Dragonslayer (1981 film)
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Dragonslayer is a 1981 British fantasy film that tells the story of Galen, apprentice to the world's last sorcerer, who must journey to the kingdom of Urland to destroy a dragon.
- Written and directed by Matthew Robbins and Hal Barwood. Produced by Howard W. Koch.
In the Dark Ages, fantasy was fact. Magic was a weapon. Love was a mystery. Adventure was everywhere. And heroes were needed. Because in the Dark Ages... dragons were real.
Galen
[edit]- 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 Brandwarden, inheritor of Ulrich's craft and knowledge, and I am the sorcerer you seek.
Brother Jacobus
[edit]- Unclean beast! Get thee down! Be thou consumed by the fires that made thee! [Vermithrax kills him with a blast of flames]
Dialogue
[edit]
- Valerian: Is...
- Hodge: Yes, this is Kragenmoor and yes, this is the house of Ulrich, and no, he won't see you.
- Valerian: But...
- Hodge: I know, you've come a long way, your business is urgent. It doesn't matter! He sees no one.
- Valerian: Twice each year, at the Spring and Summer Equinox, the king selects a new victim. Virgins.
- Ulrich: A lottery! Barbaric. And in return, this dragon... it leaves your villages and crops unburned. Your king has made a pact with a monster!
- Valerian: Are you afraid of dragons?
- Ulrich: No. In fact, if it weren't for sorcerers, there wouldn't be any dragons. Once, the skies were dotted with them. Magnificent horned backs, leathern wings … soaring … and their hot-breathed wind. Oh, I know this creature of yours …Vermithrax Pejorative. Look at these scales, these ridges. When a dragon gets this old, it knows nothing but pain, constant pain. It grows decrepit … crippled … pitiful. Spiteful!
- Tyrian: Before you stir things up, don't you think it would be a good idea to find out if you've got the right man for the job?
- Hodge: Ah, so it's a test you're looking for. We don't do tests!
- Tyrian: Oh, I'm sure you don't. They never do tests. Not many real deeds either. Oh, conversation with your grandmother's shade in a darkened room, the odd love potion or two, but comes a doubter? Why, then it's the wrong day, the planets are not in line, the entrails are not favorable, "we don't do tests"!
- Galen: What have you got there?
- Hodge: None of your business.
- Galen: A little gold, eh? Shall I change it into lead?
- Hodge: Save your jokes for someone else. I do not care for braggarts, or frauds.
- Galen: I'm no fraud.
- Hodge: Fool, then. Upstart. Whatever pleases you.
- Casiodorus Rex: Did you ever hear of King Gaiseric? Oh no, of course not, you weren't even born. He was my brother, a great King and a valiant man-at-arms. When he ascended the throne, the dragon was unbridled. No one knew where it might strike next. So, he brought forth his broadsword, assembled his best company of fighters and went out to do battle. He was never seen again. But his attack provoked the most terrible reprisals: whole villages incinerated, entire crops burnt, death, famine... horrible. How did you arrogate to yourself the role of "savior"?
- Galen: I was invited.
- Casiodorus Rex: Not by me! I think you're nothing but a boy … an apprentice! [rips the amulet from around Galen's neck] Have you ever considered the consequences of failure?
- Galen: What failure? What are you saying, do you want the dragon back?
- Casiodorus Rex: You came here and toyed with the monster! Who are you, to risk our people? Our villages?
- Galen: But your children were dying!
- Casiodorus Rex: Only a few, does that sound cruel? It is better that they should die that others might live. I created the lottery! Me! And from the moment it began, the dragon was tamed! The kingdom has prospered!
- Galen: At what price? You can't make a shameful "peace" with dragons. You must kill them as I have done.
- Casiodorus Rex: Then the beast is dead?
- Galen: Yes, it's dead.
- Casiodorus Rex: We shall see.
Taglines
[edit]- In the Dark Ages, fantasy was fact. Magic was a weapon. Love was a mystery. Adventure was everywhere. And heroes were needed. Because in the Dark Ages... dragons were real.
- Its talons tear. Its breath burns. It is terror. And only sorcery can destroy it.
- [from trailer] Behold the beast. Pray for the hero.
- [from trailer] What you thought was a medieval myth... is about to become ten times a rapacious reality. No maiden is safe, no village secure, and no one can save the kingdom - except the sorcerer's apprentice whose courage is greater than his skill. Call him what they will, only he can create a weapon worthy of the name Dragonslayer.
- [from UK TV spot] Long, long ago, in the Dark Ages of sorcery, lived a powerful, monstrous creature. Its talons tear. Its breath burns. It comes from a time of adventure. A time of wizards and spectacular magic. A time when dragons were real.
External links
[edit]
- Dragonslayer at Mojo
- Dragonslayer quotes at the Internet Movie Database
- Dragonslayer (1981 film) at Rotten Tomatoes