Hawk the Slayer

Hawk the Slayer
DVD cover of Hawk the Slayer
Directed by	Terry Marcel
Produced by	Harry Robertson
Written by	Terry Marcel Harry Robertson
Starring	Jack Palance John Terry Bernard Bresslaw Ray Charleson Peter O'Farrell W. Morgan Sheppard
Music by	Harry Robertson
Cinematography	Paul Beeson
Editing by	Eric Boyd-Perkins
Release date(s)	1980
Running time	90 min.
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Hawk the Slayer (1980) is a sword and sorcery movie directed by Terry Marcel and starring John Terry and Jack Palance. The protagonist is Hawk, a hero in the Dark Age, where the Evil ruled the world.

Plot summary

In this movie , the wicked Voltan kills his own father because his father refused to turn over the magic of the "last elven mindstone." However, before the old man dies, he bequeaths to his other son, Hawk, a great sword with a pommel shaped like a human hand. The sword's hilt comes to life, grasping the mindstone. The sword has now been imbued with magical powers which include responding to Hawk's mind. Hawk then vows to avenge his father and to kill Voltan. Voltan's evil touches the whole countryside, and in time, there comes to a solitary convent one Ranulf, a man who has survived the attack of Voltan, an evildoer described as "the devil's agent." Ranulf reports to the nuns of Voltan's attack on his people, who have been "hacked to pieces", even the women and children. Ranulf's injured arm is saved, but his hand is beyond saving. He is nursed back to health.

Before long, Voltan appears at the convent. He kidnaps the Abbess, demanding as her ransom all the gold of the convent and the local Abbey. Voltan again injures Ranulf but decides not to kill him. Ranulf rides off to the Abbey to talk with the High Abbot, who sends Ranulf to look for one who can help, namely, Hawk. Hawk discovers Ranulf with the help of a local blind sorceress, a woman whose life he saves when she is accused of witchcraft. Ranulf is the prisoner by this time of two brigands, but Hawk rescues him with the help of his sword.

After a long and dangerous journey, Ranulf and Hawk decide to help the nuns get their Abbess back. Hawk locates his old friends: Gort, a serious giant, who wields a mighty mallet; Crow, an elf of few words and a deadly bow; and Baldin, a wisecracking dwarf, with a whip. Together, the party arrive at the convent, protecting the nuns and working out how to get sufficient gold to lure Voltan into a trap. They rob the needed gold from a slave trader, Sped, by using their combined powers. Knowing Voltan of old, Hawk doubts the promise of Voltan to free the Abbess.

Hawk recalls how Voltan killed Eliane, his wife, by shooting her in the back. Hawk and his friends, suspecting Voltan's treason, decide to rescue the Abbess, but they fail. Later, Hawk kills Drogo, Voltan's son, who had earlier tried to kill Hawk and the nuns. When Voltan realizes that Hawk has killed Drogo, his rage boils, and he engages with the heroes in a final battle at the convent. He is helped by a well-meaning but rogue nun to capture the heroes; she dies for her pains at his hands. With the help of the sorceress, the heroes overcome their captivity, though the dwarf is mortally wounded and dies trying to distract Voltan from torturing Hawk with a hot iron.

In the fighting that ensues, the evil Voltan gets his just reward at the hands of Hawk, and the Abbess is restored. An "underworld influence" informs the audience that Voltan will be restored to life to carry out further evil. Meanwhile, Hawk and the giant, following the sorceress's advice, go south and engage new evildoers, continuing the battle of good against evil.

Cast

• John Terry as Hawk
• Jack Palance as Voltan
• Bernard Bresslaw as Gort
• Ray Charleson as Crow
• Peter O'Farrell as Baldin
• W. Morgan Sheppard (billed as Morgan Sheppard) (as Ranulf)
• Patricia Quinn (as Sorceress)
• Cheryl Campbell (as Sister Monica)
• Annette Crosbie (as Abbess)
• Catriona MacColl (as Eliane)
• Shane Briant (as Drogo)
• Harry Andrews (as High Abbot)
• Christopher Benjamin (as Fitzwalter)
• Roy Kinnear (as Innkeeper)
• Patrick Magee (as Priest)

Soundtrack

The most striking thing about this movie is the soundtrack which alone has gained cult status amongst B movie fans. It is unusual for melding a traditional orchestral arrangement with synthetic disco beats and Ennio Morricone inspired western music. The soundtrack was composed by Harry Robertson who also provided scores for some Hammer Horror films.

2009 sequel

In January 2009, a single page unattributed blog appeared with the following text:

"Terry Marcel, writer and director of legendary cult sword and sorcery movie 'Hawk the Slayer' is returning in 2009 to continue the adventures of Hawk, with a follow up entitled Hawk the Hunter. This official blog, endorsed by Terry will document the full journey of the movie's production with behind the scenes information, photos and interviews. For Hawk fans worldwide who've waited for years and who never thought it would happen, we can tell you it really is happening... Hawk is back!"

There has only been reader comments posted since.

Both Twitchfilm.net and Jingafilms.com reported, at the time, that the director would be Terry Marcel and the producer Andrew Growcock, reporting that Tom Hardy is to play Hawk. As of October 2010, no trace found on IMDB.

However, as of May 2011 the following site has appeared promoting the project and seeking funds from fans and members of the public: http://www.hawkthehunter.com/.

External links

• Hawk the Slayer' view movie
• Hawk the Hunter blog site
• Twitchfilm.net report on Hawk the Hunter, the sequel
• Hawk the Slayer at the Internet Movie Database
• Hawk the Slayer at AllRovi
• www.dvdcommentaries.co.uk Alternative DVD commentary for Hawk The Slayer is available here.

With an updated version of the original theme.