THE SWORD AND THE SORCERER (1982) on 4K/Blu-Ray - Andy's Review

[AndyDursin]

A movie that had a fraction of CONAN's budget -- and came within $500,000 of OUT-grossing it! -- finally gets a high-def master from Shout.

[Paul MacLean]

I still have never seen it. But it has my old pal Richard Lynch, so I suppose I should check it out!

[AndyDursin]

It is low-budget stuff all the way through -- but it was much more profitable than CONAN and basically made the same amount of money in the US. I'll check it again though I don't recall it being very good when I saw it as a kid!

[Chris Shaneyfelt]

A movie that had a fraction of CONAN's budget -- and came within $500,000 of OUT-grossing it!

Now that's some fascinating trivia! I had no idea about its commercial success. I have tried to watch it on Amazon Prime, but can only find the MST3K (or RiffTrax?) version. What little I saw of it was pretty campy. Marshall Harvey did a TFH episode on the film:

[John Johnson]

Back in the day, this was one of the first Varese Sarabande LPs I bought. I see the CD is still available.

https://www1.screenarchives.com/title_d ... -SORCERER/

[AndyDursin]

Thanks Chris for the Marshall Harvey video!

I'm interested in seeing the film again. My only viewing was a snowy UHF broadcast when (I believe) it went out as part of Universal's syndicated weekend movie package to local stations. I must've been 10 or 11.

[AndyDursin]

4/10

Released a few weeks ahead of “Conan the Barbarian” — and improbably coming within a fraction of its U.S. domestic gross — this slapdash cash-in on the early ’80s fantasy genre catapulted by the success of Dungeons & Dragons and movies like “Excalibur” has been fully remastered in a brand-new Shout! Factory 4K UHD.

This independently-made picture from Group 1 and producer Brandon Chase (“Alligator”) stars Lee Horsley (yep, “Matt Houston” himself) as a mercenary who goes up against evil King Richard Lynch in order to save lovely belle Kathleen Beller (“Dynasty”) and restore the kingdom’s true heir (Simon MacCorkindale) to the throne. Plenty of slimy effects and cheap action scenes abound in this “Brandon Chase film,” one of the few examples I can think of where the producer (not the director) takes full credit for the production! (Of course, given director Albert Pyun’s checkered career output, perhaps the movie’s box-office gold wasn’t entirely the director’s doing).

Despite getting an “A” for effort under the circumstances of a highly troubled shoot, the movie provides only sporadic moments of entertainment with a TV-centric cast that also includes familiar faces like George Maharis, Joe Regalbuto (“Murphy Brown”) and Richard Moll (“Night Court”) trying to have fun — but the entire production is let down by the movie’s meager budget. Endless, claustrophobic scenes of poorly-staged, dimly-lit action abound here along with a running time that feels bloated (even at 99 minutes), while Pyun’s helming, as Kathleen Beller notes in a new interview, shows evidence of how out of his depth he was.

A nostalgic trip back to the ’82 multiplex for some, “Sword and the Sorcerer” was last seen in an Anchor Bay DVD that’s somehow now over 20 years old. Shout’s new 4K scan from the original negative (1.85) with Dolby Vision HDR is satisfying and as helpful as it can be to source material that’s not especially well-shot or visually appealing. More potent is David Whitaker’s hard-working orchestral score, which I appreciated much more on this view — the British composer’s efforts give the threadbare production a much-needed touch of class and energy, though its fidelity here is hampered by a compromised stereo track (2.0 DTS MA) that was the only surviving audio element Shout could locate. Yes, the disc does include the 5.1 Anchor Bay DVD remix, but it’s less effective and piles noise reduction onto the excessively bright but still more satisfying original Dolby Stereo sound stage.

Extra features really shine here: Beller’s lengthy interview kicks off with the actress noting the first day of shooting was marked by cast and crew running to a nearby pay phone, asking their agents if they could somehow get off the movie! Her honesty about the film’s shortcomings and enduring appeal amongst some fans make for an enjoyable conversation while other insightful interviewees include editor Marshall Harvey, who notes working with Whitaker; Albert Pyun himself; co-writer John Stuckmeyer; make-up artist Allan Apone; FX artists the Chiodo Brothers; and a remembrance of stuntman Jack Tyree. Pyun also contributes a new commentary while a Trailers From Hell segment, trailers, TV spot, and a still gallery grace a supplemental section exclusively found in the set’s contained Blu-Ray platter, offering a likewise well-executed 1080p (1.85) presentation of the 4K restoration.