24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
THE MAGIC SWORD, May 1, 2005
The Magic Sword might seem a bit childish and hokey but it's actually quite a bit of fun fantasy. It has some scarry moments for the youngest and could cause nightmares for the more impressionable but with all the incredible advances in special effects the kiddies are exposed to these days they will probably laugh at this, but I loved it !! It was released in 1962 and was reviewed by Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine the same year. It was directed by Bert I. Gordon and stars Gary Lockwood (2001 A Space Odyssey '68), Richard Kiel (The Spy Who Loved Me '77, Moonraker '74. Eeagh! '62), Anne Helm (Follow That Dream '61), Basil Rathbone (The Adventures of Robin Hood, etc. etc. etc...) and Maila (Vampira) Nurmi. This is probably the best thing Bert I. Gordon ever did. Bert directed Begining of the End and Earth vs the Spider. Later in his career he did Food of the Gods and Empire of the Ants.
Basil kidnaps our princess to feed to the dragon. The king is promising half the kingdom and the girl's hand in marriage, and now you should know where Terry Gilliam went with this promise in Jabberwocky '77. We've got 7 deadly curses and all the actors are obviously having quite a bit of fun along the way.
In 2003 Alpha released a DVD of this but the quality was ABYSMAL. This new release is reportedly in widescreen and one can hope that with the proper attention now we will get the quality the DVD medium offers if handled correctly.
OK, now it's been released and I was pleasantly surprised to see a very good quality DVD. It's widescreen and the clarity is pretty darn good for as old as this movie is. There's alot of rich color, maybe too much but it 's not as saturated as say, The Quiet Man which was way too thick in color saturation. Now I recommend this higher than originally anticipated and give it 4 stars. There's no extras to speak of but I think it's worth the price just to get a good copy of this. The MGM release is the only one to get. Enjoy.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
''Jolly Good Show'!', December 17, 2005
"The Magic Sword" is one of B-movie producer/director Bert I. Gordon's best known films. Granted, it's no masterpiece, but it is enjoyable on it's own terms. The plot, very loosely based on the 'St. George And The Dragon' legend, has a princess (Anne Helm) kidnapped by evil sorcerer Lodac (Basil Rathbone) and hunted by lovesick George (Gary Lockwood). Aided by his foster mother Sybil (Estelle Winwood) a good witch, George vows to save the princess and destroy Lodac. Although this plot has been done to death, it's the acting by the splendid Rathbone and Winwood which keeps this film consistently entertaining. Add some modest, but impressive special effects, and you have a very entertaining minor adventure for the family. Beware: this public domain film is available on several cut-rate DVDs, but only the newly released one from MGM/UA home video is worth the price. They have a beautiful print of the film (it was originally released by United Artists) which contains a fun theatrical trailer. This is the one to get! [phillindholm]
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brings back memories, June 23, 2002
By A Customer
I am so glad I found this video. I've been trying to find out the title to this movie for a long time and when I found out that they still sell the video, I jumped on it right away.
I first saw this movie when I was a kid. I've always remembered the knights that came back to life to help the hero and I always found that fascinating. It's a kid's film and if your kid isn't too spoiled by the high-tech special effects of today, then I think they will like this movie.
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