The dragon slayer

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Movie
German title The dragon slayer
Original title Dragonslayer
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1981
length 108 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Matthew Robbins
script Matthew Robbins
Hal Barwood
production Hal Barwood
music Alex North
camera Derek Vanlint
cut Tony Lawson
occupation

The Dragon Slayer is an American fantasy film . It was released in 1981 and, compared to other Disney films of that time, is less tailored to a very young target group, but endeavored to be more "realistic". With the special effects , the technical possibilities of the early 1980s were exhausted. Thematically, the film deals with various dragon slayer legends. The film opened in German cinemas on September 30, 1982.

action

The young Galen is living as an apprentice with Ulrich the magician when one day a delegation of rural residents arrives to ask for help against the dragon Vermithrax, who is subjugating their homeland. Their king Casiodorus, ruler of Urland, has made an agreement with the dragon according to which a virgin must be sacrificed every six months so that the dragon spares the people. Since then, each spring and autumn a lottery has been drawn to decide which girl should receive the monster.

Ulrich agrees, but dies after a trial that the king's wicked captain, Tyrian, imposes on him. When Tyrian also kills the old wizard's servant, Galen sees himself alone before the task of freeing the land from the dragon. He has insufficient knowledge of magic, but can fall back on the magic amulet of his deceased master.

Contrary to expectations, it is also possible first to lock the entrance to the dragon's cave and thus enclose the beast. However, she can break free and lets the residents of Urland feel her anger. Galen is arrested but is able to escape with the help of the king's daughter Elspeth. The father of the young Urlanderin Valerian makes him weapons and armor in order to finally defeat the dragon.

At the same time, the double game of King Casiodorus is revealed, who had always secretly excluded his own daughter Elspeth from the lottery for human sacrifice. When she hears about it, she decides to voluntarily sacrifice herself to the dragon. Galen wants to save Elspeth and has to kill Tyrian in the fight; but the king's daughter seeks her fate and climbs into the dragon's lair. There Galen destroys the brood of the dragon and finally Vermithrax with the help of Ulrich, who has risen from his ashes, and the magical amulet.

particularities

Particular emphasis was placed on a realistic representation of the early English Middle Ages shortly after Christianization . The equipment and the representation of the living conditions is actually closer to medieval reality than many comparable fantasy films , even if this assessment can of course only be made with some compromises in view of a fantasy film with dragons and magic. The fact that filming took place in natural daylight also contributes to the “realistic” overall impression.

Also noteworthy are the special effects, which naturally particularly affected the representation of the dragon. Those responsible at Industrial Light & Magic , including Dennis Muren and Phil Tippett , used the new animation technique of Go-motion , a computer-aided variation of the well-known stop-motion technique, which delivered more convincing results. For the fiery breath of the beast were flamethrowers used.

effect

As a Disney / Paramount co-production, the film was aimed at a family audience and was therefore criticized for the gloom, the depictions of violence and, in particular, for showing a comparatively large amount of bare skin, which was unusual for the genre at the time. The film was therefore classified as PG in the USA , which means that parental guidance when going to the cinema was recommended and the material shown was not suitable for children under seven years of age. The film wasn't a huge hit at the box office, grossing only about a third of its $ 18 million production cost in the US. The later publication on video was far more successful.

Reviews

  • “The US film, made in Great Britain and entertaining with a lot of imagination, slapstick interludes and portrayals of the Middle Ages, [expands] the genre, which is otherwise splendid with effects, through ingenuity and with a nice punch line.” (Rating: 3 stars = very good.) - Adolf Heinzlmeier and Berndt Schulz : Lexicon "Films on TV" . Extended new edition, Rasch and Röhring, Hamburg 1990, ISBN 3-89136-392-3 , p. 165 f.
  • “This beautiful fantasy film is often reminiscent of the illustrations of old fairy tale books.” - Die Zeit .
  • “Sometimes an exciting fantasy film that doesn't always strike a balance between naive fairy tales and ironic refraction. Impressive in the trick sequences, cautious in the depiction of violence. "( Lexicon of international films )

Awards

The special effects team was nominated for the visual effects at the 1982 Academy Awards; Alex North's score was nominated for Best Score . However, both awards went to other films: Raiders of the Lost Ark (Effects) and The Victory's Hour (Music). At the Saturn Awards in the same year, The Dragon Slayer was nominated in four categories, including Best Fantasy Film . The film was also nominated for the 1982 Hugo Award , again without receiving the award for the best dramatic presentation - which, incidentally, was given to the Raiders of the Lost Ark . So in the end the film came out empty-handed.

media

DVD release

  • The dragon slayer . Buena Vista Home Entertainment 2003

Soundtrack

  • Alex North : Dragonslayer. Original motion picture soundtrack . Recording under the direction of the composer. SCSE Soundtrack Collector's Special Editions 1990, audio carrier no. SCSE CD-3

literature

  • Wayland Drew : The Dragon Slayer. Fantasy novel. The novel for the film (original title: Dragonslayer ). Based on the script by Hal Barwood and Matthew Robbins. German by Mechtild Sandberg. Goldmann, Munich 1982, 254 pages, ISBN 3-442-23814-5

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Dragon Slayer. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used