| Dragonslayer | |
|---|---|
 Original 1981 theatrical poster |
|
| Directed by | Matthew Robbins |
| Produced by | Hal Barwood Howard W. Koch |
| Written by | Hal Barwood Matthew Robbins |
| Starring | Peter MacNicol Caitlin Clarke Ralph Richardson John Hallam Peter Eyre Sydney Bromley Chloe Salaman |
| Music by | Alex North |
| Cinematography | Derek Vanlint |
| Editing by | Tony Lawson |
| Distributed by | - USA - Paramount - non-USA - Disney |
| Release date(s) | June 26, 1981 |
| Running time | 108 min. Hal Barwood is an American Game designer and Game producer best known for his work on games based on the Indiana Jones license Howard Winchel Koch ( April 11, 1916 - February 16, 2001) was an Academy Award -winning American director Hal Barwood is an American Game designer and Game producer best known for his work on games based on the Indiana Jones license Peter MacNicol (born April 10, 1954 in Dallas Texas) is an Emmy Award winning American actor Caitlin Clarke (May 3 1952 - September 9 2004 was an American Theater and Film actress best known for her role as "Valerian" in Sir Ralph David Richardson ( 19 December 1902 &ndash 10 October 1983) was an English Actor, one of a group of theatrical John Hallam ( 28 October 1941 &ndash 14 November 2006) was a Northern Irish actor Peter Eyre (born 11 March 1942) is an American Actor. Eyre was born in New York City New York, the son of Dorothy Pelline ( Sydney Bromley ( 24 July 1909 - 14 August 1987) was a prolific English film Actor. Ian McDiarmid (born 11 August 1944 is a Scottish Tony Award -winning actor and Theatre director. Alex North ( December 4, 1910 – September 8, 1991) was an American Composer responsible for the first Jazz Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and Distribution company, based in Hollywood California. Walt Disney Pictures refers to several different entities associated with The Walt Disney Company: Walt Disney Pictures, the film banner was established Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian is killed during the retreat from the Sassanid Empire. Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $18,000,000 (estimated) |
| IMDb profile | |
Dragonslayer is a 1981 live action fantasy movie set in a fictional medieval country similar to Britain. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Events January 19 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquires beleaguered concurrent United Artists. Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located It follows a young wizard (played by Peter MacNicol) who experiences danger and opposition as he attempts to defeat a dragon. A magician, wizard, sorcerer or a person known under one of many other possible terms in fiction is someone who uses or practices magic Peter MacNicol (born April 10, 1954 in Dallas Texas) is an Emmy Award winning American actor European dragons are Legendary creatures in Folklore and Mythology among the overlapping cultures of Europe.
A co-production between Walt Disney Productions and Paramount Pictures, Dragonslayer was more mature and realistic than other Disney films of the period. Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and Distribution company, based in Hollywood California. Because of audience expectations for a more child-friendly film from Disney, the movie's violence and adult themes were somewhat controversial at the time (it was rated PG in the U. S. ; TV showings after 1997 have carried a TV-14 rating). The film grossed just over $14 million in the U.S.[1] with an estimated budget of USD$18 million. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been Often regarded as a commercial failure, it later became a cult classic on home video. A cult film is a Film that has acquired a highly devoted but relatively small group of fans. Home video is a blanket term used for pre-recorded media that is either sold or hired for home entertainment
The film was directed by Matthew Robbins (later director of *batteries not included), from a screenplay he co-wrote with Hal Barwood. Matthew Robbins may refer to Matthew Robbins (footballer. Matthew Robbins (screenwriter. *batteries not included is a 1987 family film directed by Matthew Robbins about an apartment block under threat from property development which is saved by cute Hal Barwood is an American Game designer and Game producer best known for his work on games based on the Indiana Jones license It starred Peter MacNicol, Ralph Richardson, John Hallam and Caitlin Clarke. Peter MacNicol (born April 10, 1954 in Dallas Texas) is an Emmy Award winning American actor Sir Ralph David Richardson ( 19 December 1902 &ndash 10 October 1983) was an English Actor, one of a group of theatrical John Hallam ( 28 October 1941 &ndash 14 November 2006) was a Northern Irish actor Caitlin Clarke (May 3 1952 - September 9 2004 was an American Theater and Film actress best known for her role as "Valerian" in
Dragonslayer also featured then-unknown actor Ian McDiarmid as the minor character, Brother Jacopus. Ian McDiarmid (born 11 August 1944 is a Scottish Tony Award -winning actor and Theatre director. McDiarmid's next film role after Dragonslayer would be that of the villain Palpatine in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, a role which he would reprise in the subsequent Star Wars films. Palpatine is a Fictional character in George Lucas 's Science fiction saga Star Wars. Star Wars Episode VI Return of the Jedi is a 1983 Space opera Film directed by Richard Marquand and written by George Lucas
The special effects were created at Industrial Light and Magic, where Phil Tippett co-developed an animation technique called go motion for the film. The illusions used in the Film, Television, Theater, or Entertainment industries to simulate the imagined events in a story are traditionally called Industrial Light & Magic ( ILM) is a motion picture Visual effects company that was founded in May 1975 by George Lucas and is owned Phil Tippett (born 1951) is a movie director and an award-winning Visual effects Supervisor and Producer who specializes in creature Go motion is a variation of Stop motion Animation, and was co-developed by Industrial Light & Magic and Phil Tippett for the 1980 Go motion is a variation on stop-motion animation, and its use in Dragonslayer led to the film's nomination for the Academy Award for Visual Effects; it lost to Raiders of the Lost Ark. Stop motion (or frame-by-frame) animation is an Animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own The Academy Award for Visual Effects is an Oscar given to one film each year that shows highest achievement in Visual effects Raiders of the Lost Ark (also known as Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark) is a 1981 Adventure film directed by Steven The film was also nominated for the Academy Award for Original Music Score; Chariots of Fire took the award. The Academy Award for Original Music Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically For the instrumental theme see Chariots of Fire (instrumental.
The film was also nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. The Hugo Awards are given annually by members of the World Science Fiction Convention for the best science fiction or fantasy works Again, it lost to Raiders of the Lost Ark.
In October 2003, Dragonslayer was released on DVD in the U. October 2003: January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is S. by Paramount Home Video. Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and Distribution company, based in Hollywood California.
Contents |
Plot
The setting is the Middle Ages. A kingdom called Urland is being held hostage by a dragon named Vermithrax Pejorative (which means "the Worm from Thrace which makes things worse"). An expedition led by Valerian (Clarke) sets out to find a sorcerer to help them. Caitlin Clarke (May 3 1952 - September 9 2004 was an American Theater and Film actress best known for her role as "Valerian" in A magician, wizard, sorcerer or a person known under one of many other possible terms in fiction is someone who uses or practices magic The expedition travels a hundred leagues (300 miles) before they find Ulrich of Craggenmoor (Richardson), who may be the only remaining living wizard (just as Vermithrax seems to be the only dragon left alive). They explain to the sorcerer that their king, Casiodorus (Peter Eyre), desperate to assuage the monster, has begun a lottery that all of the town's virgins are required to enter; the girl whose name is chosen is sacrificed to the dragon. Peter Eyre (born 11 March 1942) is an American Actor. Eyre was born in New York City New York, the son of Dorothy Pelline ( A lottery is a form of Gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize The wizard foresaw their arrival and agrees to help, but then dies in an attempt to prove his magical powers to a brutish knight from Urland named Tyrian (Hallam), who has followed the expedition under orders from the king. The wizard's servants then burn Ulrich's body and place the ashes in a leather pouch.
Ulrich's inexperienced apprentice, Galen Bradwarden (MacNicol), decides to take the job himself when the wizard's magical amulet begins to obey his Latin incantations. Apprenticeship is a system of Training a new generation of practitioners of a skill This allows Galen to cast spells just as a true wizard might do, so he conceals it beneath his tunic and catches up to the delegation. He accidentally discovers Valerian to be a girl when swimming with her. He discovers that Valerian and her father hid the truth of her gender as the poorer villagers suspect that the daughters of wealthy or powerful people are secretly kept out of the lottery.
In an effort to discourage the expedition, Tyrian and his soldiers, still following them, kill Hodge (Sydney Bromley), the old manservant of the wizard. Sydney Bromley ( 24 July 1909 - 14 August 1987) was a prolific English film Actor. With the death of Hodge, it is up to Galen alone to try to complete Ulrich's charge.
As the delegation returns with the apprentice, Galen rashly seizes upon a chance to seal the dragon inside its lair. He drops a large boulder over the entrance with the magic amulet. The attempt backfires when his spell causes a full avalanche instead (presumably due to Galen's inexperience with magic in general, or an imperfect understanding of Latin). The avalanche nearly kills him and the delegation, but the lair is buried beneath the rubble just as he had hoped.
Later, when Galen attempts to impress the town's ruler with a demonstration of his powers, his spells misfire. After seeing Galen's incompetence, King Casiodorus guesses that he is not a real wizard and complains that his attack may have angered the dragon instead of killing it. The king then takes the amulet and has Galen locked away, but his fears are soon realized when the dragon burns through the rubble and emerges from its lair with a vengeance. An earthquake ensues, and the king's daughter Elspeth (Chloe Salaman), who feels her name was wrongly kept from the lottery, releases Galen in the confusion. Galen escapes on horseback, but without the amulet.
When Galen returns to the village, he finds that Vermithrax has already begun to retaliate by setting it on fire. Valerian (no longer masquerading as a boy) and her father the blacksmith (Emrys James) conceal Galen from the king's soldiers. Emrys James ( 1 September 1930 - 5 February 1989) was a Welsh Shakespearean Actor. Galen still wants to kill the dragon, but must steal back the amulet from the king to do it. When the lottery begins anew, Princess Elspeth rigs the drawing so that only her name can be chosen. She explains that she has proof the king kept her name out of all previous drawings, and she demands that she be sacrificed to make amends.
After the lottery, Galen is caught searching the king's quarters for the amulet. But instead of imprisoning him again, the king returns it to Galen so that he might save Elspeth. Then, with the blacksmith's help, Galen uses the amulet to enchant a heavy spear (dubbed Sicarious Dracorum, or "Dragonslayer") that the blacksmith has forged strong enough to pierce the dragon's armored hide. Meanwhile, Valerian gathers pieces of dragon hide and uses them to make Galen a shield. She makes a discovery while doing so: Vermithrax has a litter of kits.
Galen sets out to kill the dragon and rescue the princess. Valerian thinks his plan is suicide, but gives him the shield. She suggests that he has feelings for the princess, but he admits to being in love with someone else, and that someone is Valerian; she confesses that she too has feelings for him.
As Galen attempts to rescue Princess Elspeth, he is confronted by Tyrian, who demands that the sacrifice be made to save the kingdom. The Princess likewise believes the sacrifice must be made; when Galen cuts her chains, instead of fleeing she descends into the dragon's cave. Her dying screams are heard at the same moment Galen kills Tyrian with Dragonslayer. He then enters the cave and finds the Princess's body. The dragonlings are feasting upon it. He slays the kits, then searches for Vermithrax. He confronts the dragon in a lake of oil & water (a burning lake) and severely wounds her, only to break the spear. He flees the cave. Vermithrax finds the bodies of her young and sets out to destroy the nearby village.
After his failure to kill Vermithrax, Galen sets out to leave the village with Valerian, but as they board a small boat together the amulet gives him a vision that explains his teacher's final wishes. Ulrich had asked that his ashes be spread over "burning water", and Galen realizes that the wizard had planned the whole thing, possibly even his own death. He was too frail to make the journey to kill Vermithrax himself, but had his servants make the trip for him by carrying his ashes. Galen returns to the cave, spreads the ashes and speaks an incantation, and the wizard is resurrected from the flames of the burning lake.
Before Ulrich engages the dragon in combat, he gives Galen a message: when Galen knows the time is right, he must destroy the amulet and Ulrich with it. Then the wizard teleports to a mountaintop and the battle begins. Teleportation is the movement of objects from one place to another more or less instantaneously either by Paranormal means or through technological artifice The sorcerer attempts to kill Vermithrax with lightning, but only wounds her. Valerian repeatedly tells to Galen to destroy the amulet (even seizing it herself, in order to smash it with a rock), but Galen remains firm in that he will know when the time is right. The wounded dragon seizes the sorcerer and flies off with him.
The relationship between the wizard and the amulet is unclear, but when Ulrich is scooped up by Vermithrax, Galen realizes that now is the time to destroy the amulet, and with it, his only hope of ever gaining real magical power without Ulrich's training. Reluctantly, Galen crushes the amulet with a large rock while Ulrich is in the dragon's grip. At the same moment, the wizard literally explodes and obliterates the dragon.
Afterward, the villagers credit God with the victory, while the king arrives and drives a sword into the dragon's broken carcass to claim the glory for himself. No one thanks Galen or praises the late wizard's sacrifice.
As Galen and Valerian leave Urland together, he confesses that he misses both Ulrich and the amulet. But then he says, out loud, "I just wish we had a horse. " As if on cue, a horse appears, suggesting that Galen may have inherited the wizard's powers after all.
Cast
- Peter MacNicol - Galen Bradwarden
- Caitlin Clarke - Valerian
- Ralph Richardson - Ulrich of Craggenmoor
- John Hallam - Tyrian
- Peter Eyre - King Casiodorus
- Albert Salmi - Greil
- Sydney Bromley - Hodge
- Chloe Salaman - Princess Elspeth
- Emrys James - Valerian's father
- Roger Kemp - Hosrik
- Ian McDiarmid - Brother Jacopus
Shooting Locations in North Wales
Nearly all of the outdoor scenes were shot in North Wales. Tryfan ( pronounced: 'trʌvan is a mountain in Snowdonia, Wales, forming part of the Glyderau group Llyn Ogwen is a Lake in north Wales. It lies alongside the A5 road between two mountain ranges the Carneddau and the Glyderau. North Wales (Gogledd Cymru is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales, bordered to the south by Mid Wales and to the east by England. North Wales (Gogledd Cymru is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales, bordered to the south by Mid Wales and to the east by England. The final scene was shot in Skye, Scotland. Skye or the Isle of Skye ( Scottish Gaelic An t-Eilean Sgitheanach əɲ tʰʲelan s̪kʲiə Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain.
- The filming crew were based in Betws y Coed, and the artists were stabled further down the Conwy valley. Betws-y-Coed (Prayer house in the wood pronounced ə ˈkɔɨd is a Village in the Conwy valley in the County borough of Conwy, The River Conwy ( Welsh: Afon Conwy) is a River in north Wales.
- Dolwyddelan Castle was used for all outdoor shots of Ulrich's Castle. Dolwyddelan Castle (Castell Dolwyddelan is a Castle located in a prominent position on a hill overlooking the A470 trunk road near Dolwyddelan village This includes the arrival of the delegation from Urland, the arrival of guards from Urland, Ulrich's first death scene and funeral burning.
- The external long shots of the dragon's lair were of the main face of Tryfan, from within yards of the A5, opposite Llyn Ogwen. Tryfan ( pronounced: 'trʌvan is a mountain in Snowdonia, Wales, forming part of the Glyderau group Llyn Ogwen is a Lake in north Wales. It lies alongside the A5 road between two mountain ranges the Carneddau and the Glyderau. The lair was shot looking upwards from the road, towards the broken face of Tryfan, Nant Ffrancon. Tryfan ( pronounced: 'trʌvan is a mountain in Snowdonia, Wales, forming part of the Glyderau group The Nant Ffrancon Pass in Snowdonia, North Wales is the long steady climb of the A5 road between Bethesda Gwynedd and Llyn Ogwen
- Shots of Galen and Hodge on the trek to Urland were shot on the old road from Cobdens to Bryn Engan, in Capel Curig. Capel Curig ( Welsh: Curig's chapel) is a Village in Conwy county borough, in North Wales.
- The early morning camping scenes on the trek to Urland, Tyrian's shooting of Hodge, and Hodge's death scene all take place on a 500 yard section of Fairy Glen between Betws-y-Coed and Penmachno. Betws-y-Coed (Prayer house in the wood pronounced ə ˈkɔɨd is a Village in the Conwy valley in the County borough of Conwy, Penmachno is a Village in the isolated Upland Valley of Cwm Penmachno, 4 Miles south of Betws-y-Coed in the County
- The scenes of the delegation crossing over into Urland were shot above Ogwen Cottage, Nant Ffrancon. Ogwen Cottage in Dyffryn Ogwen (the Ogwen Valley is an outdoor education centre in Snowdonia, North Wales. The Nant Ffrancon Pass in Snowdonia, North Wales is the long steady climb of the A5 road between Bethesda Gwynedd and Llyn Ogwen
- Galen fleeing on horseback from Casiodorus's castle was shot high above Llyn Crafnant. Llyn Crafnant is a lake that lies in a beautiful valley in North Wales where the northern edge of the Gwydir Forest meets the lower slopes of the Carneddau
- The scene where Galen Bradwarden sees an apparition in the lake was shot at the bottom end of Llyn Crafnant. Llyn Crafnant is a lake that lies in a beautiful valley in North Wales where the northern edge of the Gwydir Forest meets the lower slopes of the Carneddau
- The bleak rocky outcrop where Valerian gathers Dragon scales is Castell y Gwynt, above the Pen-y-Gwryd hotel. Glyder Fach is a Mountain in Snowdonia, north-west Wales, and is the second highest of the Glyderau Routes to the summit lead from Tryfan Pen-y-Gwryd is a pass at the head of Nantygwryd and Nant Cynnyd rivers in Gwynedd, North Wales and a quarter of a mile from the boundary
- The scenes where Valerian delivers a shield made from the Dragon's scales and the intimate scene between Valerian and Galen were shot in the boulder field below Tryfan, about 300 yards from the A5 near the Llyn Ogwen Car Park. Llyn Ogwen is a Lake in north Wales. It lies alongside the A5 road between two mountain ranges the Carneddau and the Glyderau.
- The procession scenes in which victims are transported to the Dragon's lair were shot on Gelli behind the main shop in Capel Curig.
- Vermithrax crashes into Llyn Llydaw, below Snowdon. Llyn Llydaw (from the Welsh meaning Brittany lake) is a Lake in Snowdonia National Park on the flanks of Snowdon, For other meanings see Snowdon (disambiguation. Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa is the highest Mountain in Wales and the third
Trivia
- Including the hydraulic 40 foot model, 16 dragon puppets were used for the role of Vermithrax, each one made for different movements; flying, crawling, fire breathing etc. [1]
- One of the Vermithrax puppets would eventually end up on the set of Return of the Jedi, where it would be jokingly posed with the rancor for a photograph. Star Wars Episode VI Return of the Jedi is a 1983 Space opera Film directed by Richard Marquand and written by George Lucas The rancor is a 5 Meter (164 foot)-tall Carnivore present in the fictional Star Wars universe The image can be seen here. This gag is referenced in the book "Star Wars" Complete Locations: Inside the World of the Entire "Star Wars" Saga in which the map of Jabba's palace shows Vermithrax to be in a pen outside the rancor enclosure.
- A myth that the metal band Slayer was originally called "Dragonslayer" after this movie. Slayer is an American Thrash metal band founded by Guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King in [2]
- Kliff Undersn from the Guilty Gear series wields a cleaver blade on a staff named "Dragonslayer".
Novelization
A novelization was written by Wayland Drew which delved deeper into the development of many of the characters. Wayland Drew, born in Oshawa Ontario in 1932, received his early education in the community
- Galen apparently was rejected by his parents as a toddler due to exhibiting magical abilities. Ulrich took him as an apprentice, but cast a spell on Galen which severely inhibited his inherent magic abilities, thus keeping them under control.
- A prologue implies that sorcerers could have been responsible for the creation of dragons.
- Vermithrax, along with the rest of her kind, was androgynous but required copulation with another dragon for fertilization.
External links
- Dragonslayer at the Internet Movie Database
- Dragonslayer at Rotten Tomatoes
- Dragonslayer at Box Office Mojo
References
Rotten Tomatoes is a Website devoted to reviews information and news of Movies. Box Office Mojo is a Website that tracks Box office Revenue in a systematic wayDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic