The Beastmaster (film)
| The Beastmaster | |
|---|---|
 The Beastmaster movie poster |
|
| Directed by | Don Coscarelli |
| Produced by | Paul Pepperman Sylvio Tabet |
| Written by | Don Coscarelli Paul Pepperman |
| Starring | Marc Singer Tanya Roberts Rip Torn |
| Music by | Lee Holdridge |
| Cinematography | John Alcott |
| Editing by | Roy Watts |
| Distributed by | Metro Goldwyn Mayer |
| Release date(s) | August 16, 1982 U.S. limited release |
| Running time | 118 min. |
| Country | United States/West Germany |
| Language | English |
| Budget | N/A |
The Beastmaster is a 1982 fantasy film directed by Don Coscarelli and starring Marc Singer, Tanya Roberts, John Amos and Rip Torn. The film was marketed with the tagline "Born with the courage of an eagle, the strength of a black tiger, and the power of a god."
Contents |
[edit] Summary
The Beastmaster tells the story of Dar (Marc Singer), the royal son of a king named Zed (Rod Loomis) who was stolen from the womb of Zed's queen (Vanna Bonta) by a witch under the command of vicious high-priest sorcerer Maax (Rip Torn). A poor villager saves Dar from being sacrificed and raises him as his own son, teaching Dar how to fight and witnessing the boy's ability to telepathically communicate with animals.
Their happiness is destroyed when their village is attacked by the evil Jun horde, a race of fanatic beast-like warriors controlled by Maax. Dar, the only survivor of the attack, vows revenge and journeys to his father's former kingdom to destroy Maax.
[edit] Cast
| Character | Actor |
|---|---|
| Dar | Marc Singer |
| Kiri | Tanya Roberts |
| Maax | Rip Torn |
| Seth | John Amos |
| Tal | Josh Milrad |
| King Zed | Rod Loomis |
| Zed's Queen | Vanna Bonta |
| Young Dar's father | Ben Hammer |
| Sacco | Ralph Strait |
| Young Dar | Billy Jacoby |
| Jun Leader | Tony Epper |
| Tils | Paul Reynolds |
[edit] Reception
This sword-and-sorcery film was only a modest box-office performer during its initial 1982 release, grossing roughly $14 million against an estimated $8-million budget, but it has steadily built a strong cult following over the years.[1] It subsequently received significant local TV and cable airplay, notably HBO and TBS where it became a TV mainstay and viewer favorite. Its replay was so common that some waggishly dubbed TBS "The Beastmaster Station",[2] and HBO as "Hey, Beastmaster is On". The film currently holds a 50% rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
As such, the movie eventually spawned two sequels Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time[3] (1991), and Beastmaster III: The Eye of Braxus[4] (1996, TV only), and a television series.[5] A special feature, The Making of Beastmaster 2,[6] was also produced in 1991, and another one The Saga of The Beastmaster[7] (2005) was released on video.
[edit] References in Popular Culture
In the TV series Community, Pierce Hawthorne (Chevy Chase) dresses as Dar for Halloween in the episode Introduction to Statistics[8].
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=beastmaster.htm
- ^ The In-Sect - article - movie - retro - Marc Singer is THE Beastmaster
- ^ Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time (1991)
- ^ Beastmaster: The Eye of Braxus (1996) (TV)
- ^ "BeastMaster" (1999)
- ^ The Making of 'Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time' (1991) (V)
- ^ The Saga of 'The Beastmaster' (2005) (V)
- ^ IMDb - "Community" Introduction to Statistics
[edit] External links
|
|||||||||||||||||
