#sydney bromley

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Griffin Dunne, Sydney Bromley, Geoffrey Burridge, Michael Carter, Brenda Cavendish, Will Leighton and David Naughton on set of An American Werewolf In London (1981)

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Dragonslayer (1981)

Directed by: Matthew Robbins Genre: Fantasy, adventure

CW: None Originally written 03/29/2023

It surprises me that I had never heard of this movie till now. I happened upon its DVD in the five dollar movie bin and was very taken by it. I am not totally sure why as the cover art on my copy was not particularly attractive to me (version on the right). I think the version on the left is much cooler personally. But I suppose when you hear a name like "Dragonslayer" you think "Oh this ought to be good" even if it won't be. As it turns out however, it was good. Very good.

The story itself feels expected, though not without elements which serve to make it unique. I think, for the most part, you can very easily predict every step of this movie, but I don’t think this is inherently bad because you can be exceptionally good even if you’re predictable. That isn’t to say that the movie is lazy. It’s just that this is a fantasy movie from the 80s, and during the 70s-80s we were inundated with movies about knights, swords, wizards, and dragons. Our story starts with a group of travelers seeking out the wizard Ulrich (Ralph Richardson) to request that he face their dragon and put it down! You see, for years now virgin daughters have been sacrificed to the dragon. These girls are chosen by a lottery of sorts, their names drawn from a great big bowl at random. The idea is that there is solidarity and shared risk in this sacrifice, however the rich buy their way out of it and so do not have to lose their daughters like the poor do. Really the villagers seem more upset with this unfairness, with this abuse of power, than with the setup itself.

Ulrich agrees to help but is challenged to prove his magic by one of the king’s men who had followed the troupe of villagers. Ulrich accepts the challenge and asks that the guard stab him. Well rather hilariously, Ulrich dies, leaving behind his apprentice Galen (Peter MacNicol) and servant Hodge (Sydney Bromley). Galen, driven by a newfound sense of confidence and arrogance decides that he must carry out his mentor’s wishes and slay the dragon himself! He believes this is his path because his master’s amulet keeps mysteriously escaping the box it's put in and glowing.

Ulric’s body is burned and Hodge collects the ashes as he was instructed to by Ulric previously. He will die later too and give them to Galen, telling him to cast them into the burning lake, so you know they will come back.

In any case, Galen has his quest and about 40 minutes into the film, makes good on his word and slays the dragon! At this point he has made a friend of sorts out of one of the villagers, Valerian (Caitlin Clarke). She has been living as a man since she was born but the movie does not keep this information from us for long. About two scenes into meeting her character I figured that we would find out she was disguised as a man and eventually we see her heading to a river to bathe. The inevitable happens- Galen finds out she’s a woman- and well we know what will come of their relationship by the end of the movie.

Our first look at the dragon is almost entirely through perspective shots from its view. A maiden has been brought before its lair as the latest sacrifice and she is trying fruitlessly to free herself, getting her own blood over her dress as the chains tear into her skin. It’s a very cruel scene.

The earth rumbles and eventually, elegantly peeking over the rocks, comes a clawed hand. From here the shot changes to overhead of the beast. It is blurry so that our focus is on the girl, but we can see the muscles in the back of its neck flex and expand. It’s possibly my favorite shot of the animal. During the rest of the scene we only see its leg and tail. We shall not see its face till our climax.

The whole movie builds to this big reveal of the dragon brilliantly. The dragon stays formidable and chilling the entire time. We only get exposed to it piece at a time and we see much of its carnage from its perspective. It makes the deaths of its victims at once intimate, but also more cruel as we are put into the shoes of a creature we cannot even hope to begin to understand.

The practical effects and props are very good looking, save for when the greenscreen comes out. You will see a lot of people and things wreathed in green, especially near the end. It’s not so bad though if I’m being honest. It’s never so bothersome as to keep me from enjoying the action.

When I saw the dragon, I found myself wanting to compare it to Dragonheart’s (1996) Draco the dragon. The movies are actually aesthetically very similar, which is probably why I stared at Dragonslayer’s DVD cover for so long, transfixed in the Walmart. DH came out over a decade after DS and while being very much a campy fantasy film of the same ilk, is also a parody of said movies. The two dragons are so different from one another. Seeing them side by side is actually a really interesting look at character creation and how the shape of features evokes certain feelings in an audience.

Draco of DH (on the right) is more cat-like and round. His face is short, and his eyes are big. There is an adorable quality about this, at least comparatively. He also gets to talk, being voiced by Sean Connery, which really humanizes him for us. We get to see into his thoughts and he’s also one of our heroes. We are meant to like him and root for him.

Vermithrax Pejorative, our fiendish lizard in DS is in stark contrast. For one, her name is much cooler. She is also never humanized in any capacity. We see that she has hatchlings, and that she even seems to mourn their death, but this display isn’t shown to make us feel bad for her. We see her cruelty through her eyes. It seems that her actions, even prior to the death of her young, are beyond the call of duty if she were merely trying to raise her young. Design wise, she is much more wolfish and lean. Her face is long, her eyes small and beady. Her body often has this sweaty, grimy texture to it as well. She is sinister and threatening.

The differences this film has with Dragonheart are not really the point here- but I will say if either one of these films interests you- you will most assuredly enjoy the other.

Anyway, back to Galen. As I said, he goes about destroying the dragon early on. Or so he thinks. Really we all know that his arrogance simply leads him to believe he has and that he has in fact made the situation much worse.

The night of the dragon’s apparent slaying is one of merriment and features Valerian presenting as a woman for the first time. Galen invites her to dance and makes her feel welcome. It’s very sweet.

The festivities are interrupted by that pesky king’s guard from before. He takes Galen to the palace where the King interrogates him, takes his magic amulet, and casts him in the dungeon. During the night he is broken out and the dragon attacks the town. While in captivity he meets Princess Elspeth. He tells her that the king has been keeping her name out of the lottery all along, which she seems to have been ignorant of and, to her credit, is horrified by. As a result of the dragon being even angrier than before and attacking their town, another lottery is called. Elspeth, now aware of what has been going on for her sake, decides to make all of the lottery names her own. The king tries to stop this, but it is too late. Her name has been read to the villagers and it is expected that she will be the next sacrifice. The king, desperate to see this thwarted, then returns Galen’s amulet to him and insists he keep the princess from dying.

Galen, is back on the case and with the help of Valerian and her blacksmith father, prepares a special spear and shield of dragon scales to take into battle. Valerian and Galen talk one last time before he's on his way and they share a small kiss. And thusly, we arrive at my favorite scene. An epic battle between Galen and our dragon, which we finally get to see in full. You have no idea how exciting this scene is. It’s great! The dragon looms from out of the pool in its cave which is laden with fire, slowly and melodically. It's imposing and physical. I just love watching it move, especially as the enter different chambers of the cave. I just can't get enough of this part of the film. Watching it fills me with thrills!

Galen ends up unable to kill the dragon- his spear breaking through his efforts. He is injured but survives. Valerian, desperate to keep it that way, convinces him that there is no life for them in the village, and that they should make the best of what they have and leave. So, Galen and her prepare to go, when Galen has a vision. His second in the movie so this is not new. The vision is of a burning lake. Now… I could have sworn someone mentioned one of those in the beginning of the film....

Suddenly Galen gets it! AND... I'm gonna cut it off there... The climax of the movie is really rewarding and also unexpected. There is something very fun about the bit of subversion we get via Galen and his character arc. The dragon does die at the end, as expected. The corpse looks epic though, I must say. There's so much wet and charred flesh bits and parts of organs peeling off exposed bone. I really love seeing practical props and effects like this. I mean, they get my heart a-going pitter-patter with glee, and this movie does exactly that to me. In the end, Valerian and Galen leave together, wandering out to find their own happiness together. I just, adore this movie. In rewriting this review I am renewed with a desire to watch it again and relive the wonderful little adventure that it takes me on. My final rating is a 7/10.

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Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna - USA - December 7-8, 1986

Biography (2 episodes)

Running Time: 195 minutes total

Stars:

Amy Irving as Anastasia "Anna" Anderson

Olivia de Havilland as Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna

Rex Harrison as Grand Duke Cyril Romanov (His last screen appearance)

Jan Niklas as Prince Erich

Nicolas Surovy as Serge Markov

Susan Lucci as Darya Romanoff

Elke Sommer as Isabel Von Hohenstauffen

Edward Fox as Dr. Hauser

Claire Bloom as Czarina Alexandra

Omar Sharif as Czar Nicholas II

Jennifer Dundas as Grand Duchess Anastasia

Christian Bale as Tsarevich Alexei

Andrea Bretterbauer as Sonya Markov

Sydney Bromley as Herbert

Arnold Diamond as Dr. Markov

Carol Gillies as Sasha

Julian Glover as Colonel Eugene Kobylinsky

Rachel Gurney as Grand Duchess Victoria

Betty Marsden as Princess Troubetskaya

Tim McInnerny as Yakovlev

Angela Pleasence as Clara

Julia Koehler as one of the three sisters

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A bronze portrait bust of George V by Sydney March, 1911.

The King Emperor is portrayed in his coronation year of 1911 and is shown wearing the robes and insignia of the Order of the Garter, the insignia of the Royal Victorian Order and of the Order of St John of Jerusalem. Signed and dated 1911.Sydney March (1876–1968) was the second of nine children, eight of whom became artists. The March family established their own sculpture studio at Goddendene, Kent, in 1901. Sydney also worked with the art founders Elkington, and was responsible for royal portraits, including Queen Victoria, Queen Alexandra and George V, and for producing figures, busts and statues of leading figures of the day.  In the early 1920‘s the March studio was honoured with a visit by members of the Royal Family. Sydney’s public works include statues of Colonel Bevington (Tooley Street, London Bridge, 1911) and Lord Kitchener (Calcutta, 1914; Khartoum, 1921, removed to Royal School of Military Engineering, Chatham, 1958). Among his portrait busts were Cecil Rhodes, Sir John French. March also executed a number of war memorials including Bromley Parish Church (1921) and the United Empire Loyalists Memorial (Hamilton, Ontario, 1929). Following the death of Vernon March in 1930, Sydney and his siblings completed the Canadian National War Memorial at Ottawa.

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(Literary License Podcast)

Pufnstuf (also known as Pufnstuf Zaps the World) is a 1970 American comedy fantasy musical film produced by Sid and Marty Krofft Enterprises and released by Universal Pictures. It is based on the children's television series H.R. Pufnstuf, a show that features a cast of puppets on a "living island."

 The NeverEnding Story is a 1984 fantasy film co-written and directed by Wolfgang Petersen (in his first English-language film), and based on the 1979 novel The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. It was produced by Bernd Eichinger and Dieter Giessler, and stars Noah Hathaway, Barret Oliver, Tami Stronach, Patricia Hayes, Sydney Bromley, Gerald McRaney and Moses Gunn, with Alan Oppenheimer providing the voices of Falkor and Gmork (as well as other characters). It follows a boy who finds a magical book that tells of a young warrior who is given the task of stopping the Nothing, a dark force, from engulfing the wonderland world of Fantasia.

 At the time of its release, it was the most expensive film produced outside the United States or the Soviet Union. It was the first in The NeverEnding Story film series. It adapts only the first half of the book, and consequently does not convey the message of the title as it was portrayed in the novel. The second half of the book was subsequently used as a rough basis for the second film, The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter (1990). The third film, The NeverEnding Story III: Escape from Fantasia (1994), has an original plot not based on the book.

 Opening Credits; Introduction (1.22); Background History (13.09); PufnStuf (1970) Trailer (29.44); Our Opening Presentation (16.29); Let's Rate (55.07); Introducing Our Next Feature (1:00.40); NeverEnding Story (1984) Trailer (1:02.11); Lights, Camera, Action (1:03.30); How Many Stars (1:41.31); End Credits (1:49.16); Closing Credits (1:51.23)

 Opening Credits– Epidemic Sound – Copyright . All rights reserved

 Closing Credits:  NeverEnding Story by Limahl.  Taken from the album Don’t Suppose.  Copyright 1984 EMI Records/Zap the World by Billie Hayes and Martha Raye. Taken from the album PufnStuf.  Copyright 1970 Capitol Records

​

Original Music copyrighted 2020 Dan Hughes Music and the Literary License Podcast. 

 All rights reserved.  Used by Kind Permission.

 All songs available through Amazon Music.

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NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR (1954, BBC TV LIVE) – Episode 147 – Decades Of Horror: The Classic Era

“Now then, come on there. Them stew with salt and them stew without. Come on, now.” Isn’t it wonderful to have options in your diet? Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Chad Hunt, Whitney Collazo, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, and Jeff Mohr – as they take in the telerecording of a live performance of Nineteen Eighty-Four (1954), based on Nigel Kneale’s adaptation of George Orwell’s famous novel and featuring Peter Cushing in possibly his best performance.

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Episode 147 – Nineteen Eighty-Four (1954, BBC TV Live)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

ANNOUNCEMENT Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE CHANNEL, and WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL Which all now include video episodes of The Classic Era! Available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, Online Website. Across All OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop. https://classicscifichannel.com/; https://classichorrorchannel.com/; https://wickedhorrortv.com/

In a totalitarian future society, Winston Smith, whose daily work is re-writing history, tries to rebel by falling in love.

  Director: Rudolph Cartier

Writers: Nigel Kneale (adapted as a television play by), George Orwell (novel) 

Selected Cast:

Peter Cushing as Winston Smith

André Morell as O’Brien

Yvonne Mitchell as Julia Dixon

Donald Pleasence as Syme

Arnold Diamond as Emmanuel Goldstein

Campbell Gray as Parsons

Hilda Fenemore as Mrs. Parsons

Pamela Grant as Parsons Girl

Keith Davis as Parsons Boy

Janet Barrow as Woman Supervisor

Norman Osborne as First Youth

Tony Lyons as Second Youth

Malcolm Knight as Third Youth

John Baker as First Man

Victor Platt as Second Man

Van Boolen as Barman

Wilfrid Brambell as Old Man / Thin Prisoner

Leonard Sachs as Mr. Charrington

Sydney Bromley as Waiter

Janet Joye as Canteen Woman

Harry Lane as Guard

Richard Williams as Narrator

Nigel Kneale as Telescreen Announcer (voice) (uncredited)

Roy Oxley as Big Brother (uncredited)

Join the Grue-Crew for a very special episode featuring a review of the 1954 BBC TV presentation of Nineteen Eighty-Four (originally an episode of BBC Sunday-Night Theatre) starring Peter Cushing in a break-out role alongside André Morell, Yvonne Mitchell, and Donald Pleasence. The original presentation on December 12, 1954, was controversial and unrecorded. Thankfully for genre fans and Peter Cushing fans alike, BBC programmed a second live show on December 16 which was recorded and remains available today. Check out what the Grue-Crew have to say about this slice of British television history. Let’s just say they were gobsmacked.

At the time of this writing, Nineteen Eighty-Four is available to stream from the Classic Sci-Fi Movie Channel and is available as a Blu-ray disc (Playback Region B/2) from BFI.

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era records a new episode every two weeks. Up next in their very flexible schedule is one chosen by Whitney, Even the Wind is Afraid (1968, Hasta el viento tiene miedo), written and directed by Carlos Enrique Taboada, starring Marga López, and credited as having revitalized the Mexican horror genre.

Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: leave them a message or leave a comment on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel, the site, or email the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com

To each of you from each of them, “Thank you so much for watching and listening!”

Check out this episode!

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Carry On Cowboy (1965) Gerald Thomas

December 11th 2021

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An American Werewolf in London (1981) publicity photos