411-The Magic Sword

Film Year:  1962
Genre:  Fantasy
Director:  Bert I. Gordon
Starring:  Basil Rathbone, Estelle Winwood, Anne Helm, Gary Lockwood, Liam Sullivan, Maila Nurmi
MST Season:  4

The Movie

The John Ford of MST directors, Bert I. Gordon, gives superimposed photography of insects and reptiles a break to bring to us something a bit different:  a fantasy fairy tale.  The Magic Sword is the story of a princess kidnapped by the evil former Sherlock Holmes, Basil Rathbone, who intends to feed her to a giant plastic dragon.  The king puts out a reward for her return, her hand in marriage.  Obviously long before the #MeToo movement, the foster son of a witch commands a group of undead knights in an attempt to save the woman he lusts after, consensual love be damned!

This movie is actually fairly well liked among MSTie circles, though I personally admit if I were to pop in a Bert Gordon movie for entertainment value it would most likely either be Amazing Colossal Man or Beginning of the End.  I see where the love stems from though.  The Magic Sword actually has a lot in common with the Russian fantasies that MST would later get their hands on, like The Sword and the Dragon and the like, only it's less convoluted and since it's an English language production very little gets lost in translation.

The biggest issue between the comparison between The Magic Sword and the Russian fantasy films is that Gordon's own special effects techniques aren't as neat-looking.  He of course does his matte shots with a scene with a giant ogre, which definitely looks like a dude in a Halloween mask swatting at air.  There is also the climax with a dragon which is an actual prop, which is interesting for Gordon because I would have expected him to use a zoomed up image of a lizard instead.  However, it's very immobile, making it quite possibly the least believable special effect in Gordon's career.

But The Magic Sword is fun escapism for those looking for an old-timey live action fantasy.  It's not perfect, though in comparison to a lot of movies on MST it's practically Oscar worthy.  It has gusto and the cast gives what they can to make the production as viable as possible, and sometimes that's the best you can ask for.

The Episode

"This is like Romeo and Juliet."

"Except not good."

"It's actually more like a Ritz Brothers movie."

"Except it's good."

Joel and the Bots don't seem that put off by the movie this week, which is kinda goofy and fun on its own.  Their approach to this movie seems to merely enhance it and make it goofier and more fun.  Personally I think a bit more could have been done with this movie, as they just seem in a very silly mood rather than cutting deep, which I think they could have done if they were inclined to.  But I don't think they wanted to hurt this movie, just play with it.  I wouldn't say the commentary is worth praising too heavily, but it's often pretty funny and keeps momentum up even if the film has wandered a bit aimlessly.

Of note: Rifftrax re-riffed this movie.  I have yet to see this version of it.

The host segments aren't losers, though I admit not being too impressed by any of them.  They play on the name of the film's star by creating a dog treat called "Basil Rath-BONES" (Get it?!  GET IT?!), put on a medieval pageant, Crow dumps Kim Cattrall for Estelle Warren, and Joel's a caricature artist.  They're not un-amusing, but it's more of a shrug and a "why not?" reaction from me rather than actual enjoyment.  The Invention Exchange gets a similar reaction from me, with Big Gulp Berets and a Bio-Hazard Absorbing Throw Pillow.  The big payoff in the latter is a radiation poisoned Frank, who gets the biggest laughs in all of the host segments.

The Magic Sword is worth watching for all MSTies, with its watchable movie and constant amusement factor.  For some this may end up being a series favorite because of this.  For me, I like it but it falls a bit short.  I accept it while I'm watching it, but I hardly remember it in the long run.  But that's not me decrying it, because it definitely does work in the moment.

Good

The DVD

The Magic Sword was featured on Shout Factory's Volume XXVI set.  Video and audio were swell, while the disc was highlighted by an interview with director Bert I. Gordon.  Gordon doesn't really talk about Magic Sword, or any movie in great length, but rather his love of movies and how he got started in the business.

Also featured are MST Hour wraps and a theatrical trailer.