Hawk The Slayer
Strictly for the birds?
Release Date: OUT NOW!
1980 | PG | Blu- ray Director: Terry Marcel Cast: Terry Marcel, John Terry, Jack Palance, Patricia Quinn
Making its bow on Blu- ray, this British fantasy flick is a mad old brew: a Tolkieninfused sword- andsorcery tale that steals its cues from Sergio Leone Westerns, Hong Kong action cinema and Star Wars, all propelled by a mirror ball-friendly soundtrack that threatens to erupt into “Feels Like I’m In Love” at any moment.
The plotting is pure D& D, as a band of heroes assemble to take down an evil warlord. Armed with a magic sword and the mighty Bernard Bresslaw they traipse through an overcast medieval landscape that looks like the very twilight of the British film industry.
It’s earnest, bloodless, modestly entertaining stuff, energised by Jack Palance as the Vader- helmeted villain, not so much chewing the scenery as filling his face at an all- you- can- eat buffet.
Extras: An absolute hog feast for Hawkophiles: “Revenge By The Sword” is a 1980 edition of ITV’s heroically unpatronising kids’ film show Clapperboard, filled with behind- the- scenes footage. There’s more of the same in “By The Sword Divided”, this time scavenged from ITV’s The Electric Theatre Show. “Sharpening The Blade” brings more behind- the- scenes goodness – seriously, you’ll feel like a mud- spattered peasant extra by the end of all this – while “Raw textless elements” collects snippets of rough footage as well as the original hawk animation from the titles. Also: original theatrical trailer; image gallery.