What did we do wrong and where is Ray Harryhausen when we really could have used him? This is a fun low-budget adventure that could have benefitted from a few measures of Dynamation. It is a pity that the monsters don’t cut it an ogre with a bad perm topped off by a mask, and a dragon with two heads whose flames appear superimposed. It is as close to being as good as we expected from this genre, which depends on ripping off older mythologies.
Not to forget Gary Lockwood’s (The Model Shop, 1969) first glimpses and Basil Rathbone’s (The Comedy of Terrors, 1963) having a ball playing a villain who somehow (this point is not explained) has lost his magic ring. That means he is left with no choice but to strike a bargain with Sir Branton, his most hated, vile knight who (Liam Sullivan) came upon it (this plot point is unexplained) and is going to kidnap Princess Helene (Anne Helm). He is slightly hindered in explaining his plans because his voice is often drowned out by the thunder he can summon just by raising his arms.
The tension is real even when they face sorceress Sybil (Estelle Winwood) and her accomplices, like Sir George (Gary Lockwood), who have a variety of magical artifacts like a sword, a shield, armor, and the fastest horse ever which they will use to rescue a fair maiden. The horse will then be used to escape from the castle of Lodac (Basil Rathbone), which has a dragon that enjoys munching on humans, preferably twins or sisters.
When she is not in the form of a cat, Sybil spends her time in a red-lit room that serves as a permanent ‘darkroom’. It is not surprising that while aged 300, she is incapable of remembering spells. She should be able to recall a lot more. And her entourage includes a chimp that does nothing, which leaves one to wonder what the point of that was. Then there is the two-headed man, who seems more interesting as both faces speak the same words in unison.
This time, there’s a twist on the magnificent 7 whereby Sir George animates six helpers, a multicultural mix if you will, or an attempt to goose audiences from six various nationalities, if you prefer. This is a game in which you need numbers. It is a given that the mob, aided or hindered by Sir Branton, has to find a way around The Seven Curses of Ladoc (the film’s other name in different regions), which involves an ogre and a putrid swamp. But sure enough, those threats do begin to whittle down the assorted crew.
At the same time, the imprisoned princess is being taunted by dwarves while the dragon devours her. The caged elves, it turns out, are more friendly. There are going to be two showdowns, not one, because Lady Lodac does not plan for her to remain in captivity with Branton intact. He is committed to some vendetta, given that the king’s father had burned his sister at the stake as a witch.
If you will, the meet-cute, in this case, is the princess and their potential rescuer locked face-to-face in a dungeon, albeit tied by ropes to stakes. Actually, Sybil does her best to assist but has a brain freeze mixed with spell recall difficulties.
Gary Lockwood, with his first leading role, gave his all and only starred in two additional films before something in this position as well as It Happened at the World’s Fair (1963) and Firecreek (1967) brought Stanley Kubrick’s attention to him. A star was in the making and he was the one to direct 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). So it does show that no part, however ridiculous, is worth turning down.
Those were the variants that would supersede the ranking, so he was top-billed, with no other competitors to solve the loving problem Estelle Winwood (Games, 1967) as the dotty aunt kind of sorceress. What dictates, I wonder from Hollywood determined that leading actresses love to make their big entrance swimming naked in a pool. Anne Helm does not have much to do except look scared in The Interns (1962). Danielle De Metz and others, you might find her then also.
As for the pace, it never slows, and there is no room for laziness since it is also set to achieve all the curses to combat and deal with the deceitful Sir Branton. Plus, it’s short, just 80 minutes.
In this case, it looks like director Bert I. Gordon (The Amazing Colossal Man, 1957) has been here before with the special effects that appear dodgy for contemporary audiences but were cutting edge in the day when SFX had no multi-million dollar budgets to support them. Gordon and Oscar-nominated Bernard C. Schoenfeld (13 West Street, 1962) wrote the screenplay.
While Harryhausen’s tales were always rescued by special effects, this is easily palatable late-night entertainment when the critical guard is lowered.
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