The Magic Sword (1962)

The son of a sorceress, armed with weapons, armour and six magically summoned knights, embarks on a quest to save a princess from a vengeful wizard.

Director:

Bert I. Gordon

Writers:

Bert I. Gordon (story), Bernard C. Schoenfeld (screenplay) (as Bernard Schoenfeld)

Stars:

Basil Rathbone, Estelle Winwood, Gary Lockwood

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Basil Rathbone	...	Lodac
Estelle Winwood	...	Sybil
Gary Lockwood	...	Sir George
Anne Helm	...	Princess Helene
Liam Sullivan	...	Sir Branton
Danielle De Metz	...	Mignonette
Merritt Stone	...	King
Jacques Gallo	...	Sir Dennis of France
David Cross	...	Sir Pedro of Spain
John Mauldin	...	Sir Patrick of Ireland
Taldo Kenyon	...	Sir Anthony of Italy
Angus Duncan	...	Sir James of Scotland
Leroy Johnson	...	Sir Ulrich of Germany
Marlene Callahan	...	Princess Grace
Nick Bon Tempi	...	Left Siamese Twin

Storyline

George, the son of the sorceress Sybil, has been watching the beautiful Princess Helene from afar and is very much in love with her. When she is kidnapped by the evil wizard Lodac, the king her father announces that she will be given in marriage to whoever rescues her. The first to volunteer is Sir Branton who expects to undertake the task alone. George, over his mother's objections, also decides to save her and is accompanied by six ancient knights. The journey is perilous with Lodac placing a series of challenges before them. Many in the group do not survive but George must eventually face Lodac's greatest challenge - his dragon.

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Plot Keywords:

dragon | sorcerer | magical pool | magical shield | miniature person | 

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Taglines:

The Most Incredible Weapon Ever Wielded!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

April 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

St. George and the Dragon

Filming Locations:

Bronson Caves, Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bert I. Gordon Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shooting commenced at the Goldwyn studio on 11 January 1961. The film was announced and shot entirely as St. George and the 7 Curses. Richard Markowitz was signed to compose the music score on 6 March 1961. On 22 May 1961 United Artists announced they were changing the title to The Magic Sword. Although the screen credits give the official copyright date as 1961, Variety did not get to preview the film until 6 April 1962 at the Academy Awards Theatre. The AFI Catalog lists the first known theatrical screening as 28 March 1962 in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Goofs

When the pinhead henchman drops the cage of little people, they are seen completely escaping; yet a moment later they are seen escaping again from a different angle.

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Quotes

Lodac: [chuckling] You don't like Sir Branton? Oh, come now. A damsel in distress can't afford to pick and choose.

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Crazy Credits

Ross Wheat (dragon-puppet operator) as "dragon trainer".

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Connections

Version of Jackanory: Dragon Tales: St George and the Dragon (1969)

User Reviews

Powerful fantasy storytelling, despite an ultra-low budget

THE MAGIC SWORD (1962) is a fantasy film that enthralled me as a child when I sat in a Bronx theater with a packed house of kids on a summer afternoon. We talked about it for days afterwards and acted it out in our street games. As a grown-up, when I returned to it on TV, I may have found some of the effects less than convincing, particularly the dragon, but I still found the film quite engaging and consistently memorable. The images have a bold graphic quality reminiscent of the best comic book art. Each shot cuts right to its essential information and uses whatever low-budget means at the filmmaker's disposal--make-up, costumes, color, lighting, simple optical effects--to make the image stand out. In addition, there are strong performers on hand who have a kind of comic book/fairy tale aspect to them, e.g. Estelle Winwood, as the hero's spell-casting guardian; Basil Rathbone, as the sorcerer villain; and Vampira as a beautiful woman the knights meet on the road, who turns monstrous at a moment's notice.

The film is not afraid of grotesque imagery and doles it out in small, effective portions. As an adult I was struck by the horrific nature of some of the images, e.g. the withered old hag that Vampira turns into; the acid pool that yields up the skeleton of a victim who'd fallen into it just moments earlier; the burned, reddened skins of two of the knights as they're caught in some kind of intense sun ray. But as a child, I wasn't frightened by these images; they helped make the story more believable and more involving. Filmmaker Bert I. Gordon (THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN) was not afraid to show us the dark, gruesome side of this mythical tale. He wasn't trying to shield the kids in the audience the way bigger-budgeted Hollywood films of this stripe would have at the time (e.g., Harryhausen films like SEVENTH VOYAGE OF SINBAD and THREE WORLDS OF GULLIVER). There was an honesty to Gordon's approach that I think we, as kids, even without being able to articulate it, appreciated and respected. As an adult, I can't get this film out of my mind, while more recent spectacles like the overstuffed LORD OF THE RINGS are but a dim memory.