The Sword and the Sorcerer – 101 Films

Director: Albert Pyun
Screenplay: Albert Pyun, Tom Karnowski and John V. Stuckmeyer
Starring: Lee Horsley, Kathleen Beller, Simon MacCorkindale, George Maharis and Richard Lynch
Country: United States
Running Time: 99 min
Year: 1982

It’s strange to say but Albert Pyun is one of my favourite directors, from all accounts. I hadn’t seen any of his films before checking out The Sword and the Sorcerer for this review but I was incredibly familiar with his work and have read countless interviews with him over the years. When he unfortunately passed away in 2022, I was devastated and wanted to dive into his filmography to see the work of one of the ultimate B-movie filmmakers. Two years later, 101 Films announce that they’re porting over Shout! Factory’s UHD release of his first film, The Sword and the Sorcerer so I grabbed a friend well-versed in Pyun’s work and we watched the film.

I’m not a big sword-and-sorcery/fantasy fan, although I enjoy the occasional big fantasy epic such as The Lord of the Rings, but it’s also a genre I need to dive into more. Made right before Conan the Barbarian released in US theatres, The Sword and the Sorcerer is an attempt to cash in on the success of films and properties like the aforementioned Conan, as well as Excalibur and Dungeons and Dragons, as mentioned in the extras for this release. When you think of a film that’s trying to release before a big blockbuster, your mind will probably go straight to the work of The Asylum, releasing Transmorphers before Transformers, or Snakes on a Train before Snakes on a Plane but the difference between a typical ‘mockbuster’ that The Asylum releases and The Sword and the Sorcerer is one thing. Albert Pyun. 

From the opening, it’s clear that Pyun is having the time of his life with this fantasy universe, delivering orcs, genuinely haunting visuals, colourful lighting, tongue-in-cheek but sincere performances and more with The Sword and the Sorcerer. Early into the film, our protagonist’s father is murdered, so Prince Talon uses his father’s sword, which has the incredible ability of shooting out the blades like a gun and attempts to take revenge. There’s also the deceased sorcerer Xusia, who’s resurrected by the tyrannical King Cromwell before attempting to murder him, the love interest Princess Alana and Machelli, Cromwell’s personal adviser and an overall knobhead. It’s a great cast of characters and despite the fact that a lot of the exposition sequences leave a lot to be desired for the viewers, knowing that Pyun’s fun action is right around the corner keeps you anticipating whatever’s next. 

The entire third act of The Sword and the Sorcerer, without getting into spoilers, delivers everything one could possibly want from a film like this. When you’re thinking to yourself “Where’s this character?”, they’ll suddenly appear in the most theatrical sequence you’ve ever seen. When you’re wondering where a certain weapon is, it’ll be used in the most bombastic way possible. It’s truly a film that gets better as it goes along, and given how difficult it can be for filmmakers to stick the landing, it’s a testament to the craft of Pyun, despite the countless production issues the film had, resulting in him not even getting final cut on the final product that it turned out as well as it did. 

While there’s a lot of The Sword and the Sorcerer that isn’t spectacular, primarily the writing, the joys of the highlights are worth watching for. If anything, it’s only made me even more excited to see more of Pyun’s work in the future. If they’re anything like this, I know I’m in for a good time!

Film:

The Sword and the Sorcerer released on Limited Edition 4K UHD and Blu-ray via 101 Films on November 4th in the UK. The discs are a UK port of the Shout! Factory UHD release from 2022, and retain the same transfer and bonus features. Visually, the film looks decent on UHD, although it’s an incredibly grainy transfer. Granted, the film wasn’t a huge blockbuster and this is likely the reason why the transfer isn’t a complete revelation, but there’s moments which look absolutely stunning throughout the film thanks to the Dolby Vision HDR grade. Audio wise, there’s both  English DTS HD MA 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 Stereo tracks to choose from. The 5.1 track is what I went with and thought it sounded excellent and complimented the score well. It’s a good A/V presentation, but it didn’t quite blow me away as I was hoping. The following extras are included: 

SPECIAL FEATURES

Limited edition extras: Rigid box packaging • Set of art cards • Poster featuring original artwork • Limited edition booklet includes ‘Cromwell’s Madhouse: The Sword and the Sorcerer Revisited’ by Mat Colegate and ‘The Sword, the Sorcerer and the Visionary’ by Paul Rowlands

Extras: Tales of the Ancient Empire – An interview with director Albert Pyun • A Princess’ Tale – An interview with actress Kathleen Beller • Mightier than the Sword – An interview with co-writer/co-producer John Stuckmeyer • Master of the Blade – An interview with editor Marshall Harvey • The Specialist and the Effects – An interview with special makeup effects artist Allan Apone • Brothers in Arms – An interview with special effects artists the Chiodo brothers – Charles, Edward and Stephen • Dedicated to Jack Tyree, Stuntman – The cast and crew remember stuntman Jack Tyree • Trailers From Hell – Editor Marshall Harvey on the Sword and the Sorcerer • Theatrical trailers • TV spot • Still gallery

The audio commentary with Albert Pyun is moderated by John Charles and was recorded in 2022 for the Shout! Factory release. There’s a little overlap with his interview that’s included on this release, but it’s a laid back track packed with anecdotes about the chaotic production, what it was like directing his first feature and more. Recommended for fans.

Tales of the Ancient Empire is a 33 minute interview with director Albert Pyun, ported from the Shout! Factory release and has Pyun detailing his early days making short films, before going to Los Angeles to make feature films. It’s an in-depth look back at his experiences making the film, how he didn’t get final cut and some other issues that happened during the production but hearing Pyun talk is a delight, as always. It’s clear that his passion for films was still there in 2022, when this interview was recorded, right before his untimely passing. A great watch.

A Princess’ Tale is a 24 minute interview with actress Kathleen Beller, ported over from the Shout! Factory disc and details her career before Sorcerer, her role on Dynasty and her working relationship with those on the production of Sorcerer. She has some funny anecdotes about Lee Horsley and the scene involving a snake. A solid, entertaining interview.

Mightier than the Sword is a 20 minute interview with co-writer/co-producer John Stuckmeyer, ported from the Shout! Factory release and it’s a fun watch. He talks about his admiration for Pyun, his experiences writing and producing Sword and the Sorcerer and more. Stuckmeyer is a great interviewee and I’d recommend checking this one out.

Master of the Blade is a 14 minute interview with editor Marshall Harvey, ported over from the Shout! Factory release and Harvey discusses his working relationship with producer Brandon Chase, editing the trailer and TV spots for Alligator and his experience editing The Sword and the Sorcerer. He mentions how Sorcerer was made to capitalise on the upcoming release of Conan the Barbarian, as well as the success of Excalibur and Dungeons and Dragons. It’s another fun interview. 

The Specialist and the Effects is a 12 minute interview with special makeup effects artist Allan Apon, ported over from the Shout! Factory release and Apon’s a fun subject to listen to. He talks about the storyboarding process, how he crafted the makeup effects for the film and the non-union nature of the production. A good watch.

Brothers in Arms is a 10 minute interview with the three special effects artists the Chiodo brothers, ported over from the Shout! Factory release. Charles, Edward and Stephen talk about the process of creating some of the effects for the film, while reminiscing on how much fun it was to work with Pyun. They’re a funny trio and if you’re familiar with the Chiodo brothers, you’ll have a great time with this one.

Dedicated to Jack Tyree, Stuntman is a featurette where the cast and crew of the film reminisce. The cast and crew remember stuntman Jack Tyree who performed one of the most memorable stunts in the film, but unfortunately lost his life doing it. It’s a nice piece that runs for 10 minutes that pays respect to Tyree. 

A Trailers From Hell segment with editor Marshall Harvey is included, where he narrates an R Rated trailer for the film.  

Two theatrical trailers and a TV spot are included. 

A still gallery is also included.

I wasn’t provided with the rigid box packaging, the art cards, the poster or the booklet, unfortunately.

The 101 Films release of Albert Pyun’s The Sword and the Sorcerer might be a direct port of the Shout! discs, but from the looks of things, the physical goodies make up another excellent title in their Black Label range. Fans of fantasy films or the work of Pyun absolutely should add this one to their collection immediately!

Disc/Packaging:

Where to watch The Sword and the Sorcerer