Dragonslayer (1981)
Set in the fictional British kingdom of Urland in the 6th Century, Peter MacNicol stars as Galen, apprentice to an aging sorcerer named Ulrich (Richardson). Ulrich has been enlisted for help in trying to stop a nearby kingdom’s practice of an equinox-related lottery resulting in a virgin sacrifice to appease a powerful, fire-breathing dragon as a peace accord. Alas, Ulrich can’t really make the trip, but entrusts a powerful amulet to Galen, who soon realizes that the magical artifact gives him some pretty nifty powers. Thinking himself an able wizard, Galen decides it’s time he prove his mettle against the dragon, though his prowess at conjuring may prove his ultimate undoing against forces far more powerful than he’s ever faced before.
Nominated for an Academy Award for its impressive visual effects from Industrial Light and Magic, Dragonslayer struggled to find an audience upon its initial release, partially due to being perceived of as a children’s fantasy by older audiences. Trying to increase their market beyond young children’s films, likely spurred on by the box-office successes of Lucas and Spielberg in the late 1970s, this was also the first co-production between Walt Disney Productions and another studio, here Paramount Pictures (who conversely wanted an “in” for the children’s market), with whom they simultaneously collaborated with on the Robert Altman musical version of Popeye (1980). Containing nudity and violence, Dragonslayer is easily Disney’s its most ‘PG-13’-worthy release up to that point, and would continue to be so until they crafted their own adult-oriented production house, Touchstone Films (later Touchstone Pictures), a few years later. However, nudity, scary moments, and a particularly gory scene of dragon feasting made it a bit unpalatable for the tykes who might otherwise have been enthralled by a sword and sorcery adventure in the era of “Dungeons & Dragons”.
Gorgeous landscapes and brilliant practical effects make it an eye-candy lovers delight, even if the tale is a bit familiar. Interestingly, the films would garner a second Academy Award nomination for its score by Alex North, which I actually feel is average at best, especially as it recycles some elements of his earlier work. Reportedly, Steven Spielberg suggested North as the go-to guy for the composer duties. Scripted by director Matthew Robbins and writing partner Hal Barwood, including some parts spoken in very convincing ancient Latin, there’s comfort for those who enjoy a familiar quest, even if some of the surprises aren’t really much (such as a girl playing a boy (Clarke) who looks and sounds too feminine not to think so), though there’s one particular grisly death I didn’t think would or could ever happen in a PG-rated film aimed at younger viewers.
Themes of the film are part and parcel of quest tales, especially in the post-Star Wars era, where there was no shortage of whiny youngsters who discover that they may have the power to take down the power of the establishment, if only they believe in themselves and their abilities. Dragonslayer adds to this the evil misdeeds of the rich and corrupt, especially in the way they use their power, embodied in the king, in order to game their own evil system. Rather than just decreeing which of the young virgin women will be sacrificed to the dragon, the king establishes a “fairness” element in having a lottery, though it’s a sham, as those rich enough to secretly buy off keeping their daughters from the drawing and enrich the king will do so, while the king even proclaims, again in fairness, that his own daughter, Princess Elspeth, is subject to the lottery, which, we come to learn, may not be the case.
It’s actually nicely cast, considering there are no box office draws in the mix, including handing the starring role to a first-time actor in Peter MacNicol, an American actor, no less, among a group of predominantly British thespians, save for Caitlin Clarke, another debut performance, as Valerian. Reportedly, MacNicol came to find the film an embarrassment, and doesn’t choose to discuss it when talking about his body of work. Some of the secondary actors are a bit spotty, but the main cast shines quite well, especially Ralph Richardson as the enigmatic wizard Ulrich. John Hallam also makes for a charismatic and formidable heavy, whose world-weariness provides a proper counterpart for Galen’s rambunctious naivety. But really, it’s the dragon, improbably named Vermithrax Pejorative, that steals the show, featuring a massive, go-motion hydraulic model, plus a variety of puppets for its various modes. Though mostly kept off the screen until the finale, a la Spielberg’s Jaws, it’s a truly magical and memorable creature, crafted by the wizards at Industrial Light and Magic, that hasn’t been matched with that level of detail of film until well into the age of computer-generated imagery.
But, it always comes back to the problem of failing to find the proper audience, as it is too adult for most kids and too juvenile to hold the interest of many adults, while the teenagers who might enjoy this the most probably thought it was a kiddie flick based on the marketing and Disney branding. Word of mouth was the worst of it, however, as those who saw it and were dismayed at the violence and gore would tell other parents not to take their kids to see the film at any cost. As a result, the movie failed to earn back its production budget in the theaters, not even cracking the top five films of its week of release, or the top 50 highest grossing films of 1981. Nevertheless, it has certainly stood up well than many sword-and-sorcery films of its era, and remains rather delightful, if you don’t mind the strains in the film’s tone from time to time, as well as the disturbing and somewhat gory moments that strain the tone toward the film’s climax. For those who love films about dragons and wizards, and especially kitsch from the early 1980s, it has a bit of a cult following that is deserved. Though largely eclipsed in this era of the Lord of the Rings films and HBO’s “Game of Thrones”, for those who are insatiable, Dragonslayer definitely is worth a look.
Qwipster’s rating: A-
MPAA Rated: PG for violence, brief nudity, scary images, and mild language (would be PG-13 today)
Running Time: 109 min.
Cast: Peter MacNicol, Caitlin Clarke, Ralph Richardson, John Hallam, Peter Eyre, Albert Salmi, Sydney Bromley, Chloe Salaman, Emrys James, Roger Kemp, Ian McDiarmid
Director: Matthew Robbins
Screenplay: Hal Barwood, Matthew Robbins