars: Although the story is set in the United States, all the vehicles are right-hand drive. In addition, several of these vehicles are models that are not sold in America, most notably several Chrysler Valiants.
- Delicate and Sickly: Nick and Sandra's son Alex suffers from terminal leukemia, which Gregory claims to have the ability to cure.
- Eagleland: Although an Australian production, the story takes place in the United States, possibly because the film's investors felt this would make the film more accessible to foreign audiences.
- Meaningful Name: Some of the character’s names that closely resembles the names of their historical counterparts:
- Nick and Sandra = Tsar Nicholas and Tsarina Alexandra
- Gregory Wolfe = Grigori Rasputin
- Alex = Alexei, the heir to the Russian throne.
- Significant Anagram: Nick and Sandra's surname is "Tsar" spelled backwards, in keeping with the film's story being a modern retelling of Rasputin's.
- Very Loosely Based on a True Story:
- The film is essentially a modern retelling of the life of Rasputin.
- The subplot of deputy governor Steele being lost at sea after seemingly drowning reflected the December 1967 incident where Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt disappeared whilst swimming and was subsequently presumed dead.
