Dragonslayer

This was one of the last roles for Sir Ralph Richardson, and he makes the absolute best of it. His scorcerer can stand alonside Merlin or any other.

The period detail is another plus. being made after "Excalibur", (as well as some fine lesser known films of the 70's), the costumes and other effects have a wonderful believeability to them.

So, if your looking for a nice distraction in the fantasy film department, you really can't go wrong with this film!

The plot: For years, the kingdom of Urland has managed to avoid being incinerated by a dragon by offering up maidens as a twice-annual meal. Like the draft during Vietnam, the lottery by which the virgins are chosen is more or less rigged to guarantee that the children of the rich and/ or well-connected aren't conscripted as dragon bait. One thing the movie should have addressed is the question of why the virgins of Urland don't "dodge the draft" in a rather easy and obvious (and fun!) way.

Since there are no slots in the "champagne unit" of the Texas Air Guard available to a young commoner named Valerian, she has spent her youth dressed like a boy. However, she refuses to just sit by as other girls are devoured, so she and other peasants seek out a wizard to kill the dragon.

The only one they find is Ulric (played perfectly as an almost senile hermit by Ralph Richardson), an octogenarian who lives 300 miles away and appears to already have one foot in the grave. He doesn't even look like he can travel all the way to Urland, let alone fight a dragon. He is also handicapped by a a clumsy and dull-witted apprentice, Galen (Peter MacNicol).

Enter Tyrian (Jack Hallam) a wonderfull villain played by a wonderfull actor. He thinks the old magician is a fraud and a troublemaker and calls him out. When he goes into his harangue about how wizards are con-artists and says "But comes a doubter..." you realize it's a great performance. Like others in Urland, Tyrian actually benefits from the sacrifice of young girls to the dragon. Like any society beset by a scary enough menace, people will allow their "protector" to get away with anything -even murder- if it means keeping the beast at bay. Tyrian serves King Cassiodorus Rex (Peter Eyre), who came up with the lottery (the "tiles" look suspiciously like old-style Army dog tags -a clever touch) after his brother, King Gaiseric tried to kill the dragon but was himself killed.

The over-eager and under-intelligent Galen tries to kill the dragon himself. Between his bungling, the King's conniving and pressure from the villagers whose homes and crops get turned to ashes, Galen finds himself in a deeper and deeper pit.

At this point, the movie falters. The fight scene between Tyrian and Galen is almost humorously bad. The fight with the dragon is great, but suddenly stopped for no apparent reason -it just switches to dawn the next day. And the way the dragon is beaten lacks any kind of thrill or suspense whatsoever. Peter MacNicol is badly miscast and other reviewers are right in pointing out how conspicuous American accents in a movie with an almost entirely British cast kills the suspension of disbelief.

Another problem is the score by Alex North. It's just plain bad.

On the other hand, Caitlin Clarke (American accent notwithstanding) is pretty good. Other reviewers think of her as a bit of a Plain Jane, but they forget that she is pretty (though not by absurd movie standards) and she can't have Kate Beckinsale's cute little button nose and pass herself off as a boy. The rest of the cast is perfect.

Of all the sword & sorcery films ever made, Dragonslayer is the best scripted and by far the best acted. The costumes are 100% accurate for the 6th-7th centuries in northern Europe, contrary to some assertions made here. If it had more action and a more appealing hero with real chemistry with the female lead, this movie would be a classic.

Finally, the dragon (Vermithrax pejorative) is the best dragon ever on screen, with the ones from Reign of Fire a close second. Vermithrax actually has personality! The special effects guys must have had Lee Strasburg coach her! The fact that she is used sparingly helps, too.

This is a good, but not great movie and I recommend it.

"Well, I'm glad that magic is fading from this world, the dragons are fading along with it."

Hmmm.