Dragonslayer (1981)

A young apprentice magician played by Peter MacNicol in his film debut is told he's learned all that his master can teach him. Ralph Richardson expects to die soon. But maybe not at the hands of one of the King's men. All for wanting to get rid of a nasty dragon who gets fed a regular diet of virginal women in exchange for leaving his kingdom alone. But when it comes to the royal princess herself, the king thinks we ought to reexamine our policy.Dragonslayer is a charming fantasy about those things we love in our legends, fierce dragons and the heroes who slay them to save a princess. It deservedly got an Oscar nomination for Best Special Effects and also one for it's original movie score. MacNicol makes a nice debut and wins himself Caitlin Clarke, a lovely catch even if she isn't heir to the realm.One thing though, what is it about dragons and virgins? Do the women taste sweeter, do they roast better under the dragon's breath if they're virgins? One day someone will do a treatise on that.Have to give recognition to one of the UK's acting knights. Ralph Richardson is a wonderful sorcerer. A kind of Obi Wan Kenobe to MacNicol's medieval Han Solo. Dragonslayer is worth watching for him alone.And I hope you see it.

In the kingdom of Urland, King Casiodorus selects a virgin maiden twice a year in a lottery to be sacrificed to an ancient dragon. Valerian (Caitlin Clarke) leads a group to find Ulrich (Ralph Richardson), the only one alive rumored to have killed a dragon. Soldier Tyrian challenges Ulrich to prove himself but the test kills him. His apprentice Galen Bradwarden (Peter MacNicol) with the special amulet intends to complete the quest himself. He discovers that Valerian is actually a girl pretending to be a boy. Tyrian intends to stop anything that could disrupt the way of life and kills Ulrich's elderly servant Hodge. Hodge tells Galen to spread Ulrich's ashes over a lake of "burning water". Galen seals the dragon cave entrance. Thinking it safe, Valerian reveals herself as a girl to the village. Tyrian arrests Galen. In the dungeon, princess Elspeth comes to see Galen and he reveals the popular rumor of the rigged lottery. She rigs the lottery against herself and is sent to be sacrificed.This is simple high adventure. Peter MacNicol may not be the pretty young face that the hero is suppose to be. He does have a good nature about it. Caitlin Clarke is a great heroine. Her story is compelling. The princess is great and so is Tyrian. On top of that, Vermithrax is a great scary dragon. He doesn't show his face until the last act like Jaws. This is one of the great dragon movie.

I Remember "Dragonslayer" playing in constant rotation during the early days of cable TV as content filler to promote HBO subscriptions along the likes of "Beastmaster" which I'm sure we all remember getting sick of due to the annoying repetitive airplay. Oooh! Free HBO for a month!Saw "Dragonslayer" on Sundance today and couldn't keep from noting how well written, directed and photographed this movie was of its genre considering the limited technology of its day. I remember first seeing it at the theater having polished British production values and a realistic look and ambiance of fictional storybook medieval sorcery times similar to the first "Star Wars" movie and Ridley Scott's "Legend" but with a more lived in look. The extras, supporting cast, costumes, sets and landscape look hand picked and right for the era they were portraying.The plot is so well thought out and imaginative in how it portrays and deals with the menace of the dragon as well as how it ties together commentary on class and socioeconomic issues and a coming of age awareness of its youthful hero. It never drags or becomes long winded or boring. It moves along at a good pace.And Sir Ralph Richardson's minimalist, laid back acting style, commanding voice and bigger than life theatrical "aura" gives an amazing believability to the plot adding a special ambiance I didn't see in all of the "Lord of The Rings" flicks. It's the same theatrical ambiance the seasoned actor projects in another high British production value movie, "Time Bandits".I remember back then having to watch "Dragonslayer" several times on cable in order to distinguish listening through British spoken dialog the importance to the plot of the cryptic line... "ashes spread on burning water". I've never heard of a plot twist like that. What a cool way to deal with a insurmountable problem. "Star Wars" wasn't as sophisticated."Dragonslayer" is another one of those underrated perfect little movies that still holds up today. I actually like it more than "Star Wars".

I caught about 10-15 minutes of "Dragonslayer" on TV a few months back, which was my first exposure to this film, and I determined right then and there to eventually purchase it. When I finally bought it I watched it TWICE, something I rarely do.THE STORY: A medieval kingdom is harassed by a dragon, apparently the last of its species. The people decide to appease the horrific beast with regular sacrifices of virgin maidens. The virgins are selected through a questionable lottery system. When the King's daughter is picked for sacrifice, the monarch employs a sorcerer's apprentice, Peter MacNicol, to slay the dragon."Dragonslayer" takes the "Jaws" route by not fully showing the beast until well into the second hour of the film. Prior to that revealing moment the film expertly builds up a heap of horrific anticipation concerning the creature. The first virgin sacrifice scene is particularly terrifying. When we finally DO see the monster it's definitely not a let down. Many viewers attest that this dragon is the best dragon to ever appear in film, even though the picture was made in 1981.I've heard some complain that the protagonist, MacNicol, was wrong for the role. Nothing could be further from the truth. He's easy to relate to because he's a flawed human being with naive, boyish qualities, not a larger-than-life superhero (like, say, Conan or Beastmaster). I've also heard some complain that the heroine, Caitlin Clarke, is too "man-ish" looking. Well, duh, that fits into the whole sacrificial lottery plot. When Caitlin ultimately and uncertainly dons a dress and make-up she's woman enough.The Dark Age sets/costumes/locations really impressed me. If you're in the mood for a top-of-the-line medieval flick with castles, dungeons, forests, villages, fair maidens, kings, sorcerers, etc. this is the one to see."Dragonslayer" was an inexplicable flop when it was released in 1981, perhaps due to the glut of similar-themed pictures at the time. Regardless, it can now be treasured on DVD. It took me over 25 years to witness its magnificence but I finally did.GRADE: A-