The Secret of the Sword (1985)

Directors:

Ed Friedman
Lou Kachivas

Writers:

Lawrence G. DiTillio (writer)
Bob Forward (writer)

Release Date:

22 March 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Fantasy

Tagline:

The full length feature film

Plot:

Prince Adam and Cringer travel to Etheria in search of the one who is meant for a special destiny.....

Plot Keywords:

He Man | Sword | Rebellion | Mother Daughter Relationship | Talking Animal

Cast

John Erwin	...	Prince Adam / He-Man / Broom (voice)
Melendy Britt	...	Princess Adora / She-Ra / Madame Razz (voice)
Alan Oppenheimer	...	Skeletor / Man-at-Arms / Cringer / Beast-Man / Battlecat (voice)
Linda Gary	...	Teela / Queen Marlena / Sorceress / Shadow Weaver / Glimmer (voice)
George DiCenzo	...	Bow / Hordak (voice)
Erika Scheimer	...	Queen Angella (voice)
Lou Scheimer	...	King Randor / Spirit / Swift-Wind / Kowl / Mantenna / Horde Trooper / Kobra Khan / Trap-Jaw / Tri-Klops (voice) (as Erik Gunden)

Also Known As:

He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword
The Sword of She-Ra (USA) (TV title)

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:G | Ireland:G | Argentina:Atp | USA:G | UK:U

Company:

Filmation Associates

Trivia:

As with "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" (1983), Lou Scheimer again voiced several characters in this movie, splitting the credit between himself and his pseudonym "Erik Gunden."

Goofs:

Continuity: In the opening kidnapping sequence when Hordak is about to walk through the portal, it shows him carrying Adora with her sitting up. When he fires the ray gun at Man-At-Arms and The Sorceress, Man-at-Arms pushes the Sorceress out of the way. When the sequence is shown again, Hordak is now carrying a bundled up Adora and when he fires the ray gun which is now part of his right arm, the Sorceress and Man-at-Arms run off in opposite directions.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Hordak: You may have defeated us, but you'll never see this child again! Ah-Hahahahahahahaha!

Movie Connections:

References Journey Back to Oz (1974)

Soundtrack:

I Have The Power

Surprisingly good

In a world far away lives a prince called Adam who can transform into He-man, a fighter for good and justice. One day his friend, the sorceress, sends him and his talking tiger Cringer on a mission to find the owner of a magic sword in a different world, Etheria. But once there, Adam finds the evil army of Hordak is controlling everyone. And he soon meets Adora, who just might be the owner of the magic sword...

Back then, when I was a kid, I was very fond of the "He-man and the masters of the universe" show and it's "sequel" "She-ra". When I grew up I decided to do a little research. You know, to go on a hunt for your childhood memories. Soon I discovered my old "He-man" tapes and watched them again. And this time I was very disappointed. They simply seemed like a cliché with every episode looking the same. After that I saw "She-ra" again too, and although this show was a little better, I still found that it lost a lot of it's magic during my growing up. The only great episode was "Sweet Bee's home".

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I then went to watch "The secret of the sword". Before I did that I was in massive fear that this film will too break my heart and that I should maybe avoid it just to keep it a part of my nostalgia. But was I pleasantly surprised! The minute that song "For the honor of love" started to play in the intro all my respect, joy and enthusiasm got back in a flash again. The movie is just simply excellent, the best thing the "He-man" crew ever made. It's much more darker and has a sharp edge, making it superior to the naive TV show's. The best sequence for me was the one where He-man is captured by the evil Horde while Adora can't sleep and wakes up in the middle of the night. She then goes to the chamber where He-man is being held in a special booth. She wants to help him, but also wants to stay loyal to the Horde. Her struggle with herself is a real drama with great emotions. And then, finally, she takes her sword, transforms herself into She-ra and free's He-man. Simply amazing piece of writing that combined her transformation with her change of character.

Truth be told, the story does have flaws. Mostly when it plays back in He-man's world( why in the world would He-man and She-ra just leave Skeletor in Snake mountain after they defeated him?! They could have brought him to jail! )but the film is still a mighty good piece of nostalgia and melancholy. And I'm glad it's quality stayed.

Grade: 8/10