The Golden Years: Fantasy Films of the 70s & 80s

A year to come up with the Flash theme and moments to come up with a Highlander track...so what? It matters not. Even if it did, do you really think the members of Queen literally slaved for a year on one song?

Ladyhawke I really liked and as Vort pointed out it is a deeply romantic film which is done in such a wonderful way. It is also one of Broderick's best performances.

Robin Hood on BBC? The Michael Praed Robin of Sherwood. I loved that show. I loved it even when it jumped the shark and they brought in Connery's son to play Robin Hood. The music was cool and very mood setting and the griity realism was fun. I am supposing praed wanted to move on or else there were contract disputes, but killing him off was a shocker but done so well I didn't mind at all from a storytelling persepctive. The whole cast was exceptional in their roles.

 

Robin of Sherwood was great. I mean, Ray Winstone as Will Scarlet... not to mention Nasir, the Sararcen assassin.

It was an ITV production though, not BBC.

I agree that Ladyhawke's music dates it badly.

 

Perhaps the best movie I've seen with Mathew Broderic is "Max Dugan Returns", in which he played a relatively minor part.
His role is Ladyhawke is cute, but the character is not particularly interesting. THe real let-down to me was Leo McKern. He was very sub-par in this movie.

 

I think that Wargames was the best movie with Matthew Broderick in it.

 

As is now a tradition in this thread, I'm re-listing The List for the sake of convenience. Per recent comments by VadersLaMent and others, I've added the BBC Robin Hood series (which in the US aired on Showtime in the mid 80s):

1974 - The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (Harryhausen).
1977 - The Hobbit (animated -- Rankin/Bass). WIZARDS (animated -- Bakshi). Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (Harryhausen). The original Star Wars (Lucas).
1978 - Lord of the Rings (animated -- Bakshi).
1980 - The Empire Strikes Back (Lucas). Flash Gordon (DeLaurentiis -- which I include b/c of the swordplay and fantasy "feel"). Return of the King (animated -- Rankin/Bass).
1981 - Excalibur (Boorman). Clash of the Titans (Harryhausen). Time Bandits (Gilliam)
1982 - Conan the Barbarian (Milius/DeLaurentiis). Dragonslayer (Robbins). The Dark Crystal (Henson/Oz). The Sword and the Sorcerer (Chase/Pyun). Beastmaster (Coscarelli). The Last Unicorn (animated -- Beagle/Rankin/Bass). Hercules (Cotzi, with Lou Ferrigno).
1983 - Krull. Return of the Jedi (Lucas).
1984 - The Neverending Story.
1985 - Labyrinth (Henson/Oz/Jones/Lucas). Conan the Destroyer (Fleischer). The Black Cauldron (animated -- Disney). Ladyhawke. (Donner)
1986 - Legend (R. Scott). Red Sonja (Flesicher). Highlander. Robin Hood (BBC/Showtime).
1987 - Masters of the Universe. The Princess Bride (Reiner).
1988 - Willow (Lucas/Howard).
1989 - The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (Gilliam).

 

John Wood who played the Bishop in Ladyhawke was also in wargames =)

Thanks for repostin those Vortigern....

it always amazes me the number of folks who haven't seen Baron Munchausen, Terry Gilliam is a personal favorite of mine.(check out "Lost in La Mancha" if you haven't seen it)

The Princess Bride is possibly the best movie ever made in any genre, some may disagree but you would be hard pressed to sell me otherwise.

and Willow is very underappreciated in the sci fi/fantasy community, at least from where i am sitting. many have been talking about the score to Ladyhawke, and how it fell victim to the synth era of moviemaking and was dated as a result. Willows score is one of the best around, goosebumps good at times. "help, help theres a peck here with an acorn pointed at me". Val Kilmer was tre cool.

 

I like henchman24's bringing to light the idea that villains make or break a fantasy movie. Henchman24 has listed a few of his favorites(as I've quoted, see below). I hope more of you reading this will do the same. Here, then, are three of MY FAVORITE FANTASY VILLAINS:

* Titus Cromwell in The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982) -- A right bastard, this one! You gotta love a warlord with enough chutzpah to summon an ancient demon from the grave... then stab said demon in the back after being handed a kingdom! (Played with a perfect New Jersey accent by Richard Lynch of Blatty's Ninth Configuration fame.) And speaking of the demon...

* Xusia of Delos in The Sword and the Sorcerer! -- The most hideous villain in any of the movies on our list, the first time we see him he's literally dripping with gore! From ten feet away he rips out the heart of the witch who summoned him, and later he tears apart the fleshly body in which he has been hiding, to reveal himself once again in all his horrible, goo-drizzling awfulness! It doesn't hurt that his voice is five octaves lower than your average sports announcer, nor that he's played with scenery-chewing gusto by Bull from Night Court! (Richard Moll)

* Thulsa Doom in Conan the Barbarian (1982) -- Calm and cool, fatherly and guru-like, and yet he's also a homicidal maniac! Not to mention a sorcerer and a shape-shifting serpent-man. His icy blue eyes almost make you forget he's about to whack your head off. The way he lovingly calls to the young girl on the cliff to leap off casually to her death is as chilling as it is subtle and underplayed. The most iconic role, outside of Darth Vader's voice, that James Earl Jones ever played.

Come and share in the fun of great fantasy villains!

 

Gamork in Neverending Story scared me when I was a kid. To this day, I still think he's one of the scariest and most mysterious creature villains in film history. The way he hides in shadows and his deep voice. Yep, he was creepy and fit the mood of the movie.

 

Reposting a few things from the Conan thread:

Ah, but Thulsa Doom was right. Conan knows this as hinted at when he looks at his hand after a little sword practice later on. Thulsa Doom suffered from Palpatine-Syndrome, he was killed by his own creation, a creation he gave purpose to.


So the film is on HBO right now and I'm watching it and a couple of things occur to me that had not before despite my many viewings.

In the beginning Conan's father tells him about the riddle of steel, ending by pointing to the sword and telling him it was the only thing he could trust. Thusla Doom later tells Conan "What good is the hand compared to the hand that wields it?" meaning that the human drive or soul is the real weapon. Inadvertantly, Conan's father has already told him that the only thing he can trust is himself when he points at the sword.
Also, this very idea is what saves Conan at the end. Thusla Doom tries to hypnotize Conan, luring him under his influence. Conan is not simply snapping out of it when he shakes his head and kills him. He takes both lessons, the Riddle as told to him by Doom and more importantly by his father that the only one he can trust is himself. So Conan remembers this and is able to resist Thulsa Doom for Conan knows he cannot trust him, he can only trust himself. That is why he could resist Thusla Doom at the end.

There is this great shot I like where Thulsa Doom is sitting in his garb just before he transforms into a snake, the wayward princess sitting at his feet; one of the best shots in the film.

 

I'll return later and comment more on Conan the B, but for now I'm going to return briefly to Flash Gordon, which I watched with my wife and friends last night on DVD.

To rebut these way-off statements, I refer you to the following lines of dialogue from the film:

Dr. Zarkov (pointing a surprise revolver at his fellow scientist and pursing his lips menacingly): Get your toothbrush and whatever!

Ming the Merciless (turning to speak to Klytus as Flash makes a mockery of his guardsmen): Are all your men on the right pills? Maybe you should execute their trainer!

Prince Barin (in a tender romantic moment in which Princess Aura has just expressed her undying affection for him): (pause) Lying bitch!

Dale Arden (setting self-explanatory): Flash! Flash, I love you! But we only have fourteen hours to save the Earth!

I think it's beyond obvious that both the writers and the actors were well aware of the degree of camp with which they were working, but often -- as Adam West did with the role of Batman in the 60 TV show also penned by Lorenzo Semple -- played it totally straight to get the laugh. Perhaps VadersLaMent and JediMarine -- whose opinions I value under normal circumstances! -- were sleeping last time they were watching Flash, or else it's been so long they had forgotten the high camp factor so glaringly evident in almost every facet of the production. Either way, I'm sorry for being smug, but I rest my case.

 

Best fantasy score every is Lionheart (1987) by Jerry Goldsmith. Get the 2-CD european release instead of the 1-disk US. Talk about a sleeper movie! Completely slipped under the radar because it was a historical fiction rather than fantasy.

Never liked Princess Bride. Always seemed kinda lame and goofy. Like too much effort was being put into the story and the actors were always forcing their performances for screen time and cameos. But oh well.

Willow, to me, likewise unremarkable. Cute, well executed, but nothing outstanding or overly interesting, and certainly nothing to make me want to watch it a second time.

 

Not even Joanne Whalley?

 

I perhaps did not explain myself in great detail. Despite what may be viewed as cornball or campy lines like "...only 14 hours to..." the actors took these cornball lines seriously. I do not mean that they did not relize these were corny lines, or that they were or were not funny, what I mean is that this film could have been a total disaster but the actors had fun with their roles without looking down on their parts or lines.

 

Don't care for Willow or Princess Bride, yet Lionheart is on your list, YIKES!! you have bad taste =D While I am kidding, we do seem to be at odds taste wise.

In Princess Bride, Peter Faulks description of the story to his grandson, applies to why this is the best movie ever made, almost verbatum. No movie appeals to every age/gender/fanbase etc...as well as this film. There is also no debate as to the fashion in which the dialouge was written, or in which said dialogue is delivered(as above with the likes of Flash or Conan or any other) This movie is effortless.

Willow....nothing outstanding? How about the greatest swordsman who ever lived! While much the heart of Willow is very Tolkien in the "little people doing big things sense" the heart is there none the less. Defeating the witch with his disappearing pig trick....that took balls and heart, Willow was the man!

 

VadersLaMent, at last we agree! The actors in FG are clearly committed to their roles, and for the most part play them straight, if a bit tongue-in-cheek. Sam J. Jones in particular doesn't seem to have any idea that he's starring in a goofball romp. The other performers, however, let the cracks show on occasion. The Zarkov, Barin and Ming lines I posted above are all delivered in a comical tone. But for the most part, yes, they're doing an Adam West: taking the silliest lines of dialogue imaginable and making them seem serious and urgent. Somehow, as I know we can both agree, it works.

henchman 24, excellent defenses of Willow and The Princess Bride. I concur 100%.

Koohii, you're clearly out of your mind! At the very least, I believe you're in a minority of one. The Princess Bride is arguably the most beloved film in history, with the possible exception of The Wizard of Oz. I don't think I've ever met anyone who didn't adore TPB for its sharp satire, its imminently quotable dialogue, its fairy-tale-turned-on-its-ear cynicism, and ultimately, its rejection of that cynicism and its turnabout embrace of the truth of love. Lame and goofy? Forced performances? "Inconceivable!"

 

Well said. And really, is there anything better than "to the pain!"

D_M_S_L

 

If you look again, you'll see that I said "Best Fantasy Score", as in the music. I didn't say it was the best fantasy movie (mainly because it isn't a fantasy movie).

I know I'm in the minority in my opinion of movies. I've accepted that long ago.

 

Best Fantasy Score has to go to KRULL.

Edit: This is really a thread I can get into. KRULL, WILLOW, CLASH OF THE TITANS, CONAN. I may have missed it, but I didn't see DRAGONSLAYER. So many good fantasy movies during a time when I was a kid/teenager. They had such an impact on my life. Dungeons and Dragons, the roleplaying game was still new. Can't tell you how many nights and hours me and my friends spent playing that game and using the movies as references.

Also, where's HIGHLANDER or DARK CRYSTAL?

 

Here we are
Born to be kings
We're the princes of the universe

What a great movie. Crappy sequels. This had the potential to be a great trilogy or series. The first one ends well; leaving you with wanting more to the story, but I just try to pretend that the other films don't exist.

This one had a great villain as well. I put Clancy Brown's Kurgan right up there with fantasy/sci-fi villains like Khan and Vader.

"Watch this. Happy Halloween ladies (says to a couple of nuns and then mocks them with tongue gestures). Nuns, no sense of humor.

"Ramirez's blade did not cut deep enough. He was right about you. You're slime."

"Ramirez was an effete snob. He died on his knees. I took his head and raped his woman before his blood was even cold."

 

Highlander was on the previous page.

 

Yes, every page I print the list anew with new additions, if any. Dark Crystal is under 1982 and Highlander 1986 (although I think it should be under 1985).

BobaFrank, welcome to the thread! I agree with everything you said about late-night D & D sessions and awesome fantasy movies in the early 80s.

The other night I showed my friends and my wife The Sword and the Sorcerer, which I've commented on previously (page 1, I think). They liked it and thought it was funny, which it is, and cheesy, which it is; but one of them, my friend Fritz, commented that it was exactly like playing a game of D & D and that it "scratched that fantasy itch", even if it is low budget and ridiculous in places. The tri-bladed sword always gets howls of laughter at first, but by the climax of the film it has become so iconic and pseudo-mythic it's hard not to take it seriously.

 

Tell you what, folks: I'll try watching Princess Bride & Willow again, if you watch Lionheart (Eric Stolz & Gabriel Byrne, not VanDummie) and listen to the music, or buy the soundtrack.


Wadda ya say?

 

^ ^ It's a deal. Anything with Byrne and I'm in. He had me at "Igraine!"

However, it's not a fantasy film, so we need to move discussion of Lionheart -- when any of us sees it -- to another thread. But feel free to post your new reactions to Willow and PB in here!

 

agreed.

 

Vort, I just checked the back of the LOTR animated DVDs. They list the copy-right dates as Hobbit 1977, LOTR 1978 and ROTK 1979. Somehow that seems wrong. However, I do know ROTK aired prior to spring of 1983, that much I am certain. I also know LOTR had a threatrical run in the early 80's, perhaps it was a re-release. They still did that kind of thing back then.