The Beastmaster (1982)

A sword-and-sorcery fantasy about a young man's search for revenge. Armed with supernatural powers, the handsome hero and his animal allies wage war against marauding forces.

Director:

Don Coscarelli

Writers:

Don Coscarelli, Paul Pepperman,

Stars:

Marc Singer, Tanya Roberts, Rip Torn

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marc Singer	...	Dar
Tanya Roberts	...	Kiri
Rip Torn	...	Maax
John Amos	...	Seth
Joshua Milrad	...	Tal (as Josh Milrad)
Rod Loomis	...	King Zed
Ben Hammer	...	Young Dar's Father
Ralph Strait	...	Sacco
Billy Jayne	...	Young Dar (as Billy Jacoby)
Janet DeMay	...	Witchwoman #1
Christine Kellogg	...	Witchwoman #2
Janet Jones	...	Witchwoman #3
Tony Epper	...	Jun Leader
Vanna Bonta	...	Zed's Wife
Kim Tabet	...	Sacco's Daughter

Storyline

Dar, is the son of a king, who is hunted by a priest after his birth and grows up in another family. When he becomes a grown man his new father is murdered by savages and he discovers that he has the ability to communicate with the animals. After that, Dar begins his quest for revenge in this Conan-like movie.

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Plot Keywords:

dog | village | hero | sword and sorcery | magic | 

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Genres:

Fantasy | Action | Adventure

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA West Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 August 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

El señor de las bestias

Filming Locations:

Lake Pyramid, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Leisure Investment Company, Beastmaster NV, ECTA Filmproduktion

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min 90 min (video)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Don Coscarelli claims to have read all of Andre Norton's books as a boy. Norton is the author of a novel called "The Beastmaster", in which this movie is loosely based.

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Goofs

Flipped shot: when the ferrets are stealing Dar's clothing garment, their positions reverse.

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Quotes

Dar: I've never seen a... pilgrim... who could use a staff the way you did.
Seth: Ah, but sir; all pilgrims share a deep love of life; especially their own!

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Connections

Followed by Beastmaster: The Eye of Braxus (1996)

User Reviews

a childhood favorite

I don't care what people say, THE BEASTMASTER is a fun film. Thanks to my parents having cable in the 80s, I virtually grew up with it. I can still recall spending many days and nights watching it on television. I probably had no idea of what was going on, but I just loved watching this animal lover named Dar rescue the hot Tanya Roberts while fighting against an evil priest. Marc Singer is great in the title role. If he were to cure world hunger, create world peace, or even be elected president, he would still be known as The Beastmaster. Tanya Roberts doesn't really do much, but looks damn nice doing it, John Amos is also good as a traveler who befriends Dar, and Rip Torn is as over-the-top as he can get. Lee Holdridge's score, composed in a short amount of time, provides a bit more epicness than the film could have created on its own, with a heroic theme that is used throughout. I was also happy to learn recently that Anchor Bay Entertainment is working on a Special Edition DVD of THE BEASTMASTER. I'm, naturally, very excited about this, for no matter what people say, THE BEASTMASTER was, still is, and always will be a childhood favorite.