I know many folks aren’t a fan of it, but i always loved Bakshi’s rotoscoping style in Wizards, LOTR, etc, its uncanny, otherworldly aesthetic always blew me away! 😳
Otherworldly is a great way to describe it. And there is just nothing quite like it. Talk about something that instantly hits me in the nostalgia bone. I haven't seen his LotR since I was a lad, but I sure did like it then. Especially, the little orc song.
Wizards was a very popular midnight movie when I was in my late teens and early twenties. I haven't seen it for years, but I remember it well. I think that it's Bakshi's best work, and can honestly say that no other animated feature has ever affected me as much.
"Wizards", that brings me back. Friends and I hit a midnite movie showing of that in a classic single-screen art deco theater and enjoyed it greatly. Ralph Bakshi was ever the Celluloid Renegade. You are right that is more Thigh of Carridine than anyone should see. Interesting plotline, as you say. Thanks for your selections!
Wizards is one of those films I really wish I had seen as a kid. I do recall seeing the video at the gas station a few times, but for some reason I just didn't rent it. Now, seeing it on the big screen would have been even cooler. That sounds neat. I did though get to see Heavy Metal on the big screen. Twice even. And one of those times was at a midnite movie when I was a teen. Thanks as always for bringing that Viking goodness to the comments section.
There is a piece of trivia about Iron Warrior/Ator 3 that I'm surprised I haven't seen acknowledged anywhere: There are two endings! The original from the italian version (also in the Spain-spanish dub and maybe others), and the edited one from the american version. Spoilers. The american version ends with Ator seemingly saving the princess (I think she was a princess?) and they hug... only to reveal to the audience that the princess has the eyes of the witch, implying the witch possesed her or killed her and replaced her. The original version actually has Ator saving the princess for real, and it's revealed that she had defeated the witch offscreen because she too is a witch, but one that uses the magic of love or something like that. Thanks for reminding me!
That is a most interesting piece of trivia. And one that would have been great for the episode. Though I wouldn't have said exactly what the differences are. But you are right, that does seem to be extremely obscure information. In all my research for the episode, I did not run across even a mention of multiple endings. But it makes sense. Ending the film with the hero losing was an odd way to go. I just chalked it up to the arthouse nature. Thanks for watching, ATak. And for the info. Always a pleasure to hear from you.
I never saw the video ad back in the day, but I remember seeing a paper advert at the very first video store I ever rented movies at. Before then, we had rented movies at an electronics store which just happened to have a movie section and then the local gas station, which had a single wrack at the door. Those wonderful days when all kinds of random places wanted in on the video rental market. Great times. Thanks for watching, Dave.
Love Hawk the Slayer. Jack Palance always plays a great villain ever since Shane. John terry is also in Dan O Bannons underrated The Resurrected (based on HP Lovecraft). Oh yeah he played Jack's Dad in Lost too.
Mr. Palance certainly did have some memorable movie roles (his sadistic big game hunter in the 1980 TV movie “The Ivory Ape”, the last of three collaborations between Rankin-Bass and Tsuburaya Productions (that also yielded “The Last Dinosaur” and “The Bermuda Depths”) is quite the hoot 😄), but the most memorable for me as a kid was him hosting the “Ripely’s Believe It or Not!” series in the ‘80s 😁
@@Gappasaurus Whenever I think of Ripley's Believe it or not, the first thing to pop into me brainbox is Jack's voice saying "Believe it.....or not." Very memorable and I'm not even sure I watched the show.
I remember Warrior and the Sorceress as an engaging take on Yojimbo. I also remember that Maria Socas was in some stage of nudity in virtually all of her scenes, even when there was absolutely no plot based reason for it. For that alone, the film is a treasure. Socas, by the way, went on to a very steady acting career in South America.
I completely agree, Richard. It's a darn good film. When they released that four film DVD set that featured it, the first two Deathstalker films, and Barbarian Queen, I was really hoping for a volume 2. There's still several Roger Corman produced Sword & Sorcery films that need, at very least, a DVD release. As to Socas, she was also in Wizards of the Lost Kingdom. Which I saw at the theater as a kid. But I sure don't remember much about it.
Great video! I did see The Warrior and the Sorceress and Barbarian Queen many years ago. I’ve never heard of Wizards. Once again, fantastic trivia in this video. But the bigger question is, when are we getting a release of The Magnificent Bastard: The R Sterling Gray Story???
Wizards is a really neat film. And even if the story doesn't grab you, it's a visual treat. The rotoscoping scenes are so wonderfully strange. Kind of like that time we went antiquing. But the R. Sterling story is coming along nicely, but has hit a delay after I had the Gray surgically removed. Very tricky procedure. But expect only a 2 to 22325 week delay in filming.
Your knowledge about the people involved in these movies is amazing. My knowledge is limited to, for the most part, the stars of the films. For example, I knew that Lana Clarkson was in Barbarian Queen before I watched this video, but that was about all I knew.
If only I could take full credit on that. But alas, much of the info comes from the weeks of research that goes into each filming batch. But doing said research, some of it even sticks. As to the films themselves, I think you would dig The Warrior and the Sorceress quite a bit. It's one of the most wonderfully sleazy of sword and sorcery films. Right up there with the first Deathstalker film. Which also featured Miss Clarkson. Thanks for watching, good sir. Always great to hear from you.
Bakshi's style is often imitated, but never replicated. Even if the bloke is an absolute bloody bellend IRL (and I've met him), you cannot deny his talent.
You know, Odio, I've seen very little of him outside of his films, so I really can't say. But what I can say, back in the 90s he hosted Anime Week on the Sci-fi Channel. I remember being a little put off by how dismissive he seemed of it all. Thanks for watching, good sir.
@@BaronMorte Very nice to hear. You are quite welcome here at the Lounge. And if you dig the breaks, you might enjoy my Sophisticated Weirdo series. It's pretty much just 20 minutes of commercial breaks, skits, and late night TV stuff.
Oh yeah, I think you would get a real kick out of Hawk the Slayer. It kinda feels like an 80s computer game come to life. Thanks for watching, Kid. Always a pleasure.
Hawk the Slayer still my personal fav; it was cheesy and super-low budget. but it was unique. It's also as mentioned more 'Lords of the Ringy' or Dungeons And Dragons, as opposed more Barbarian-esque like so many others clearly derived from Howard's stories. Sort of weird quasi-surreal medieval feel but with odd elements like Crow, the Woman's firebolts and the magic in general. There's no real monsters, as such - just the Dark Ones, Voltan, his son Drogo and his men. But the action and the set pieces in it are just fantastic, iffy effects and whatnot; but the film has a charm all of its own.
Hawk the Slayer truly is, not only kind of a hidden gem, but also a really unique case. Being that it pre-dates both Conan and Excalibur, it really doesn't get the credit it deserves for being such a trailblazer in the genre. I had never even heard of it until I was an adult. And I have always been pretty well versed in Sword & Sorcery. I saw Wizards of the Last Kingdom at the theater, if that says anything. Thanks for stopping by the Lounge, Colin.
"Wizards" is one of my favourite animated movies. When it was released anyone who read Heavy Metal magazine found themselves on familiar territory. While some may mock the budget 'sword & sorcery' movies from this period it is worth remembering that their popularity led to such TV shows as "Hercules" and "Xena: Warrior Princess". P.S. At some point you *really* need to do a review of "Hell Comes to Frogtown".
When I editing the episode and going through Wizards for clips, I was really once again taken with it. I had forgotten just how good that movie actually looks. It really should have been a big hit. Very good point about Hercules and Xena. And Frog Town, eh? That's a good suggestion. Hits not only sci-fi, but also post Apocalypse. I shall keep that in mind for a review batch. Thanks, Henry.
I so often hear it referred to as a bad movie, which I just don't get. It's pretty much everything you could want from an early 80s, pre-Conan fantasy film.
Hey hey hey Rob! Always cool to see some fresh Sword & Sorcery picks. The trivia for 'Iron Warrior' is awesome. Isn't it funny how when we dig deeper on these, sometimes we find ourselves talking about something we never imagined would come up. In this case, the town from Popeye of all things. So many interesting selections here. I'll have to check into the obscure "Star Wars" movie you mentioned. 😂I also just ordered my Barbarians Tee, they said it was a limited offer so hoping I'm not too late on that one. 🤞Be well man, have a nice weekend!
Sword & Sorcery, or as I think of it now, Bread & Butter, really has become a staple of the channel. And it's always a fun topic, though trivia can be tough to dig up on some these. Thus the mention of the possible Popeye connection. But being such a well researched channel yourself, I'm sure you understand. I wouldn't though waste my time trying to find that Star Wars picture. I doubt it's ever been released on DVD. But when you get your Barbarians Tee, make sure and cut the sleeves off. Even if it's a tanktop. Thanks as always for watching, pal.
Iron Warrior looks awesome. Have you talked about Wizards before? Its been on my watch lists for yeas. Maybe I stumbled into it during one of my Star Wars rabbit holes. Love reading up on that obscure piece of media.
I covered Fire & Ice, also by Bakshi, which may be what you were thinking of. Does seem like something I would have talked about already though. So you've heard of Star Wars? It's pretty neat from what I understand. A real hidden gem.
I think I've discovered a structure underlying good Sword and Sorcery. I think there are two types of S&S; an organic, political, revenge film with some supernatural elements; and a quasi-spiritual or evolution themed tale with an underlying supernatural quality that is depicted as a political, military, or other conflict. Depending on the type the hero either starts as a pawn or victim of the conflict, or starts as an outsider (barbarian) whose supernatural fate places him as the pivot to decide the course of destiny. Slave girls, sorcerors, demon, Gods, god or demon worshipping cultists, thieves, rebels, assassins, Saber toothed apes and other fanged and clawed monstrosities included. This just describes the overarching themes, for the shorter stories the action is meant to build the hero's skill set, experience, reputation and burgeoning destiny. As his victories get the attention of admirers and thwarts his enemies' intrigues so he becomes a target. It is only his wandering fate that saves him from knives in the dark, arrows in the back, swords through his guts and spells from the outer void.
I've never thought about it in those terms, but you have a very solid point there. Many sword & sorcery films can almost be looked at as revenge films. Then, as mentioned, the supernatural pawn set up. I would though mentioned the quest set up as well, ala Krull. Which, the set up, does often have the supernatural pawn setup, but not always. As in the case of Krull. Or would you look at one as a revenge film? Since he is seeking to save his bride and defeat the monster that attacked his kingdom?
@@AtomicSnackBar It depends on the enemy. In Krull the enemy is cosmically, supernatural, so his defeat I would characterize as a spiritual victory, not a revenge arc. It has more relevance for planets than just for Corwin. Justice, in this case, is less organic and personally, viscerally, satisfying as it is moral: the ethereal yet invincible power of love's flame. You bring up a trope in a lot of films. Films which may or may not be sword and sorcery. That trope is the quest. The quest has been used in a lot of films but it is not necessary to S&S. Indeed there are a lot of films that can be called "quest films". Films including Raiders (of the lost..), the Maltese Facon, Star Wars, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, etcetera. Depending on the runtime of the film and the plot, there are some S&S I would call more quest film than S&S. Is "Lord of the Rings" S&S or a quest film? How about "Hawk the Slayer"? The second Conan movie "Conan the Destroyer" is definitely a quest film...or is it? What makes a film a quest film or not is if the quest is half the movie or more. If the quest is revenge then its a revenge film. If there are quests that are not a central part of the film, not central to the plot: the plot doesn't revolve around the quest, then it's not a quest film. The quest may just be a ruse to advance the actual plot of the movie which my be S&S, a Western, Sci-fi, Detective, or whatever. Is Excalibur S&S? LOTR? GOT? Yes, but. The type of supernatural foe also matters for it to qualify as S&S for me. The prototypical supernatural forces in S&S must be Lovecraftian and Old Testament rather than new Testament Biblical or mythological. Sauron is evil, but his evil is not "unearthly". The threat in S&S should be Unearthly, the kind that Lovecraft and Howard wrote about. A kind of spiritual jeopardy that threatens total genetic annihilation and, therefore, a total genetic response. Not just a psychological and physical response.
Well you had me at the thumbnail of wizards. Which of course is a favorite of mine. I definitely need to see the iron warrior. I haven't seen the warrior and the sorcerist but it looks good. Yes!!!! Wizards, love it. So much Nazi stuff in this. Barberian Queen i have seen when I was young. That needs a rewatch. I have never heard of hawk the slayer. Awesome video Slim.
If I had to warrant a guess, I would think that The Warrior and The Sorceress would be the most Horrific Jason friendly film on the list. But I think you might dig Hawk the Slayer quite a bit as well. Thanks for watching, J-Man. You're a credit to sobriety.
I watched Deathstalker I & II back-to-back recently and the tonal differences are glaringly obvious but make them both fun and unique. Won’t bother with III or IV though
I go back and forth a lot between which I prefer......Deathstalker I or II. I do prefer the lighthearted vibe of part two, and the cast is killer, but the first one certainly has the sleaziness factor. I have yet to see III or IV though. I'd like to, but just haven't run across them. It is interesting though that the original Deathstalker returns for, I think it's the the 4th part. As always, thanks for watching Haitch.
@@AtomicSnackBar the fact that in part II, the Rocky theme is playing during DS’s boxing match was hilarious and no way would that have happened in the first! And yeah, he comes back for Pt IV, and I am itching to watch but I’ve heard such bad things mate. Terrible things
Hawk the Slayer is why I am a pro writer now. It was on TV during a blizzard that reached as far South as Athens, GA back in the day. I complained so much about the cheesy writing that a friend challenged me to write something better. So I did, a few years later, and now, I get paid to write. Not a lot, and not often, but I do have to claim it on my taxes, LOL. That's as close to pro writer status as one can get--I have to pay taxes on what little I earn from selling books.
You know what they always say. Hawk the Slayer is the gift that keeps on giving. Pretty sure I read that in the dictionary. But either way, thanks for stopping by the Lounge, Dan. Nice to hear from you. I'll have to take a gander at your Amazon listing.
If you watch Deathstalker II, you will instantly notice that a lot of footage was directly lifted from the original film. Some of it makes absolutely no sense, and some of it even features actors who were notably killed in the first movie. Roger Corman at his budgeting best/worst.😊
Yes indeed. The orc from the first film is particularly noticeable. Speaking of Corman, his book "How I Made A Hundred Movies In Hollywood......." is a very good read. He never sugar coats his budgeting or his way of doing things. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. Thanks for checking this one out, Richard.
I had wanted to see it for years, but just simply could not find a copy. And then one day, there it was on RU-vid. I really nice quality version as well. And I think it's nearly just as good as the first Ator film. Thanks for stopping by the Lounge, David.
Ator 3? How far did the series go? One of the swords definitely looks like one from Red Sonja. Seeing Kwai Chang Caine in a Sword and Sorcery flick was such a surprise at the time. Ah, Ralph Bakshi, the gift who keeps on giving. I do recall being very amused by how Wizards goes out with a bang. Rotoscope is such a very distinct style. Have you seen Spine of Night? The Barbarians commercial was perfection. Queen of the Naked Steel is an infinitely superior title. Hawk the Slayer always reminded me of the Sean Connery Robin Hood for some reason. Perhaps they were shown together on USA. Hope Hawk the Destroyer makes it Lots of good memories percolated up. Gratitude.
Believe it or not, there were four films in the Ator series. Though Miles O'Keefe wasn't in the 4th movie. That one though has a really interesting story I hope to cover in full at a later time. Really unique. I wasn't familiar with Spine of Night. Thought maybe I had missed out on some hidden gem. I was surprised to find that it is a modern film using rotoscoping. Worth watching? And that commercial was perfection wasn't it? But then again, so were they. It was a real shame that we lost David Paul a few years back. You make an interesting point with Hawk the Slayer. I hadn't considered a possible Robin Hood influence. But I could see that. The wardrobe in particular. Thanks as always for watching, good Herald. Glad you dug the episode. I was pretty pleased with it myself.
It was very elucidating. Now I'll have to dig around for the whole Ator series. I personally enjoyed Spine of Night. I would say if one liked Fire and Ice, 1983 Ralph Bakshi, Love Death and Robots, and Heavy Metal, it's worth a watch. It's an anthology held together a central Crux and is well done in my opinion. Such a shame about the Barbarian Bros. It had to be so painful for Peter. Most tragic indeed. Looks like David passed just before his birthday, and in the low 60s. Far too young.
@@VeridianHerald Ok, well very good then. I shall keep eye or three out for Spine of Night. Thanks for the tip. And I'm not sure what actually happened to David, but I would guess it was probably his heart. They were still quite buff even in their later years. The strain on the body and all.
That does seem to be the case. A very reliable source(wetdog) was telling me here in the comments that he actually went there on vacation and could definitely confirm it was the same place.
I have to say that I haven’t seen any of the films on your list. So as I often do with your videos I just look at it as a educational opportunity. Getting schooled I guess you could say. Maybe even taken to the woodshed. I have actually heard of all the films on the list but just haven’t seen them. I feel like we have talked about a few of them in private over the years because even though I haven’t seen any of them I feel like I’m pretty familiar with them all. Considering you turned me on Barbarians (featured in the video) I feel pretty confident the each and every movie in your list I would enjoy especially Iron Warrior, and Hawk The Slayer. I picked up a copy of Dragonslayer from the Walmart five dollar bin last night. Have you seen that one? Anyway way I have rambled for long enough. This video was very educational for me and highly enjoyable good buddy.
Not only must you go to the woodshed, you must stand in the corner of shame within the woodshed and think about what you've done. Now, the films. Knowing your taste as I like to think I do, I would say Hawk the Slayer first and then Wizards. I think you would dig that one. The character design may be a bit stylized, but the world and animation is almost Thundarr-esc. And there's a lot of cool stuff I couldn't show in the video. I loved Dragonslayer as a kid. Haven't seen it since. But I saw the dragon in it recently and I was amazed how good it still looks. Incredible practical effects. And thank you, good sir of good sirs, for always being superawesome.
Another great video. I can confirm that Popeye was filmed in Malta, and the village was built and then the government decided to keep the village as a tourist attraction - it was then in a few other films. It was still there when I went with my wife - and although it was run-down by then; it was still pretty cool. Some interesting facts, some great humour - all together a great vid. The Carradine film is probably my least favourite of these - because of the Japanese vibes - but still good fun.
SO - after more beer - here is my sword and sorcery rating system - SETTING; does it look good in the background - are there any variants? ACTORS; do they look the part - not, can they act, no - do they look ok. VIOLENCE; is there an act of completely out of place gore. TNA; yes it's tacky - but sleaze makes me smile, good sleaze - sleaze. FUN; it should make you smile: whatever it is, don't miss the point - smile. And finally - pretend. It's not all painted for you - so pretend - isn't that the essence of all S&S ? Don't get me wrong, I love Game of Thrones and at least a bit of LOTR - I love Harry Potter - but there is nothing wrong with a rubber muppet - or a pig faced man - enjoy - have another beer and enjoy. Grab your sword/axe, dress in fur (fake fur) - raise your chalice and.... I got a bit carried away there. Yrhaaaaaa!!!!!
That is quite spiffy indeed. Just think, you were in the same place as Miles O'Keefe's elegant braid. Did they have gifts shops and the like celebrating the films that had been filmed there?
@@wetdog1606 Couldn't have said it better myself, good sir. And glad you mention the distinction between good sleaze and bad sleaze. Because that is most definitely an important factor. Deathstalker = Good sleaze. Game of Thrones = Very very bad sleaze. Though I do quite like that series. And neat to hear you dig the Harry Potter films. I was really late to the party on those. But I really enjoyed the heck out of them when I finally saw them. So oddly, RU-vid is saying there is three replies to this comment. But I'm only seeing one. If I missed two others, I do apologize. Just can't seem to find them.
I can understand that for sure. A lot of the films I truly love get often miscategorized. Though to be fair, there were swords a' plenty in Wizards as well. Thanks for stopping by the Lounge, Skully.
I did indeed. Though I didn't know that it was a Cannon Group film. I've been wanting to cover that one. But been having trouble getting the footage. It had popped up here on RU-vid briefly, but they quickly took it down. Thanks for stopping by.
An excellent question. And a genre I am a big fan of. But no, other than a video showing off my bikini movies collection, I've never gotten to tackle the topic. I'd love to though if there was some interest. Thanks for watching, Jerry.
You forgot Morgan shepherd was in the original max headroom 20 minuets into the future made for channel 4 (in its first year I think) he played blank reg. Loved that tv movie at the time! The creators went on to direct supper mario bros in 93! Now that was.............a movie story of! Hawk the slayer now your talking british as they come say it on release maybe a couple years ago now but I always loved the type! Beastmaster I loved too. Sorry m'lord good vid it's 3 am sat morn here I've had a few old Tom's (it's a beer quite strong beer.) So if I'm sluring my txt? I'm sorry.
Ray, my friend, this is the Lounge after all. You rock your Tom's and slur that text with the best of them. You are in good company here. Max Headroom is one of those odd blank spots in my pop culture knowledge. I of course know who he is, but never watched the show as a lad. I am though quite familiar with that weird pirate radio broadcast from back in the day with the guy in the Max Headroom mask. That one creeps me out for some reason.
Miles O'Keefe was underated and unappreciated. Have you ever seen The Green Knight(not 100% on the title and I'm not digging through my millions of videos to check. I'm lazy that way.)? Sean Connery co-starred and is worth a review. Unless you've already done it. Again, too lazy to search through your millions of videos. I have to say, of this selection, I think I might have only seen Wizards back in the day. You have peaked my interest in those first two. David Carradine did another fantasy related movie called Circle of Iron which I did dig, but not a barbarian flick. Worth a watch though. Okay, add Hawk the Slayer to the list of must-sees. Three recommendations for my neverending list. Great 80s big hair on so many of those scantily clad bunnies. Ah, for a more civilized time. Sigh. Okay, off to Amazon Prime in search of barbarian Easter viewing. Hey! How about a 'Sword & Sleaziness Top 10? Accent on the Sword. Wink. Wink.
And when I mentioned "scholar" and actor Miles O'Keefe, that wasn't a joke. He is quite intelligent and studied both political science and psychology before working as prisoner counselor in TN for a few years. But no, I haven't seen the Green Knight nor Circle of Iron. But the Circle of Iron trailer looks about fantastic. Been meaning to look into that one. Hawk the Slayer is a really neat one. And all the movies I talked about tonight are here on RU-vid with the exception of Wizards. As to Sword & Sleaziness....that was kind of tonight's video already. Three out of five is nothing to shake a sleazy stick at.
Where did you source these clips from. Great sharp imaging. They all look especially good on my Kindle which always helps sell interest in checking out the recommendations. Circle of Iron is a quirky, cool, fable done in an allegorical story form. And just fun. Worth the watch. I think you contained the sleaziness factor pretty well in this video. I just wondered what a full on sleazy Wacky, weird, video would be like. Would RU-vid give you a strike? Would you have to use a lot of blurring software? I have too much time on my hands. Always the highlight of my Friday night, my friend. Chaaaaaandu!
That does appear to be the case, though I haven't seen definitive proof myself. I even read recently that it's the exact the same one, just repainted, in the Conan TV series. Thanks for stopping by, Bradley.
Did Carradine dress in drag for the film? I guess if he were in a short skirt, you'd see more leg... Yeah, I never look for sleaze in any films. I never think of Sybil Danning as a lesbian nymphomaniac mystical sword woman riding through the wasteland, saving pretty young lasses, or a Gor film that is genuine to the book series... Take it easy.
John Norman Gor reference? I have three books of that series, the covers pulled me in. I kept waiting for the Edgar Rice Burroughs adventure on a different world, "my Jeddak!", but kept encountering some "50 shades of grey" (not Erin Grey, fortunately🙏😇) stuff. Disappointing, the monsters on the covers looked great. Looking back I think I was being groomed for bdsm 😮.
@@kallianpublico7517 Yes, that Gor. In fact, there is an entire BDSM subculture that tries to live the Gor lifestyle. I'm more of the old school black leather type Dom, myself. The only Gor movie I know of was pretty lousy, and eschewed the sexual underbelly of the novels.
