1980s sword and sorcery movies

[torgospizza]

Just bought a DVD set of four Roger Corman sword and sorcery movies (Deathstalker, Deathstalker 2, Barbarian Queen, and The Warrior and the Sorceress) and was kind of shocked by them, really. I hadn't seen them since the old days of cable and had forgotten how, well, "rapey" they are. Have you ever watched something from the 70s or 80s and realized in some ways we're more conservative as a culture now? Don't get me wrong--I'm hardly a prude--but there are instances in these films where there is no rational reason for swordswomen to go around topless. I understand gratuitousness as a product, but how did they get the viewership they had? We have similar things now (E.I. Independent movies like "Lord of the G-Strings" or whatever, f.ex.), but people don't take them as seriously as they did then. Was it purely that there wasn't anything else to watch, in your opinions?

Anyone else watch an old movie and get a bit shocked by how different perspectives were then?

[Werewolf]

Roger Corman movies had pretty much deteriorated to pure exploitation by that point and those movies were always fairly cringe worthy. I think reviewing them as an adult you now have empathy for the female characters. As teens a good portion of the audience was probably of the mindset of "Wow nudity and violence!!" and not really understanding or thinking about the cultural impact of those images and depictions. I don't think it's about the culture being more or less conservative. After all, the 80s were considered a fairly conservative era. I think culturally we just have a little bit more empathy and understanding of those kinds of depictions.

[Nostalgiabuff]

wasn't Reb Brown in the Deathstalker movies? I remember watching some of the in my early teens and thinking they were so god awful I could not sit through the whole thing
.
when I saw this thread I thought it was to talk about the good movies of the era, LOL

Sword and the Sorcerer anyone? I was always bummed we never got the promised sequel

[Werewolf]

wasn't Reb Brown in the Detachstalker movies?

Reb Brown was in Yor.

when I saw this thread I thought it was to talk about the good movies of the era, LOL

The 80s were an odd time for the Fantasy genre. It was popular, but not respected and it seemed like for every Dark Crystal, Krull or Dragonslayer we'd get a half dozen zero budget Deathstalker type movies.

[JediJaida]

They couldn't ALL be as good as the first Conan movie, which is what started the whole genre. Does anyone remember the one with the two identical twins that were big in wrestling? I can't recall the name but Richard Lynch was the bad guy, with a godawful curly blond wig.

The movie itself was such garbage, I couldn't sit through it! But then, most of them were.

[Werewolf]

I can't recall the name but Richard Lynch was the bad guy, with a godawful curly blond wig.

The Barbarians.

[ZombieJimC]

I liked the Sword and the Sorcerer.

[Nostalgiabuff]

there really weren't that many good fantasy movies in the eighties.....Sword and the Sorcerer, Krull, and Conan the Barbarian are the only ones that actually come to mind

[Nostalgiabuff]

oh yeah, I forgot Excalibur and Clash of the Titans, how could I forget those?

[Hedji]

Fire and Ice was pretty cool.

[Nostalgiabuff]

true, but that was a cartoon. I was thinking live action movies

[Nostalgiabuff]

guess we could add Beast Master. cheese factor at it's finest. the sequels in the nineties are not even worth mentioning

[TomStrong]

oh yeah, I forgot Excalibur and Clash of the Titans, how could I forget those?

God I loved Excalibur and Clash of the Titans! When Arthur returns at the end an flowers bloom at his passing, I was floored as a kid. I loved all that kind of stuff as a kid and teenager, certainly not something I shared with my peers. Man, now I'm going to have to watch it.

[Werewolf]

I liked Walt Disney's Black Cauldron. I think it's very underrated. The Horned King was a truly menacing villain. Also, unlike Disney's later 80s animated movies, it wasn't a musical.

Legend was almost great. Beautiful to look at and Tim Curry was brilliant as Darkness but I feel Tom Cruise was miscast as the hero Jack.

Willow was fair. But ripped off/borrowed everything from LOTR, SW and Disney.

[torgospizza]

I've recently watched Gor and Outlaw of Gor (a.k.a. Gor II), as well. They're pretty chintzy, but entertaining enough. I heard they did well in Europe. They have very little to do with the John Norman books apart from names, and are just really nerdier, no budget knockoffs of the John Carter sword & planet genre.