The Beastmaster (1982)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Don Coscarelli

Writers:

Don Coscarelli (written by)
Paul Pepperman (written by)

Release Date:

20 August 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Action | Adventure

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Dog | Sword And Sorcery | Village | Magic | Boy

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Beastmaster - Der Befreier (West Germany)

Runtime:

118 min | Germany:90 min (25 fps) (video version)

Country:

USA | West Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | USA:PG (certificate #26762) | South Korea:15 | Australia:M | Finland:K-18 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (original rating) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | West Germany:12 | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Lake Pyramid, California, USA

Company:

Beastmaster NV

Trivia:

Dar's black tiger is actually a regular striped tiger dyed black. The dye would wash off around the mouth whenever the tiger took a drink, so throughout the film the stripes are often visible around the mouth.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Dar comes back to the village to find everyone in it dead, as he is looking around, in the background, the supposedly dead dog can be seen breathing.

Quotes:

Dar: I'm Dar.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner (2007) (V)

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.