Dragonslayer **** (1981, Peter MacNicol, Caitlin Clarke, Ralph Richardson) – Classic Movie Review 8746

It’s the powers of good, represented by sorcerer’s apprentice Galen (Peter MacNicol), against one of the screen’s most impressive dragons, Vermithrax Pejorative, in the dark ages of the sixth-century kingdom of Urland.

Director Matthew Robbins’s 1981 fantasy action adventure Dragonslayer is no sweet fairy story but an often scary, if a touch overlong seeming, journey into a mud-spattered, medieval world of swords, sorcery and sacrifices.

Caitlin Clarke is the love interest as the villager MacNicol falls for and Ralph Richardson plays MacNicol’s magical boss, the sorcerer Ulrich, in a movie that looks stunning courtesy of Industrial Light and Magic’s special effects and Derek Vanlint’s cinematography, but lacks the cinematic magic and lightness of touch that would have made it something totally special. It is written by producer Hal Barwood and Matthew Robbins.

Dragonslayer was a costly flop in the cinema but deserves a sympathetic look today. It cost $18,000,000, and grossed $14,110,013 in the US.

In a deserved nod to their high quality, Alex North’s score and the visual effects by Dennis Muren, Phil Tippett,Ken Ralston and Brian Johnson  were Oscar nominated.

It is a co-production of Paramount Pictures, Walt Disney Productions, released by Paramount Pictures (1981) (US) and the Rank Organisation (1981) (UK).

Also in the cast are John Hallam, Peter Eyre, Albert Salmi. Chloe Salaman, Roger Kemp, Emrys James, Sydney Bromley, Jason White, Ian McDiarmid, Ken Shorter, Douglas Cooper, Yolanda Palfrey, Alf Mangon, David Mount, James Payne and Chris Twinn.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8746

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