In 1981, one of the best films [that still holds solid ground today] was released in theaters and I am one of the lucky ones to have seen this ground breaking film in theaters when I was a teen. This film was produced by both Paramount and Disney and was the first time that Industrial Lights and Magic [ILM] helped make a film outside of Star Wars, not that I knew any of those consequences back in the day. All I knew is that Hollywood had the magic to make things look extremely real and also make large beasts [the the dragon in the film] seem to move in a lifelike prowess through the use of ground breaking puppetry and "go motion" techniques that revolutionized the way special effects would forever make creatures come to life...for a while.
The DRAGONSLAYER [1981] movie was directed by Matthew Robbins, written by Robbins and Hal Barwood, and produced by Barwood and Howard K. Koch. The epic sound track was composed by Alex North and was nominated for best music in 1981. What this movie had that was most impressive were the sets, wardrobe, and a strong cast that brought their dark script to life. Veteran actor Ralph Richardson portrayed the aged and retired Sorcerer Ulrich to so much perfection, that his performance solidified the future expectancy for any future films that presented a master of magic; including later films like Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The movie starred Peter NacNicol, Caitlin Clarke, John Hallam, Peter Eyre, Chloe Salaman, and Albert Salmi. In my opinion, NacNicol's role as Galen was badly cast and should have been given to an actor who had a far more heroic look to him. Over the years, I held this strong opinion until I actually had the opportunity to read a copy of the actual script and screenplay, which actually called for a more younger student for the Sorcerer. Given the educational background and training that NacNicol carried under his belt, I accepted that perhaps at the time, he was the better choice to helm the lead for this film. For the moments of horror and terror presented in the film, the part of the lead required an actor with extensive skill in theater performances, which NacNicol was know for.
What makes this movie even more interesting to preview, are the inanimate objects that were also characters in the film; objects in the possession of the lead character were important to tell their tale and were awe inspiring to watch when they were introduced. These items were the Sorcerers necklace, which seemed to move on its own and assist the young Galen on his journey, to the Dragonslayer Spear that was introduced as an illegal weapon, made sharp enough to injure or even kill the dragon, and a shield made from dragon scales that helped the young man survive several fireball attacks from the beast at large.
I've often felt that the antagonist, King Casiodorus Rex, was also duly and masterfully played by Eyre. And I have to say that there's just something about playing an English king that not only requires the ability to act like one, but to look like a pompous asshole who is above the law at every turn. The only weakness he shows is the love for his daughter Princess Elspeth, played by Salaman, which forces his hand to be the young Galen to help save her life. That part of the films screenplay was just perfectly performed and presented in the film.
The films real strength comes from the belief that Galen looked up to his master Ulrich, like any young boy who looked up to his father. The chemistry between NacNicol and Richardson was laid out brilliantly in the first acts of the film. There was genuine admiration and love between the two, and the director caught those sequences so well, it made me actually care for both the characters throughout the films presentation. The Sorcerer was presented not only as a wielder of magic, but as a wise elder who was teaching a young boy the rights and wrongs about life and the reasoning for taking magic as a power with great responsibility.
After spending a few hours studying up on the films production, Disney was under pressure of a growing controversy over presenting some violence, some adult themes and brief nudity which were approved by the Paramount side of the films production. But in my opinion, the violence and adult themes were necessary for the film to deliver it's realistic, dramatic side of story telling. And as for the brief nudity, I thought it was stylish and a "slam dunk" technique that was needed to separate the eventual dilemma between two main characters who would eventually become the romantic part of the film.
I often thought that the casting of Caitlin Clarke as Valerian was the perfect touch for the film. Her rugged and tough personae was a magnificent touch on this film. Most of the early parts of the film presented her playing a male lead, then switched to the romantic role for quirky Galen, played by MacNicol. During that era of filming, I'm pretty sure that there were limited actresses who could have filled her part and played of being "a man" of the village. In my youth, I truly thought that Galen was a male until the naked reveal. Clarke looked tough as nails, then gentle and frail when she needed to be.
The big bad guy was actually the dragon, named Vermithrax Pejorative. A lot of ground breaking design, development, and production went in to make this behemoth come to life, including the addition of two World War II-era flame throwers that were used for the dragons fire breath effect and several vocalizations of wild animals, most predators, some farm and zoo animals, that were manipulated for the dragons roar and screams. A large part of the films budget went to creating a life sized head, neck, a part of the wing span, a large leg and tail. Outside of 1976's successful King Kong movie, this had never been attempted before, especially when you add the addition of the "go motion" filming techniques used to bring the entire creature to life.
DRAGONS SLAYER has everything that any real mystical adventurer would want to see in a film that tells the story of magic, sorcerers, swords, and dragons. I found writing this blog entry on this film entertaining, just looking up all the source data and liner notes on how this epic film was put together. I know that this movie is on the top ten list of best movies ever seen by at least one of my sons. It is surely one of my top films that I got see in my youth during the boom of Hollywood's growth in special effects. Watch this film, you will definitely not regret the experience!
