Die Nibelungen:
Siegfried (1924) This is the first of two films by director/co-writer Fritz
Lang (with a script co-written by Thea von Harbou), based on an epic 11th
century German poem. The story follows our protagonist Siegfried (Paul Richter),
as he fights a dragon, secures a sword and magic helmet, and conquers a dozen
kingdoms. He makes a pact with King Gunther (Theodor Loos) to defeat the
unbeatable Brunhild (Hanna Ralph), in exchange for Gunther’s sister, Kriemhild’s
(Margarete Schön) hand in marriage. Treachery and deceit intervene, however, to
thwart Siegfried’s happiness. Lang hits all the right buttons, with a sweeping tale
that balances high adventure with tragedy. The film is a delight for the eyes,
with inventive visuals, expansive sets and impressive effects (including a
full-sized, fire-breathing dragon). It’s easy to see how it influenced so many sword
and sorcery movies in the decades that followed. Die Nibelungen: Siegfried is required
viewing for anyone who enjoys fantasy cinema.
Rating: ****½. Available on Blu-ray (Region B), DVD
(Region 2), Amazon Prime and Kanopy
The Devil’s Sword (1984)
Barry Prima stars as the hero Mandala in this imaginative flick, steeped in
Indonesian lore. When the residents of a village are massacred, Mandala must
square off against the nefarious, lusty crocodile queen and her crocodile men.
He joins forces with a female warrior from the village, embarking on a quest to
find a magical sword, forged from a meteorite. Just when you think you’ve seen
it all, director Ratno Timoer proves he has more tricks up his sleeve, with a
pit of hungry cannibals, a sword-wielding bad guy on a flying boulder, a
cyclopean beast, and so much more. The
Devil’s Sword is tough to beat, with non-stop action, martial arts, magic
and monsters.
Rating: ***½. Available on DVD
Jack the Giant Killer
(1962) This excellent fantasy film shares some DNA with The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (1957), including the director, Nathan
Juran, and stars Kerwin Matthews and Torin Thatcher, but has an identity of its
own. Jack (Matthew), a simple farmer, is knighted by the king after he saves
his daughter, Princess Elaine (Judi Meredith) from a fearsome giant. Thatcher
is at his sneering best, as the scheming wizard Pendragon, who has eyes on the
throne. Jack the Giant Killer is
colorful and briskly paced, and filled with cool stop-motion animated beasts.
The effects are a notch below Harryhausen’s Dynamation process (the creatures
don’t quite have the same level of detail or expression), but they do the trick.
The only downside is an annoying leprechaun in a bottle (Don Beddoe), who
speaks in rhyme. It’s the perfect movie for a rainy Saturday or Sunday
afternoon.
Rating: ***½. Available on Blu-ray and DVD
Ilya Muromets
(1956) If you’ve only seen the Mystery
Science Theater version (under the American title, The Sword and the Dragon), you owe the original version a watch. Director
Alexandr Ptushko’s epic fantasy, based on Slavic folk tales, provides ample
excitement and spectacle. Boris Andreyev stars as the title character (he unconvincingly
plays a young man in the beginning), who sees his village besieged by a horde
of barbarian invaders. When Vasilisa (Ninel Myshkova), the love of his life, is
kidnapped, he embarks on a quest to save her and his homeland. There’s action
aplenty, with imaginative sets and strange creatures, including an imp with
powerful breath and a three-headed, fire-breathing dragon (8 years before Ghidorah made its debut). Give it a try.
Rating: ***½. Available on DVD
Red Sonja (1985)
Brigitte Nielsen stars as the titular crimson-haired protagonist in her first
and last adventure, directed by Richard Fleischer (who directed the previous
year’s underrated Conan the Destroyer).
There are some interesting sets (which seemed to have been inspired by another
Dino De Laurentiis production, Flash Gordon), but the rest of the movie is
strictly by the numbers. Arnold Schwarzenegger appears in a supporting role
(but paradoxically gets top billing) as Kalidor (not to be confused with Conan,
wink, wink), a lone warrior. Sonja and Kalidor are accompanied by Prince Tarn
(Ernie Reyes Jr) an annoying little twerp, and his obsequious assistant Falkon
(Paul L. Smith). Sandhal Bergman (who coincidentally starred with
Schwarzenegger in Conan the Barbarian) appears as the evil Queen Gedren (is
there any other kind of queen in these types of flicks?), who killed Sonja’s
parents. Gedren takes possession of a glowing green whatsit that could help her
rule the world. Can Sonja and her companions thwart the queen? Will anyone
care? Red Sonja isn’t as terrible as
its reputation suggests, but the generic story provides no compelling reason to
recommend it. If nothing else, it will likely remind you of better genre films.
Rating: **½. Available on Blu-ray (Region 2) and DVD
Conquest (1983)
Lucio Fulci’s foray into sword & sorcery is a misstep, compared to some of
his better giallo and horror films. Ilias (Andrea Occhipinti) and his magical
bow matches wits (well, sort of) against an evil sorceress with a permanent
wardrobe malfunction. He’s joined by Mace (Jorge Rivero), a lone warrior who
has a vague affinity for animals. The film
borrows from numerous, superior sources, including The Beastmaster and Quest for
Fire, depicting a vague society where
pre-bronze age humans rub elbows with an army of wolfmen. Conquest boasts copious amounts of gore
and gratuitous nudity, which taken in the right light, are all well and good,
but the film’s biggest offenses are a weak story and dull leads. The only
surprising element is the climax, involving Ilias. It’s too bad the rest of the
film is so rote and predictable.
Rating: **. Available on DVD
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