Dragonslayer: A Different Kind of Disney

Note the similarity to the Star Wars poster.

Dragonslayer is one of those films that disappointed me when I first saw it, but grew on me over the years. Perhaps, I expected a lighthearted fantasy (it was co-produced by Disney) and was totally unprepared for the grim, dark, medieval setting. If so, then that seems ironic now, for the film’s oppressive atmosphere has become one of its most endearing qualities for me.

The film opens with villagers from a faraway kingdom pleading with the great wizard Ulrich (Ralph Richardson) to destroy a disagreeable dragon. An unpleasant knight interrupts the proceedings and, questioning the old wizard’s skills, demands a test of magic. Surprisingly, Ulrich agrees and, in the process, dies unexpectedly. Galin (Peter MacNichol), his still-in-training apprentice, accepts the challenge of defeating the dragon.

Peter MacNichol as Galin

Galin’s confidence, and apparent initial success against the dragon, soon give way to doubt. In fact, doubt and change are the two prevalent themes in Dragonslayer. The king has so little confidence in his ability to defeat the dragon that he holds lotteries at the spring and autumn equinoxes to select virgin maids for sacrifice. Even some of the villagers who seek Ulrich’s aid doubt if he can truly help them.

Ulrich doesn’t doubt the power of magic, but he knows that times are changing. His wizardly contemporaries are gone and he feels his time is near. As one character says: “Magic, magicians…it’s all fading from the world.” There is a new age of enlightenment on the way (symbolized at the end by the sun’s emergence from behind the moon during an eclipse). Even then, though, as we learn in the final shot, there will be a place for magic.

I’ve probably made Dragonslayer sounds like a heavyhanded, symbolic film. In contrast, it’s a fantasy adventure at heart; Galin’s trek into the dragon’s lair is a tense, exciting sequence. The climax, with the winged fire-breathing creature swooping through the air, is enthralling if a bit brief. Indeed, the dragon in Dragonslayer remains an impressive creation (its horns reminding me somewhat of the demon in Night of the Demon).

Dragonslayer is by no means a great film, but it improves with repeated viewings—or has so for me anyway. It was among the first of many fantasy adventures made in the 1980s (e.g., Conan the Barbarian, Krull, Beastmaster, Red Sonja, etc.). I happen to think it’s the best.