Hello there again, my readers! I'm not going to lie to you and say that after last week's epic that looking at something else is akin to having enjoyed an epic meal in Valhalla only to be stuck with my next meal being an underwhelming Slurpee from the local 7-11. That's the problem with seeing a film like Excalibur - you can only ever see it for the first time once and, while you can always watch it again, it isn't quite the same ever again.
That isn't a commentary on the quality of Dragonslayer, by the way. There are few films that I could name that I genuinely love that don't match the epic scale and grandeur that Excalibur brings to the table. However, I've already pimped out a link to my previous review, so there's really need to go on about that any further. What's Dragonslayer all about?
Well, we get the feature film debut of actor Peter MacNicol. If you don't recognize the name, he was Dr. Poha in Ghostbusters II (probably his most famous role outside of this one). His character, Galen Bradwarden, is markedly different from the heroes of legend in Arthurian lore as previously discussed. Instead, Galen is...well, let's look a little deeper into the story.
We begin with an expedition led by a man named Valerian (Caitlin Clarke) to find the last living sorcerer, Ulrich of Cragganmore (Ralph Richardson). Why? Because a sorcerer is the only being that can slay the dragon that has been terrorizing the kingdom of Urland. The King of Urland has made a pact with the monster, using a lottery to select two virgins each year to feed to it. The dragon, Vermithrax Pejorative, then leaves their crops and lands alone. Needless to say, the people of Urland have had enough of that crap and want change.
...by the way, if you can tell that Valerian isn't actually a man, don't be shocked: it's a plot point.
Convinced to assist, Ulrich prepares for the journey. Unfortunately, Valerian and the group who came to ask for help were followed by one Tyrian (John Hallam), the Captain of Urland's Royal Guard. He berates Ulrich, who invites him to test his sorcerous abilities for himself. Giving him a special dagger, Ulrich is stabbed by Tyrian...and promptly dies.
Chosen by Ulrich's amulet and given the ashes of his mentor by Ulrich's manservant Hodge (Sydney Bromley), it is up to Galen to go and slay the dragon...be a Dragonslayer, if you will. Unfortunately, he has a lot to learn and a lot of ego to get over...will he be able to pull it off in an hour and fifty minutes?
So, I'm gonna go ahead and say it now - Dragonslayer is fucking great. It's not on the epic level of a lot of other films, but it has a lot of the hallmarks you'd expect from the Sword and Sorcery genre. What sets it apart is the main characters and the depth of personality they are given.
Let's start with Galen. Early on, he seems like a very put upon young sorcerer's apprentice, a bit too inquisitive for his own good in some cases (Ulrich tells him before he leaves to keep his fingers out of his reagents). After Ulrich's death, he seems to grieve by trying to put on an air of being just as good as his mentor...and honestly kind of being a dick, in particular to Hodge. As I was leading up to earlier, Galen fits the trope of the unlikely hero. I'd say 'reluctant', but Galen isn't reluctant. He's eager to prove himself, sometimes to the point of stupidity. Like all great heroes, though, Galen leaves his home in search of one thing...and instead finds something with more meaning.
Valerian is a woman hiding out as a man to avoid the King's lottery. It is a ploy that has been going on her entire life and is only now revealed - and completely by accident - when Galen happens to hop into the same pond where Valerian came to bathe. She has a great deal of resentment for having to do so, even knowing the risk involved, which is likely a great deal of her motivation to go and seek out Ulrich in the beginning. It is interesting to note that no one seems to treat her any differently as a woman (much to the shock of everyone who knows her from her village) than they did when she was a man. In a moment of pure altruism, after having discovered her secret, Galen is the only person who encourages her (once she herself has put on a dress for it) to come out and dance at the village celebration.
Of course, he was also utterly shocked in a rather hilariously gratuitous scene only shortly before where he came upon her buck ass nude, so gotta put a point in both the good and the bad there.
I will say their romance - yes, of course there's a romance - is believable, but also sort of comes right out of nowhere. Valerian does make a good effort at rolling her eyes at Galen's heroics - particularly when he's gearing up to go after the dragon with a magic spear and even gives him a shield of dragon scales to help him out - though it's a weird combination of Galen likely having been stuck in a castle in the middle of nowhere with only two old men around and Valerian having been stuck pretending to be a boy her entire life.
...I'm predicting some couples' therapy in their future is all I'm saying.
The third piece, and by far the most prevalent and yet most absent part of the leads, is Ulrich. Now I know what you're thinking - "MadCap! You said he already died!". Indeed I did. However, like Gandalf before/after him, Ulrich had a trick up his sleeve. No, he does not return to Galen in a blaze of glory at the turn of the tide...okay, he does, but not in the same way. Instead, Ulrich goes for more the Doctor Strange approach rather than the Gandalf one - i.e., planning everything in advance so that it all goes off without a hitch. I won't say how, but it is a pretty clever set up.
Ralph Richardson gives a fantastic performance as the aged wizard, I'd put him up there with Nicol Williamson from last week of Alec Guiness as Obi-Wan in the original Star Wars in the really, really good portrayals of the aged mentor.
For the time, the special effects are pretty great. We have Industrial Light and Magic to thank for the effects on this one, their first production that wasn't a Lucasfilm film. For Vermithrax, they had multiple puppets (one for each action the dragon would take) as well as a 40-foot hydraulic model for certain scenes. While some CGI was done for some (read: very few) of the dragon scenes, the rest is all practical effects done with the aforementioned models and puppets. After The Empire Strikes Back it was one of the first films to utilize go motion (a variation on stop motion), and the effects were so good that Dragonslayer actually was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. Unfortunately, this being 1981, they lost out to Raiders of the Lost Ark.
...oh, don't worry. An Indiana Jones retrospective is coming.
It's also of note that the film was also nominated for Best Original Score. Given that the score was done by Alex North - who gave us scores for films like A Streetcar Named Desire, Spartacus, Cleopatra, and many other Hollywood classics - this isn't so surprising. What also isn't surprising is that this was 1981 and Dragonslayer was beaten by Chariots of Fire. It's a shame, really, because Dragonslayer has a really great score. Plus, Alex North remains the most nominated composer for the award who has never actually won it, having been nominated fourteen times for Best Original Score and once for Best Original Song.
Although he did get an Honorary Oscar in 1986, some five years before he passed away.
Dragonslayer is a great movie. A bit more personable than Excalibur was, and that's honestly a good thing as a means of contrast. Not every hero is one signified by divine providence to carve out a kingdom in the land and bring peace and justice. Some heroes are there to slay the dragon and then ride off into the sunset never to be heard from again, and that is enough.
Next time, however, we're going to put Sword and Sorcery 2020 on pause once again. Yes, yes, I know...we're getting so close to the end of this the year 2020. However, this is for a single week...and there is a special purpose for it. You see, Dragonslayer marks the 99th film that I have reviewed, which means that next week is the 100th film review. When we return to my Reel Thoughts, the time will come not to concern yourself with swords and sorcerers, nor with dungeons and dragons. Well, perhaps one dragon...
The Last Dragon.
See you then!
Dragonslayer is brought to us by Paramount Pictures and Walt Disney Pictures.
For the latest from the MadCapMunchkin, be sure to follow him on Twitter @MadCapMunchkin.
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