Sep 281981
 
four reels

When Ulrich (Ralph Richardson), the last wizard in the world, dies, his apprentice, Galen (Peter MacNicol) takes on the job of killing a dragon. But the King has devised a lottery where one virgin is chosen as a sacrifice to the dragon in order to keep it placated, and is not happy with anyone upsetting the status quo.

So many Fantasy films have a young hero learning his strengths and then meeting and defeating the great evil. It’s the whole Joseph Campbell mythic warrior thing, and it’s been done to death. The only thing that Dragonslayer has in common with that too often told tale is a young protagonist striding out to do a heroic deed. But here, things don’t turn out like you expect. Galen learns something very different than the use of standard Sword & Sorcery powers, the epic struggle isn’t between who you think it will be, people die who never die in these types of films, and the credit for the great deed goes to the wrong people. Dragonslayer plays things differently, and it’s such a relief.

Galen is a good-natured lead, played with quirky affability by Peter MacNicol, who would go on to make a career of playing people in need of serious therapy. He’s annoying and arrogant early on, which makes the film’s final so very satisfying. MacNicol shares the screen with an excellent supporting cast, including Sir Ralph Richardson, who dominates every scene he is in;  it doesn’t hurt that Richardson gets all the best lines.  Fans of Star Wars may recognize Ian McDiarmid as a monk, years before he became Senator Palpatine. I’m not pointing out one of the finest performances because to do so would give away a rather important plot point.  OK, it’s something that most of you will figure out early on, but just in case you don’t, I’m leaving it a mystery.

The dragon is magnificent, the finest put on the screen at the time, and even now, almost twenty-five years later, only a few can touch it. This is the monster I’d read about in books, but never seen onscreen. When he breaths flame, it’s not a cheap drizzle or drawn in effect.  It’s a full inferno (thanks to a pair of military flame throwers). The creature was realized by the then new ILM, which created a variant of stop motion animation that included computerized movement, eliminating the jerking that had always been present in the technique. It works like a charm.

Another innovation is the world. It is poor and dark and primitive—the way the dark ages should be. The village is shabby, the clothing is simple, starvation looks very possible, and it’s not all that much better in the castle. Yet, it all has a simple beauty, as long as you don’t have to live there. The hills, crags, and forests of Wales and Scotland are responsible for much of the lush, but forbidding, scenery.

So, what you end up with is a surprisingly original story, engaging characters, top notch effects, impressive sets and locations, exciting action paced with drama and comedy, and a take-no-prisoners style that includes some needed gore (sadly left out of lesser films). This is how fantasy should be. Plus, it makes a few biting comments on society. It is the politicians who lay claim to saving the day, when all they did was interfere. More interesting is the church, that does absolutely nothing (except instigate a fiery homage to The War of the Worlds), yet takes credit through the power of prayer. The people all mindlessly accept invisible salvation because it’s easier than dealing with the difficulties of life. It’s quite sad.

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