617-The Sword and the Dragon

Film Year:  1956

Genre:  Fantasy, Adventure

Director:  Aleksandr Ptushko

Starring:  Boris Andreyev, Shukur Burkhanov, Andrei Abrikosov, Natalya Medvediva, Yelena Myshkova

MST Season:  6

The Movie

Originally released in Russia under the title Ilya Muromets, the name of its protagonist, The Sword and the Dragon is a heavily edited version imported to the US by Roger Corman.  I'm sure that doesn't do wonders for its coherency, but the gist of the film does come through.  This particular film is a generational fantasy saga about Ilya Muromets, who inherits a legendary sword and a trusty steed, and quests to become a great warrior of his country and defend it from invading forces.

If these Russo-Finnish films seem similar, it's mostly because they're mostly made with largely the same crew.  The Sword and the Dragon is from the makers of The Day the Earth Froze and The Magic Voyage of Sinbad, and it certainly feels it.  I kind of like The Sword and the Dragon the best of these three movies, because I think the attempt at a warrior's life story is pretty interesting and, as always, these fantasy films bring some unique, playful, and cool, if somewhat wacky, visuals.

That being said, like all of these Russian epics, The Sword and the Dragon goes full speed ahead and leaves the viewers a bit in the wind.  It trusts the audience to keep up, which will probably be easier for those familiar with its folklore.  The Sword and the Dragon is just a whirlwind of fantasy adventure and swashbuckling action, and for some people, that's what the doctor ordered.

The Episode

As per normal with the Russo-Finnish films, the movie is doing all the heavy lifting.  The riffers are just there to enhance it.  And with the crazy, bombastic fantasy on display, The Sword and the Dragon is just as deliciously flavorful as the previous films.  Mike and the Bots latch onto the larger-than-life characters and wacky displays of spectacle and go to town with their embellishment of each, which makes the episode constantly fun and engaging.  These films never disappoint.

The host segments are a bit more uneven, but mostly okay.  I have a suspicion that the movie was running short for them, because a few segments run exceptionally long.  Oddly enough, those are the bits I really enjoyed.  I really like the "A Joke By Ingmar Bergman" sketch, which is a slow, long walk for its gag, but is mostly just a lengthy parody film fans will recognize and enjoy.  The other lengthy sketch is "SupercalifragilisticexpialiWACKY," which is a parody of a parody basically.  It's a riff on a zingy political satire performance like this that would get on stage and take rapid potshots at the government.  What I like about this segment is that it makes fun of how lame performances are, but it has a roundabout way of being funny because of how unfunny it is.

Other segments include a short re-enactment of the film and a visit from Ilya Muromets, who is now the owner of a pancake house for some reason.  On the Mads end, Dr. Forrester and Frank meet their new neighbors, who happen to be ladies (played by Bridget Jones and Mary Jo Pehl), but Dr. F and Frank don't know how to talk to girls.  This segment seems to be a giant dig on comic book nerds and sci-fi fans not being able to attract women, which can be a bit mean spirited.  However the segment does go an extra mile in stating that it's actually the introverted personalities of the Mads that is making the situation awkward, and not their hobbies in general.

While it seems like I have more to say about the host segments than the riffing, that's mostly because the pleasurable riffing experience is more or less just "It just works."  The flashy spectacle and fun ribbing is always a good combination, and it always has been. Fans of The Day the Earth Froze, The Magic Voyage of Sinbad, and even the eighth season's Jack Frost will want to seek out The Sword and the Dragon, because it is every bit as funny.

Classic

The DVD

Shout Factory brought us to the magic land of The Sword and the Dragon as a part of their Volume XXIV collection.  The video transfer occasionally had a slight flicker on the top of the screen, not too bothersome, while audio was solid.  The sole bonus features where a pair of shorts, Snow Thrills and A Date With Your Family.  Of the two, A Date With Your Family is the better one but it's an odd inclusion.  A Date With Your Family had already been released on DVD on Shorts Volume 1, and the episode it was featured with, Invasion USA, was released two volumes later.  There was really not much clamoring for the short to be a bonus feature.  Snow Thrills, on the other hand, was the short featured with It Conquered the World, which has never seen release and Snow Thrills was never on a shorts compilation, so it's inclusion is more welcome.