Dragonslayer (1981)

Director:

Matthew Robbins

Writers:

Hal Barwood (written by) &
Matthew Robbins (written by)

Release Date:

26 June 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy

Tagline:

IN THE DARK AGES DRAGONS WERE REAL. [USA theatrical]

Plot:

A King has made a pact with a dragon where he sacrfices virgins to it, and the dragon leaves his kingdom alone...

Plot Keywords:

Tense | Virgin Sacrifice | Kingdom | Fire Breathing Dragon | Safety

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 5 nominations

Cast

Peter MacNicol	...	Galen
Caitlin Clarke	...	Valerian
Ralph Richardson	...	Ulrich
John Hallam	...	Tyrian
Peter Eyre	...	Casiodorus Rex
Albert Salmi	...	Greil
Sydney Bromley	...	Hodge
Chloe Salaman	...	Princess Elspeth
Emrys James	...	Valerian's Father
Roger Kemp	...	Horsrik
Ian McDiarmid	...	Brother Jacopus
Ken Shorter	...	Henchman
Jason White	...	Henchman
Yolanda Palfrey	...	Victim
Douglas Cooper	...	Urlander

Runtime:

108 min | USA:109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints) | Vistasonic (some 35 mm prints)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Denmark:11 | Singapore:NC-16 | Iceland:L | Canada:G (Quebec) | Finland:K-16 (video rating) | Iceland:12 | Iceland:LH (video rating) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Chile:TE | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

North Wales, Wales, UK

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

To create the dragon fire, the FX team used a pair of military-style flamethrowers.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the scene in which the wizard teleports himself to the mountaintop for the final battle, thunder continually rumbles under a clear sky in the soundtrack though the wizard hasn't yet magically summoned the electrical storm (which he will do in a few moments).

Quotes:

Galen: [to the Urlanders] ... My lord Ulrich is no longer. All that you asked of him, you may now expect of me. The dangers he would face, I will now conquer. The task he would undertake, I will now fulfill. I'm Galen Brandwardyn... inheritor of Ulrich's craft and knowledge... and I am the sorcerer you seek.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi (1983) (TV)

Excellent

I saw this when it came out, in the theater, in 1981. It was a sort of surprise hit that summer. This is a movie with plot. It's about a young man and woman meeting challenges, death, redemption, the death of magic and the birth of Christianity, and the hypocrisy of gov't. And it's all disguised as a PG movie about a dragon which is terrorizing a hamlet of decent people in the Dark Ages.

HIGHLY recommended. PG, but does have one foot gnawing which today would probably give it an R or X rating given the gutlessness of parents everywhere :). This is an early movie by Industrial Light and Magic, or ILM as it's known nowadays, and I believe was funded by Disney. Despite that it's got a gritty edge. Check it out, for youths and adults