Film Dawn Of The Dragon Slayer
Buy Dawn of the Dragon Slayer: Read 324 Movies & TV Reviews - Amazon.com. Including the hydraulic 40-foot (12 m) model, 16 dragon puppets were used for the role of Vermithrax, each one made for different movements; flying, crawling, fire breathing etc. Dragonslayer also marks the first time ILM's services were used for a film other than a Lucasfilm Ltd.
Very good for a B-flickThe scenery and sets are very well done. The dialogue is natural and the actors pull it off well. The costumes are pretty good too with a few minor issues. For example - when Kate is helping Will put on the livery it looks and sounds like she's using a snap rather than a button.
The plot is obvious and predictable but that is to be expected in a B-flick. Also expect the dragon to look unfinished. The shape and color of it look great but the texture is too cartoonish, the shadows are wrong, etc. and the actors' eye lines are a bit off in spots.
All in all it's definitely worth watching one time but I won't be putting it in my collection.
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With that being said, I felt this was a very good movie. I didn't expect much before watching it, low budget, nerdy, etc You get all that, but it was put together in a very pleasing fashion. The acting was above par (Nicola Posener) and quite believable if you were to place yourself in that world/time period.
The only thing that this movie could have done better would have been the CG on the dragon, but hey its low budget. I didn't bother me, it's still a good story.
Overall, if you need a movie to watch and are at all interested in the fantasy genre, check this movie out.
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The writing is good, and the sets and wardrobe are also well done. The filming locations in Ireland are breathtaking. The actors and actresses suit their roles, and the chemistry between the leads is fantastic. Their on-screen relationship blossoms naturally, without feeling forced.
Despite what some people on here may groan about with regard to the special effects, the dragon is actually quite good. It doesn't have that typical 'SyFy Original' feel to it. But it doesn't have that Hollywood-budget finesse either.
You can tell this was a passion-film, with all persons involved working to make a quality film they could be proud to release with the budget and equipment they had to work with. The IMDb score does not reflect the true quality of Dawn of the Dragonslayer. My rating of 7/10 is based on this film alone, and not my feelings for it when compared to other films.
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Everything in this movie was done with so much heart, and so much passion, every scene and dialogue was carefully studied and the final result was a small masterpiece. All my respect for all the actors, director, writers and everything else involved in creating this film, most of them with almost no previous experience in film industry. This movie delivers in terms of feeling, 10 times more than most of the big budget dragon movies I saw. With exactly the same cast, storyline and the same team but with little more money, this movies would have been a cinema success.
In the end I would like to say to the harsh critics to learn to appreciate a movie for what it is and to not bash it because it is not a Lord of the Rings or a Gladiator.
ps: I see now that years ago I gave Eragorn 1 rating on IMDb, while I give 10 to this movie for this very pleasant surprise it offered me.
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Dawn Of The Dragonslayer is one such movie. Yet some idiot who claims (NOT to brag he/she/it says!) that it is a well-educated person with refined tastes and yet didn't seem to realise that people DO have different tastes (thank God) and we aren't all like itself. I am only glad that I didn't read 'it's' review before watching the movie because I might have allowed it to put me off and missed a damned good effort to entertain me. Yes, I watch movies to be entertained - not tested to the extremities of my deductive powers. I get more than enough of that in real life (and yes, I DO have one!).
Actually, the only reason I looked at the reviews was because I felt that this movie was grossly underrated and wanted to know why. Now, unlike the overcritical reviewer I have no desire to blow any trumpets other than on behalf of the folk who put all their efforts into producing a couple of hours (more or less) of fun for people with nothing better to do than watch movies. However, just so that my co- reviewer doesn't run away with the idea that I am some sort of simpleton who is easily pleased, let me say that I have university degrees including one in film production and my IQ is officially in 'genius' level (for what that's worth!). Until my retirement, I operated my own independent studio (mostly making docos - not dramas) and so I do know a little bit about the industry. My protagonist clearly does not!
As I say, when I sit down to watch a movie, I do it to relax and be entertained. Having so said though, whilst I honestly don't enjoy highly convoluted political or crime dramas that require lots of attention simply to figure out what's happening, I don't get onto IMDb and slate them because, even though I may not enjoy the genres, I CAN see the skills that go into making them. Dawn of the Dragonslayer is a fantasy so who's to say whether it is believable or not? Both lead roles are, I felt, very well handled by young novice actors who seemed to me to be well-directed. Sure, there wasn't much new about the story - but who cares? IT WAS FUN!! And, as I say, I watch movies for fun! End of story!
If the 'knockers' are so dissatisfied, why don't they put their money where their mouths are and make a better movie. Then we can see what their fellow-critics have to say about THEIR efforts! Now that could be fun too!
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I'm sorry, but it's more than obvious that my fellow reviewers and I have been watching two different movies altogether. Please, let me know whether there's another movie with the same title released within the same time period that I may actually enjoy. Otherwise this must be the ultimate proof that tastes are indeed, very different (which is kind of sad, since the other reviewers seem to be pretty clever people). Because, let me tell you, the one I watched can barely be called a movie whatsoever. In fact, what I've seen is this:
- a shallow script that left me with the impression that the writers had absolutely no idea about what they wanted to do with the story, where to move things, or how to tackle the action;
- computer animated graphics that would feel more at home in a B-rated video game (the 'texture feel' of the dragon felt way different compared to the surrounding scenery - and a beautiful one that was, kudos to the guys that took care of that part, which is one of the reasons I gave this thing a grade above zero, another being that it seems they paid some effort in order to do this movie, too bad they couldn't pull it off eventually);
- terrible, terrible acting for the most part, except perhaps for the female roles (+1 to the final grade), dubbed by dubious fight motion choices and pre-high-school dialogue lines.
The general feeling, besides 'Jees, who's going to give me all this time back?' was that I've already seen everything this movie (I keep calling it that out of respect for the people who really tried to make something of it, except that they failed by a long shot) had to offer, just WAY better. I hope that other people finally see it for what it really is, a failed effort and a general waste of time, otherwise I may start to think that there's something wrong with me and the people who share my opinion about this... movie, people whom I generally call at least smart.
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If you are bitter,look for the bad in movies instead of the good, don't like straightforward stories and don't like the fantasy genre at all, don't watch this movie, and don't put bad reviews for a movie in a genre you don't like anyways.
Don't be a hater, if you watch this movie looking for enjoyment, you will enjoy it.
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DAWN OF THE DRAGON SLAYER features a rather new and unknown cast and crew, but don't be fooled into thinking that's a bad thing. Far from it! The performances in this film are all top-notch and brilliantly acted. Perhaps the star of the film is Ian Cullen (from Z CARS, F and DOCTOR WHO), but I thought that Richard McWilliams did a fantastic job as the lead alongside Nicola Posener despite it being his first film role. I can see him going far and making a big name for himself if this is anything to go by! The special effects in a film can often make or break a film of this nature, and is the line in which awesomeness and utter crap come together. However, the CGI in DAWN OF THE DRAGONSLAYER is excellent! The dragon's design is brilliantly terrifying and all in all it looks very convincing indeed - definitely a good thing! Overall, this film is easily one of the best Dragon films out there. If you're a fan of such films as THE LORD OF THE RINGS, REIGN OF FIRE or the TV show MERLIN, or just think Dragon's are pretty damn cool, then you will absolutely love this film. I did!
Highly highly recommended!
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A great film, well worth watching
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I think it also deserves credit for not being your completely typical, war against good and evil fantasy movie. It was predictable, yes, and still somewhat typical, but it could have been worse.
Now, I can sum up my main--'main' being the key word--issues with Dawn of the Dragon Slayer in one word: underdeveloped. It seemed like no aspect of the film dove beneath the surface. So many ideas could have become these intricate, detailed marvels... but they were just ideas. So, a paladin can walk through dragon fire and kill a dragon, right? Well... that's basically all we find out about them. We don't get to see how Will becomes one. It just happens, and some special clothing gives him a bit of an advantage or something. Kate is a conjurer, and yet we see her conjure twice--maybe thrice?--for a collective twenty-five seconds.
The characters needed work, too. I'd seen them all before: Will, the country boy seeking revenge; Kate, the constrained princess who falls in love with the country boy; Rogan, the upper-class bully who's after the country boy's girl; Baron Sterling, the bitter father; you get the gist.
(On a random side note, I had to give the film two tries because the heavy music and chanting at the beginning gave me a headache. Did that have anything to do with the rest of the story?)
And the names. Seriously. You write a fantasy movie, and you name the main characters Will and Kate? Will... and Kate. Go ahead and pick a name that has been used in a fourth of all the fictional stories out there, but not more than that!
If Anne K. Black were to take a year or so on remodeling Dawn of the Dragon Slayer, I would see it. Until then, though, this will be a film that I only watch when I'm in desperate need of fantasy, romance, beautiful scenery, and don't care about the quality of anything but the latter.
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I wish to say to 'Richard McWilliams' you are a new talent, go on, we wait more from you.
I wish to say to 'Nicola Posener', you're a beauty angel..
Thanks to all.. You made me happy.
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I have some comment with 'jengiscan2000' one member who criticism before me. Too much drama than action, when it's comes to some action, its like low cost movie. If the production house not enough budget to make a great storyline movie, maybe try some film like paranormal activity, or something about exorcism. I am glad that I am not seen this movie in cinema.
The Actor is good, The place is really great but the action is really bad. some action as example, when Will Shepherd use a sword and get battle with his opponent, its not like some battle but like a training.
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This is a stinker from beginning to end. An extremely badly written script.The two leads were good actors but the rest must have trained at the ham school of dramatic arts, one character, I couldn't understand a word he said throughout the entire film. Most reviewers have mentioned the scenery as if it was a master stroke of production design, you point a camera at hills, mountains and the sea, it usually looks amazing! What's Will doing now?.....Oh he is walking through the country side and now? Oh he is still walking and some more walking and finally he is upgraded to a horse and he is riding now, yes riding some more and a little bit more riding. This all takes place in a land with a population of 10 or maybe 12, 2 die early on.The villain I am sure I saw him in tights in a pantomime somewhere this Christmas...you know what I just can not be bothered to expend any more time and energy on this. I am going to go and play SKYRIM instead......Do not say I didn't warn you.
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The story itself is more of a fairy tale, the sort of 'man of the people rises against all odds and defeats evil'. There is a girl involved, a competing pretender to her graces, a confused father, a wise woman and, more interesting, magic and a dragon. What does the film do with all this? A nauseating script, with bad dialogue, ridiculous action scenes and implausible situations that are only shadowed by the bad CGI.
It is unclear to me how one can screw up a fairy tale: we know the script from when we're young. The actors were not brilliant, but they were decent. The CGI was cheap, but there was a dragon in the film. So how does one make a complete mess of something like that?
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If you watch this having played D&D campaigns you will see a dungeon master behind this history if not the very core of the old Manuals buried on this history.
If you do not know D&D or any forgotten realms campaign settings you will find this movie either amusing or very 'fairy' like at most a good time with a knight & sorcerer tale.
For me Story 10/10.
Effects on this movie are certainly astonishing for a B class movie not to mention the scenery is beautiful, filmed in Ireland this movie has the Camelot feel in it.
Scenery and Effects: 8/10.
Acting, here takes the down side, obviously because they are all raising actors, the two lead actors are young and certainly charismatic (specially the girl) but lack in acting skills (specially the main character). Notably maybe its the acting of Ian Cullen and Maggie Daniels, seasoned veterans were up to the stage. However what i found worst it was that its noticeably they had no 'sword choreographer' the fights are a little bit dull and if it wasn't for the special effects the fight would look plain awful.
Acting 5/10.
Music on this movie is quite well set, not too inspiring but not bad either. For me when it comes to fire dragons, you've got to put something elaborated or astonishing at least, its obviously not a Howard Shore or Basil Poledouris, but it fends of himself with a couple of nice tunes and the good peace of the themes along the movie, my favorite so far was the Riding and the preparations of battle.
Music: 8/10.
The director did a marvelous work with what he had, I personally did not know his name, but after a bit of a search now i understand, the guy has a thing for dragons and knights, having directed only fantasy movies he certainly has improved a lot. If he continues to improve like this with a good budget I am certainly he would come up with an amazing movie someday, i personally loved the last battle where he had, by will or not, imitated 'The flight of the dragons' when Sir Orrin defeat the dragon expending his own life in the process.
Directing 9/10.
Overall this movie is a fantastic fantasy movie if you watch it on the right approach obviously tho, you can't expect everyone to understand the movie nor research a bit before watching it. Either way, i recommend it if you like fantasy movies.
I will give it a 9 to pump it up, as i do not like to see such a creative and hard work wasted.
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Acting was good. Directing was very good. Good cast, great music. Special effects were decent for not being a big-budget blockbuster.
Overall the movie was very well executed.
There is a 'sequel' to this movie (Curse of the Dragon Slayer), although it has nothing to do with this movie. The 'sequel' is fun to watch also, but very different movie altogether.
Many big-budget movies of this genre seem to be overdone. Solid character development and good story line here, without the overdone feel. Casting was well done also. Fight scene choreography was OK, but not perfect. The only critique I'd offer is that sometimes the clothing and armor looked too new.
Good movie. Recommended.
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The main actress Nicola Posener is probably the best thing about the film, her elegance and beauty with her acting was splendid and the director should have definitely got a different leading actor. The mise- en-scene was definitely good with the good camera angles overall.
worth watching except if your not fond of crappy CGI that will ruin it all.
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Less said about the dragon, the better.
The only saving grace is Nicola Posener. She is very beautiful and for that I gave it a 1..... if she wasn't in it, then it would have got... well, IMDb does not allow rates less than 1. So I would have definitely been in a fix. Thanks to Nicola Posener, I did not have a hard time rating this piece of crap.
AVOID like the plague!!!
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I personally love these types of films - it's not 100% all action... instead it is story driven. This story appealed to me... It is of a young man named Will Shepherd - who will avenge his father and slay the dragon!
I love Knights/Paladins, Dragons and Medieval Themes - so this movie is right up my alleyway! I'd love to own a copy of this one for frequent viewings - I've enjoyed it that much!!
9.5/10
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Dragonslayer | |
---|---|
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 Ian McDiarmid |
Music by | Alex North |
Cinematography | Derek Vanlint |
Edited by | Tony Lawson |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Paramount Pictures (North America) Buena Vista International Distribution (International) |
Release date | June 26, 1981 |
109 minutes | |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $18 million[1] |
Box office | $14,110,013 |
Dragonslayer is a 1981 American fantasy film directed by Matthew Robbins, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Hal Barwood. It stars Peter MacNicol, Ralph Richardson, John Hallam and Caitlin Clarke. A co-production between Paramount Pictures and Walt Disney Productions, Parmount handled North American distribution while Disney thru Buena Vista International handled international distribution. The story, set in a fictional medieval kingdom, follows a young wizard who experiences danger and opposition as he attempts to defeat a dragon.
The second of two joint productions between Paramount and Disney (the other being Popeye), Dragonslayer was more mature than most other Disney films of the period. Because of audience expectations of the Disney name generally considered as solely children's entertainment at the time, the film's violence, adult themes and brief nudity were somewhat controversial for the company at the time even though Disney did not hold the US distribution rights. The film was rated PG in the U.S.; TV showings after 1997 have carried a TV-14 rating. It's possible that this film was one of several factors responsible for Disney's later creation of Touchstone Pictures to produce more mature fare, starting with 1984's Splash.
The special effects were created at Industrial Light and Magic, where Phil Tippett had co-developed an animation technique called go motion for The Empire Strikes Back (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 Best Visual Effects; it lost to Raiders of the Lost Ark, the only other Visual Effects nominee that year, whose special effects were also provided by ILM. Including the hydraulic 40-foot (12 m) model, 16 dragon puppets were used for the role of Vermithrax, each one made for different movements; flying, crawling, fire breathing etc.[2]Dragonslayer also marks the first time ILM's services were used for a film other than a Lucasfilm Ltd. production.
The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score; Chariots of Fire took the award. It was also nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, once again losing to Raiders of the Lost Ark. In October 2003, Dragonslayer was released on DVD in the U.S. by Paramount Home Video.
- 3Production
- 3.4Set design
- 4Box office and reception
- 6Related media
Plot[edit]
A sixth-century post-Roman kingdom called Urland (named after the River Ur, which runs through it) [3] is being terrorized by a 400-year-old dragon named 'Vermithrax Pejorative'.[3] To appease the dragon, King Casiodorus (Peter Eyre) offers it virgin girls selected by lottery twice a year. An expedition led by a young man called Valerian (Clarke) seeks the last sorcerer, Ulrich of Cragganmore (Richardson), for help.
Tyrian (Hallam), the brutal and cynical Captain of Casiodorus' Royal Guard, has followed the expedition. He and his lieutenant Jerbul openly intimidate the wizard, doubtful of his abilities. Ulrich invites Tyrian to stab him to prove his magical powers. Tyrian does so and Ulrich dies instantly, much to the horror of his young apprentice Galen Bradwarden (MacNicol)...and to that of his elderly servant Hodge (Sydney Bromley), who cremates Ulrich's body and places the ashes in a leather pouch. Hodge informs Galen that Ulrich wanted his ashes spread over a lake of burning water.
Galen is selected by the wizard's magical amulet as its next owner; encouraged, he journeys to Urland. On the way, he discovers Valerian is really a young woman, who is disguised to avoid being selected in the lottery. In an effort to discourage the expedition, Tyrian kills Hodge - who, just before dying, hands Galen the pouch of ashes.
Arriving in Urland, Galen inspects the dragon's lair and magically seals – he thinks – its entrance with an avalanche. Tyrian apprehends Galen and takes him to Castle Morgenthorme, from which King Casiodorus governs Urland. Casiodorus guesses that Galen is not a real wizard and complains that his attack may have angered the dragon instead of killing it, as his own brother and predecessor once did. The king confiscates the amulet and imprisons Galen. His daughter, Princess Elspeth (Chloe Salaman), visits Galen - initially to taunt him. Instead she is shocked when he informs her of rumors that the lottery is rigged; it excludes her name, and those who are rich enough to bribe the king into disqualifying their children. Her father is unable to lie convincingly when she confronts him over this.
Meanwhile, the dragon frees itself from its prison and causes an earthquake. Galen narrowly escapes from his prison, but without the amulet. The village priest, Brother Jacopus (Ian McDiarmid), leads his congregation to confront the dragon, denouncing it as the Devil, but the dragon incinerates him and then heads for the village of Swanscombe, burning all in its path.
When the lottery begins anew, Princess Elspeth rigs the draw so that only her name can be chosen. Consequently, King Casiodorus returns the amulet to Galen so that he might save Elspeth. Galen uses the amulet to enchant a heavy spear that had been forged by Valerian's father (which he had dubbed Sicarius Dracorum, or 'Dragonslayer') with the ability to pierce the dragon's armored hide. Valerian gathers some molted dragon scales and uses them to make Galen a shield, and when the two realize they have romantic feelings for each other, they fall in love.
Attempting to rescue Princess Elspeth, Galen fights Tyrian and kills him. The Princess, however, is determined to make amends for all the girls whose names have been chosen in the past; she descends into the dragon's cave and to her death. Galen follows her and finds a brood of young dragons feasting on her corpse. He kills them and finds Vermithrax resting by an underground lake of fire. He manages to wound the monster, but the spear is broken. Only Valerian's shield saves him from incineration.
After his failure to kill Vermithrax, Valerian convinces Galen to leave Swanscombe with her. As both prepare to depart, the amulet gives Galen a vision which explains his teacher's final wishes: He used Galen to deliver him to Urland. Ulrich had asked that his ashes be spread over 'burning water', which is in the dragon's cave. Galen realizes that the wizard had planned his own death and cremation, realizing he was too old and frail to make the journey.
Galen returns to the cave. When he spreads the ashes over the fiery lake, the wizard is resurrected within the flames. Ulrich reveals that his time is short and that Galen must destroy the amulet 'when the time is right'. The wizard then transports himself to a mountaintop, where he summons a storm and confronts Vermithrax. After a brief battle, the monster snatches the old man and flies away with him. Cued by Ulrich, Galen crushes the amulet with a rock. The wizard's body explodes and kills the dragon, whose corpse falls out of the sky.
In the aftermath, villagers inspecting the wreckage credit God with the victory. The king arrives and drives a sword into the dragon's broken carcass to claim the glory for himself. As Galen and Valerian leave Urland together, he confesses that he misses both Ulrich and the amulet. He says 'I just wish we had a horse.' A white horse appears to carry the incredulous lovers away.
Cast[edit]
- Peter MacNicol as Galen Bradwarden
- Caitlin Clarke as Valerian
- Ralph Richardson as Ulrich of Cragganmore
- John Hallam as Tyrian
- Peter Eyre as King Casiodorus
- Albert Salmi as Greil (dubbed by Norman Rodway)
- Sydney Bromley as Hodge
- Chloe Salaman as Princess Elspeth
- Emrys James as Simon (Valerian's Father)
- Roger Kemp as Horsrick, Casiodorus's Chamberlain
- Ian McDiarmid as Brother Jacopus
Production[edit]
Conception[edit]
According to Hal Barwood, he and Matthew Robbins got the inspiration for Dragonslayer from The Sorcerer's Apprentice sequence in Fantasia, and later came up with a story after researching St. George and the Dragon. Barwood and Robins rejected the traditional conceptions of the medieval world in order to give the film more realism: 'our film has no knights in shining armour, no pennants streaming in the breeze, no delicate ladies with diaphonous veils waving from turreted castles, no courtly love, no holy grail. Instead we set out to create a very strange world with a lot of weird values and customs, steeped in superstition, where the clothes and manners of the people were rough, their homes and villages primitive and their countryside almost primeval, so that the idea of magic would be a natural part of their existence.' For this reason, they chose to set the film after the Roman departure from Britain, prior to the arrival of Christianity. Barwood and Robins began to hastily work on the story outline of the film on June 25, 1979 and finished it in early August. They received numerous refusals from various film studios, due to their inexperience in budget negotiations. The screenplay was eventually accepted by Paramount Pictures and Walt Disney Productions, becoming the two studios' second joint effort after the 1980 film Popeye.[3]
Dragon design and realisation[edit]
Film Dawn Of The Dragon Slayer
Twenty-five percent of the film's budget went into the special effects to bring the dragon to life. Graphic artist David Bunnet was assigned to design the look of the dragon, and was fed ideas on the mechanics on how the dragon would move, and then rendered the concepts on paper. It was decided early on in production that as the film's most important sequence would have been the final battle, it was deemed necessary to design a dragon with an emphasis on its flying abilities. Bunnet also designed the dragon to have a degree of personality, deliberately trying to avoid creating something like the titular creature from Alien, which he believed was 'too hideous to look at'.[3]
After Bunnet handed his storyboard panels to the film crew, it was decided that the dragon would have to be realized with a wide variety of techniques: the resulting dragon on film is a composite of several different models. Phil Tippett of ILM finalized the dragon's design, and sculpted a reference model which Danny Lee of Disney Studios closely followed in constructing the larger dragon props for closeup shots. Two months later, Lee's team finished building a sixteen-foot head and neck assembly, a twenty-foot tail, thighs and legs, claws capable of grabbing a man, and a 30-foot-wide (9.1 m) wing section. The parts were flown to Pinewood Studios outside London in the cargo hold of a Boeing 747.[3]
Brian Johnson was hired to supervise the special effects, and began planning both on and off-set effects with various special effects specialists. Dennis Muren, the effects cameraman, stated, 'We knew the dragon had a lot more importance to this film than some of the incidental things that appeared in only a few shots in Star Wars or The Empire Strikes Back. The dragon had to be presented in a way that the audience would be absolutely stunned.'[3]
After the completion of principal shooting, a special effects team of eighty people at ILM studios in northern California worked eight months in producing 160 composite shots of the dragon. Chris Walas sculpted and operated the dragon head used for close-up shots. The model was animated by a combination of radio controls, cable controls, air bladders, levers and by hand, thus giving the illusion of a fully coordinated face with a wide range of expression.[3] Real WW2 era flamethrowers were used for the dragons fire breathing effects.
Phil Tippett built a model for the scenes in which the dragon would be required to walk. Tippett did not want to use standard stop motion animation techniques, and had his team build a dragon model which would move during each exposure rather than in between as was once the standard. This process, named 'go motion' by Tippett, recorded the creature's movements in motion as a real animal would move, and removed the jerkiness common in prior stop motion films.[3]
Ken Ralston was assigned to the flying scenes. He built a model with an articulated aluminum skeleton in order to give it a wide range of motion. Ralston shot films of birds flying in order to incorporate their movements into the model. As with the walking dragon, the flying model was filmed using go-motion techniques. The camera was programmed to tilt and move at various angles in order to convey the sensation of flight.[3]
Download Film Dawn Of The Dragon Slayer
Casting[edit]
Peter MacNicol first met Matthew Robbins while waiting to audition for the pilot film of Breaking Away, and agreed to take part in Dragonslayer, despite having a dislike for performing magic tricks. McNicol had to learn horse riding, both English style and bareback for the role. McNicol found this difficult, saying that 'They took away my stirrups, they took away my reins and whipped the horse, and then they told me to windmill my arms and turn a complete circle in the saddle. Then they took away the saddle!' He later took on vocal coaching in order to disguise his Texas accent, and took magic lessons from British prestidigitator Harold Taylor, who had previously performed for the British royal family.[3]
Caitlin Clarke was initially hesitant to involve herself in the film, as she was preparing to audition for a play in Chicago. Her agent insisted, though, and after doing an audition tape, was called back for more tests. Clarke failed them, but managed to pass after doing another test at the insistence of Matthew Robbins. She got on well with Ralph Richardson, and stated that he taught her more in one rehearsal than in years of acting classes.[3]
Set design[edit]
Elliot Scott was hired to design the sets of the film's sixth-century world. He temporarily converted the 13th-century Dolwyddelan Castle into Ulrich's ramshackle sixth-century fortress, much to the surprise of the locals. Next, Scott built the entire village of Swanscombe on a farmside outside London. Although Scott extensively researched medieval architecture in the British Museum and his own library, he took some artistic liberties in creating the thatched roof houses, the granary, Simon's house and smithy and Casiodorus' castle, as he was unable to find enough information on how they would look exactly. Scott then built the interior of the dragon's lair, using 25,000 cubic feet (710 m3) of polystyrene and 40 tons of Welsh slate and shale. The shots of the Welsh and Scottish landscapes were extended through the use of over three dozen matte paintings.[3]
Shooting locations in North Wales[edit]
Nearly all of the outdoor scenes were shot in North Wales. The final scene was shot in Skye, Scotland.
- The filming crew were based in Betws y Coed, and the artists were stabled further down the Conwy valley.
- Dolwyddelan Castle was used for all outdoor shots of Ulrich's Castle. This includes the arrival of the delegation from Urland, the arrival of guards from Urland, Ulrich's first death scene and funeral burning. Many locals were hired as extras during this scene.
- The external long shots of the dragon's lair were of the main face of Tryfan, within yards of the A5, opposite Llyn Ogwen. The lair was shot looking upwards from the road, towards the broken face of Tryfan, Nant Ffrancon.
- Shots of Galen and Hodge on the trek to Urland were shot on the old road from Cobdens to Bryn Engan, in Capel Curig.
- 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 (500 m) section of Fairy Glen between Betws-y-Coed and Penmachno.
- The scenes of the delegation crossing over into Urland were shot above Ogwen Cottage, Nant Ffrancon.
- Galen fleeing on horseback from Casiodorus's castle was shot high above Llyn Crafnant.
- The scene where Galen Bradwarden sees an apparition in the lake was shot at the bottom end of Llyn Crafnant.
- The bleak rocky outcrop where Valerian gathers Dragon scales is Castell y Gwynt, above the Pen-y-Gwryd hotel.
- 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.
- 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.
Costumes[edit]
The costumes were designed by Anthony Mendelson, who consulted the British Museum, the London Library and his own reference files in order to make the clothing evoke the designs of the early Middle Ages. Mendelson designed the costumes to be roughly stitched and the utilised colours were ones which would have only been possible with the vegetable dyes then in use. The costumes of Casiodorus and his court were designed to be finely silked, as opposed to the coarsely woven clothes of the Urlanders.[3]
Musical score[edit]
The film's Academy Award-nominated score was composed by Alex North. The score's linear conception was developed through transparently layered, polyphonic orchestral texture dominated by a medieval-style modal harmony. The score was largely based on five major thematic concepts:
- the suffering of the Urlanders;
- a 'magic' motif;
- the amulet;
- the sacrificial virgins;
- the relationship between Galen and Valerian.
North's had six weeks to compose score,[5] which featured music rejected from his score for Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. (The opening sequence of Dragonslayer features a reworking of North's original music for the opening of the 'Dawn of Man' sequence – which in the final film was played without music – and a waltz representing the dragon in flight was a variation of the cue 'Space Station Docking', which in the final cut of 2001 was replaced by The Blue Danube).[6] North was disappointed by the resulting dragon scenes, as they did not use the entirety of the pieces he composed for them. He later stated that he had written 'a very lovely waltz for when the dragon first appears, with just a slight indication that this may not be a bad dragon'. The waltz was scrapped in favour of tracks used earlier in the movie.
Despite the omission of the dragon-reveal waltz, the score was widely praised. Pauline Kael wrote in the New Yorker that the score was a 'beauty', and that 'at times, the music and the fiery dragon seem one'. Royal S. Brown of Fanfare Magazine praised the soundtrack as 'one of the best scores of 1981'.[7]
Box office and reception[edit]
— Von Gunden, Kenneth Flights of Fancy: The Great Fantasy Films, McFarland, 1989, ISBN0-7864-1214-3
The film grossed just over $14 million in the US[8] with an estimated budget of $18 million. Despite its mediocre box office performance, it later became a cult classic on home video.[citation needed] At the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an average rating of 6.66/10 based on 28 reviews, with 86% positive reviews. The site's critics consensus reads: 'An atypically dark Disney adventure, Dragonslayer puts a realistic spin -- and some impressive special effects -- on a familiar tale.'[9] At Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 68 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating 'generally favorable reviews'.[10]
Praise[edit]
Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert both gave the film three stars out of four in their respective print reviews.[11][12] Siskel praised the 'dazzling special effects' and the 'convincing portrait by Ralph Richardson of the aged magician Ulrich,'[11] and Ebert called the scenes involving the dragon 'first-rate.'[12]
Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called Vermithrax 'the greatest dragon yet', and praised the film for its effective evocation of the Dark Ages.[13]
David Denby of New York praised Dragonslayer's special effects and lauded the film as being much better than Excalibur and Raiders of the Lost Ark.[13]
Criticism[edit]
David Sterritt of The Christian Science Monitor, although praising the sets and pacing of the film, criticised it for lack of originality, stressing that McNicol's and Richardson's characters bore too many similarities to the heroes of Star Wars. A similar critique was given by John Coleman of the New Statesman, who called the film a 'turgid sword-and-sorcery fable, with Ralph Richardson in a backdated kind of Star Wars of Alec Guinness role...'.[13]
Tim Pulleine of the Monthly Film Bulletin criticised the film's lack of narrative drive and clarity to supplement the special effects.[13] Upon the film's first television broadcast, Gannett News Service columnist Mike Hughes called the story 'slight' and slow-paced', but admired a 'lyrical beauty to the setting and mood'.[14] Nonetheless, he warned: 'In movie theaters, that came across wonderfully; on a little TV screen, this may be strictly for specialized tastes'.[14]
Alex Keneas of Newsday criticised the film for being too focused on superstition, and for being 'bereft of any sense of medieval time, place and society...'.[13]
Vermithrax Pejorative[edit]
Guillermo del Toro has stated that along with Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty, Vermithrax is his favorite cinematic dragon.[15] He further stated that
One of the best and one of the strongest landmarks [of dragon movies] that almost nobody can overcome is Dragonslayer. The design of Vermithrax Pejorative is perhaps one of the most perfect creature designs ever made.[16]
Author George R. R. Martin once ranked the film the fifth best fantasy film of all time, and called Vermithrax 'the best dragon ever put on film', and the one with 'the coolest dragon name as well'.[17] Vermithrax is mentioned in a list of dragons' names in the fourth episode of the television adaptation to Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire book series.[18] Fantasy author Alex Bledsoe stated that
... everyone has a 'first dragon', the one that awoke their sense of wonder about the creatures. For many it's Anne McCaffrey's elaborate world of Pern, where genetically-engineered intelligent dragons bond with their riders; for others it's Smaug in The Hobbit, guarding his hoard deep in a cave. But for me, it was the awesome Vermithrax from the 1981 film, Dragonslayer.[19]
During the filming of Return of the Jedi, in which Ian McDiarmid, who portrays minor character Brother Jacopus in Dragonslayer, stars as the film's main antagonist, Emperor Palpatine, the ILM crew jokingly placed a model of one of the dragons from Dragonslayer in the arms of the Rancor model and took a picture. The picture was included in the book Star Wars: Chronicles. A creature based on the appearance of this dragon appears in one of Jabba the Hutt's creature pens in Inside the Worlds of Star Wars Trilogy.
Related media[edit]
Novelization[edit]
A novelization was written by Wayland Drew that delves deeper into the background of many of the characters. Expansions upon the film's plot include details such as these:
- Galen has (or at least had) an elder sister named Apulia.
- As an infant, Galen was handed to Ulrich by his parents due to their fear of his magical abilities. Ulrich took him as an apprentice, but was concerned with the lad's lack of focus, which usually resulted in the unintentional creation of bizarre, dream-inspired creatures.
- The other Sorcerers of Cragganmore are mentioned; Ulrich was the apprentice of Belisarius, who was the apprentice of Pleximus.
- A vision glimpsed by Ulrich in his scrying bowl implies that sorcerers could have been responsible for the creation of dragons, and that whoever this sorcerer was, he had far more power than Ulrich. This is only briefly alluded to in the film. It is further mentioned that the sorcerer who created dragons also fashioned the magical amulet which Galen wears through most of the story.
- Urland's neighbor-kingdoms of Anwick, Cantware, and Heronsford are mentioned.
- The revelation that Vermithrax, while physically androgynous, nevertheless required copulation with another dragon for fertilization.
- Swanscombe's neighbor-villages of Nudd, Turnratchit, and Veryemere are mentioned.
- It is revealed that the lottery's standards for eligibility fluctuated, and several married women and mothers were sacrificed too, Valerian's mother being among them. Her death was the price Simon had to pay in order to fashion Sicarius Dracorum, which was done with the assistance of Ulrich himself.
- Two major rivers besides Ur are mentioned: Swanscombe and Varn.
- Simon is revealed to be a master blacksmith who fashioned highly prized weapons and armor. It was the toll of seeing so many use his arms and armor only to be killed by the dragon that convinced him to stop forging arms and armor.
- King Casiodorus is revealed to be of Roman heritage, and is portrayed as contemptuous toward his largely Saxon subjects, whom he views as superstitious and backward.
- Ulrich is revealed to have extensive research and history of dragons. When he reviews his library to determine which dragon it is that is terrorizing Urland, he discovers (to his horror) that it is Vermithrax, unlike the movie which has him knowing all along.
- When Ulrich is asking about other wizards which might still be alive to assist Valerian, he mentions Prospero, from Shakespeare's 'The Tempest.' Valerian gives a (brief) update of Prospero's fate which corresponds to the Shakespearean storyline.
Marvel Comics adaptation[edit]
Marvel Comics published a comic book adaptation of the film by writer Dennis O'Neil and artists Marie Severin and John Tartaglione in Marvel Super Special #20.[20]
SPI board game[edit]
Simulations Publications, Inc. produced the board game Dragonslayer, designed by Brad Hessel and Redmond A. Simonsen which was based on the movie.[21]
Soundtrack[edit]
Australian label Southern Cross initially released an unauthorized soundtrack album in 1983 on LP (a boxed audiophile pressing, at 45 rpm), and in 1990 on CD. That album also appeared on iTunes for a limited time. The first official and improved CD release came in 2010 by U.S. label La-La Land Records. The new album featured newly mastered audio from the original LCR(Left-Center-Right)-mix and included previously unreleased source music and alternative takes.
See also[edit]
Dragon Slayer The Movie
References[edit]
- ^Harmetz, Aljean (9 September 1981). 'HOLLYWOOD IS JOYOUS OVER ITS RECORD GROSSING SUMMER'. The New York Times. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
- ^Ronan, Margaret (1981), 'The Vermithrax Pejorative Story: Behind the Scenes at the Making of Dragonslayer', Weird Worlds
- ^ abcdefghijklmFingeroth, Danny, 1981, The Making of Dragonslayer in Dragonslayer - The Official Marvel Comics Adaptation of the Spectacular Paramount/Disney Motion Picture!, Marvel Super Special, 1, 20, Marvel Comics Group, 1981
- ^Vermithrax Pejorative, Monster Legacy (April 14, 2013)
- ^Henderson, Kirk (1994). 'Alex North's 2001 and Beyond'. Soundtrack Magazine. 13 (49).
- ^Rosar, William H. (1987). 'Notes on ‘Dragonslayer’ '. CinemaScore Magazine.
- ^Shoilevska, Sanya; Williams, John (2003). Alex North, film composer. McFarland. ISBN0786414707.
A biography, with musical analyses of a Streetcar Named Desire, Spartacus, The Misfits, Under the Volcano, and Prizzi’s Honor.
- ^Dragonslayer (1981)
- ^'Dragonslayer (1981)'. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on July 27, 2009. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
- ^'Dragonslayer (1981) Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
- ^ abSiskel, Gene (June 30, 1981). 'Dragonslayer'. Chicago Tribune. Section 2, p. 2.
- ^ abEbert, Roger. 'Dragonslayer'. RogerEbert.com. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
- ^ abcdeVon Gunden, Kenneth Flights of Fancy: The Great Fantasy Films, McFarland, 1989, ISBN0-7864-1214-3
- ^ abHughes, Mike (July 25, 1986). ''C.A.T. Squad' script puts it above rest'. Argus-Leader. Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Gannett News Service. p. 3B. Archived from the original on April 5, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^'An Unexpected Party Chat transcript now available!'. Weta Holics. 30 July 2008. Archived from the original on 29 July 2008.
- ^'Guillermo del Toro gives Hobbit update'.
- ^'George R.R. Martin's Top 10 Fantasy Films'. The Daily Beast. 11 April 2011. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
- ^Garcia, Elio (27 May 2011). 'Easter Eggs for the Fans'. Suvudu. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
- ^Alex Bledsoe (17 August 2009). 'First Dragons: Vermithrax from ‘Dragonslayer’'. alexbledsoe.com.
- ^Marvel Super Special #20 at the Grand Comics Database
- ^Dragonslayer at Board Game Geek
External links[edit]
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- Dragonslayer on IMDb
- Dragonslayer at Rotten Tomatoes
- Dragonslayer at Box Office Mojo