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Ravagers (film)

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Ravagers
U.S. theatrical release poster
Directed byRichard Compton
Screenplay byDonald S. Sanford[1]
Based onnovel A Path to Savagery by Robert Edmond Alter
Produced byJohn W. Hyde
executive
Saul David
StarringRichard Harris
Ernest Borgnine
Ann Turkel
Art Carney
CinematographyVincent Saizis
Edited byMaury Winetrobe
Music byFred Karlin
Production
company
Cinecorp
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • May 1979 (1979-05)
Running time
87 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$4 million[2]

Ravagers is a 1979 American science fiction action film directed by Richard Compton and based on the 1966 novel Path to Savagery by Robert Edmond Alter.[3] The screenplay concerns survivors of a nuclear holocaust, who do what they can to protect themselves against ravagers, a mutated group of vicious marauders who terrorize the few remaining civilized inhabitants.

Plot

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In the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust, animal-like creatures known as "the ravagers" roam the earth and kill all survivors. A man named Falk (Richard Harris)[4] witnesses his wife's murder by the creatures. Seeking vengeance, Falk becomes a vigilante.

He joins a small community, led by Rann (Ernest Borgnine), living aboard a ship anchored off shore. The ship is destroyed in an attack by the ravagers. Falk then leads his fellow survivors on a desperate quest for a place where they can live in peace.

Cast

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Production

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The film was shot at the Alabama Space and Rocket Center and at the "Three Caves Quarry" at the base of Monte Sano in Huntsville, Alabama. The Three Caves location is unique because it was one of the first limestone quarries in Alabama and for a brief time in 1962 a possible fallout shelter.[5]

Releases

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Ravagers is part of a long line of Hollywood-backed post-apocalyptic films from the 1970s which are difficult to find on television or home video. In the UK the film was released on Betamax and VHS, where Alana Stewart's voice was dubbed by actress Molly Wryn.[6][7]

Reception

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The Los Angeles Times called Ravagers "handsomely produced but relentlessly dull... doesn't have enough story to tell."[5]

References

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  1. ^ "'Midway' writer Donald S. Sanford dies at 92". Variety. 2011-02-15. Archived from the original on 2011-02-20. Retrieved 2011-02-24.
  2. ^ Lee, Grant (10 June 1978). "Redgrave Asks Israel Boycott". Los Angeles Times. p. d5.
  3. ^ "Path to Savagery by Robert Edmond Alter". goodreads.com. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
  4. ^ "Richard Harris at the internet movie database". imdb.com. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
  5. ^ a b Thomas, Kevin (25 May 1979). "Movie Review: Pursuit and Revenge in 'Ravagers'". Los Angeles Times. p. g26.
  6. ^ "Obscure PA film to find". quietearth.us. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
  7. ^ "Disaster on Morris Avenue". bwcitypapers.com. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
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