(Paramount Pictures and Walt Disney Productions, 1981)
Directed by Matthew Robbins
Written by Hal Barwood and Matthew Robbins
CAST: Peter MacNicol, Caitlin Clarke, Ralph Richardson, John Hallum, Albert Salmi, Chloe Salaman
Ah 1981 – four years before I first came into the world, and one that was filled with exciting fantasy-themed films on the big screen that have ended up in my 300 favorites list (which I am still composing): Raiders of the Lost Ark, Heavy Metal, Excalibur, Knightriders, Time Bandits… and to that end I’m recommending another particular favorite of mine that seems to have gotten more attention than it did during its initial release 35 years ago, and was actually a straightforward take on Anglo-Saxon mythology that most films seem to merely reference or incorporate into other genres, with then-groundbreaking visual effects, strong performances and consistent characterizations. Now I shall celebrate, and scrutinize as my first review for my blog, the 35th anniversary of the cult fave Dragonslayer (1981).
There are many other reasons to watch this film, of course. While the plot is your standard sword-and-sorcery fare, it’s handled in an intelligent, adult manner that’s actually surprisingly poetic, partially profound and even dark – perhaps too dark even for the family audiences for which it was made, and may have been part if not the only reason why it failed at the box office. But the film has grown to become a cult favorite and is acknowledged by quite a substantial number of viewers as one of the best fantasy films ever made, even holding a current 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The plot is set in a fantasy kingdom called Urland in post-Roman Empire Briton prior to the turn of the millennium. A fierce 400-year old dragon, Vermithrax Pejorative (try saying that five times fast!) is terrorizing Urland, so its cowardly king has made a pact with the creature to hold a lottery from which a young female virgin – selected from those from the peasant class in order to protect the children of the ruling class – is offered to the monster twice a year in exchange for peace. One peasant virgin, Valerian (Caitlin Clarke), who has been sheltered from the lottery via disguise as a boy by her father, boldly embarks on a journey to enlist the aid of the kingdom’s last sorcerer, the elderly Ulrich of Craggenmoor (the legendary Sir Ralph Richardson in one of his last great roles and performances prior to his death in 1984) and his young apprentice, Gaylen Bradwarden (Peter MacNicol) to destroy the monster before the next lottery is held. But complications emerge when a rather brutal centurion under the king’s service, Tyrian (John Hallum, who apart from the dragon is the film’s best scene-stealing villain and true monster whenever he appears), attempts to stop them at every turn. To make matters worse, Gaylen’s training as a sorcerer is incomplete, Valerian’s true gender identity is about to be revealed, the king’s own virgin daughter Princess Elspeth (Chloe Salaman) has become only recently aware of the shady nature of the lottery and intends to sacrifice herself, and Vermithrax already has a progeny of dragon babies waiting to follow in its stead!
The film is unique in that it was a co-production between rivals Paramount Pictures and Walt Disney Productions (their 2nd shared effort after Popeye, and they split the then-hefty $18 million budget when it began to get too high). Unlike most of Disney’s fare, it is depicting in satirical (and darkly realistic) fashion, like John Boorman’s Excalibur, the uneasy transition of religion from old pagan faiths to Christianity, as well as the callous nature of the ruling class to sacrifice members of the lower class to save itself (keep in mind that this film came out during the first full year of the Reagan administration). It’s a bit uneven, with some of the pacing slow and a little dialogue flat, but despite these lulls, the film is otherwise superb.
Without a doubt, and deservedly, Dragonslayer has gradually earned a place in the cinematic fantasy pantheon for several stand-out elements. The characters are well constructed, namely Richardson’s sorcerer Ulrich and Hallam’s Tyrian (who have a pretty tense face-off early on), and the inevitable blossoming romance between Clarke’s Valerian and MacNicol’s Gaylen is more believable and mature than most stock romantic couples, and one which is bolstered by good chemistry between the two young leads. Some of the dialogue is actually quotable (“If it weren’t for sorcerers there wouldn’t even be dragons!”, as it is revealed that Vermithrax is the last of a dying tradition kept only alive by the practice of magic), and there’s an authentic sense of both past history and natural isolation within the settings, thanks to excellent use at Pinewood Studios for the interiors and several locations in the Isle of Skye, North Wales and Scotland (including Dolwyddelan Castle, standing in for Ulrich’s home). As a plus, you also get the Emperor from the Star Wars films himself, Ian McDermid, playing a Christian priest who meets an ill fate at the mercy of Vermithrax.
But, without argument, it’s the visuals that mostly carry the film. Derek Vanlint’s cinematography is gorgeous, capturing with wide scope the fog-shrouded mountains and rock outcroppings of the Isles and the reflections of forests in lakes and bubbling streams. The fire-breather Vermithrax itself, with the possible exception of Smaug from the more recent Hobbit Trilogy of Peter Jackson, is still possibly the best – and best-designed – dragon in the movies, a miracle of the “go-motion” photographic effects and animatronic models pioneered by Ken Ralston, Chris Walas, Phil Tippett, Bruce Nicholson, and other artists at Industrial Light & Magic. Although a tad dated, these effects of the dragon were state-of-the-art for the early 1980’s and went several steps beyond the conventional stop-motion methods used by King Kong‘s Willis O’Brien and Jason and the Argonauts‘ Ray Harryhausen. The fierce look and actions of Vermithrax – kept wisely off-screen during the beginning save for its tail, horns and clawed legs, but fierce and real during its full reveal – fits the true description of the dragon of European mythology, while also inspired by pterodactyl designs and took up a 25% chunk of the film’s budget. The practical effects work still largely holds up today and resulted in a well-earned Academy Award Nomination for Best Special Effects of 1981.
Alex North’s music for Dragonslayer, which also received one of the film’s two Oscar nominations, is another reason for the enduring appeal of the film. The composer of classic epics like Spartacus and Cleopatra (and his original score originally composed for Kubrick’s 2001, which wouldn’t be used in that film until its actual 2001 re-release), used the same avant-garde characteristics of his music for those sword-and-sandal spectaculars to enhance the emotionally atmospheric scenarios, while incorporating some old Celtic themes into the peasant rituals and otherworldly scales for the magic and dragon-battle scenes.
It all makes for a world that is so alien yet familiar, so fantastic yet undeniably real, so scary and unsettling but also universally entertaining. It all fits the conventions of a film that sets out to honor the conventions of Anglo-Saxon myth, and there’s no doubt that Dragonslayer will remain to inspire future generations of moviegoers, fantasy filmmakers and artists the world over. Don’t miss this one the next time it comes to the big screen!
Well that’s a wrap for now – see you at the cinema!
Jeffrey DeCristofaro 