Krull is a 1983
heroic fantasyHeroic fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy which chronicles the tales of heroes and their conquests in imaginary lands. Stories tend to be intricate in plot, often involving many peoples, nations and lands. Grand battles and the fate of the world are common themes, and there is typically some...
filmFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
directedA film director, or filmmaker is a person who directs the making or production of a film. Some also consider a film producer to be a filmmaker....
by
Peter YatesPeter Yates is an English film director and producer.He went to Charterhouse School as a boy, graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked for some years as an actor, director and stage manager....
and
producedA film producer or movie producer is someone who creates the scenes and conditions for making movies. The producer initiates, co-ordinates, supervises and controls matters such as fund-raising, hiring key personnel and arranging for distributors...
by Ron Silverman. Released by Columbia Pictures, it stars Ken Marshall as Prince Colwyn and
Lysette AnthonyLysette Anthony is an English film, television, and theatre actress.-Biography:Anthony was born as Lysette Chodzko in Fulham, London, the only daughter of actors Michael Anthony and Bernadette Milnes....
as Princess Lyssa.
One of the film's most distinguished features is a robust score by
James HornerJames Roy Horner is an American composer, orchestrator and conductor of orchestral and film music. He is noted for the integration of choral and electronic elements in many of his film scores, and for frequent use of Celtic musical elements...
. The film is also notable for its early screen roles for the now-famous
IrishIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
actorAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
Liam NeesonWilliam John "Liam" Neeson, OBE is an Irish actor, who has been a U.S. citizen since 2009. He is well known for his roles as Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List, Michael Collins in Michael Collins, Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Alfred Kinsey in Kinsey and Aslan in The...
and
ScottishThe Scots people and an ethnic group indigenous to Scotland.An ethnic group, historically they emerged from an amalgamation of Picts, Gaels and Brythons....
actorAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
Robbie ColtraneRobbie Coltrane, OBE is a Scottish actor, comedian and author. He is most widely known for his role as Dr Eddie "Fitz" Fitzgerald in the British TV series Cracker...
and for its surrealistic set design within the Black Fortress.
The world of Krull is invaded by an evil alien entity known as The Beast and his army of Slayers, mindless cyborgs, who travel the galaxy in the mountain-like spaceship, the Black Fortress.
Krull is a 1983
heroic fantasyHeroic fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy which chronicles the tales of heroes and their conquests in imaginary lands. Stories tend to be intricate in plot, often involving many peoples, nations and lands. Grand battles and the fate of the world are common themes, and there is typically some...
filmFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
directedA film director, or filmmaker is a person who directs the making or production of a film. Some also consider a film producer to be a filmmaker....
by
Peter YatesPeter Yates is an English film director and producer.He went to Charterhouse School as a boy, graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked for some years as an actor, director and stage manager....
and
producedA film producer or movie producer is someone who creates the scenes and conditions for making movies. The producer initiates, co-ordinates, supervises and controls matters such as fund-raising, hiring key personnel and arranging for distributors...
by Ron Silverman. Released by Columbia Pictures, it stars Ken Marshall as Prince Colwyn and
Lysette AnthonyLysette Anthony is an English film, television, and theatre actress.-Biography:Anthony was born as Lysette Chodzko in Fulham, London, the only daughter of actors Michael Anthony and Bernadette Milnes....
as Princess Lyssa.
One of the film's most distinguished features is a robust score by
James HornerJames Roy Horner is an American composer, orchestrator and conductor of orchestral and film music. He is noted for the integration of choral and electronic elements in many of his film scores, and for frequent use of Celtic musical elements...
. The film is also notable for its early screen roles for the now-famous
IrishIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
actorAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
Liam NeesonWilliam John "Liam" Neeson, OBE is an Irish actor, who has been a U.S. citizen since 2009. He is well known for his roles as Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List, Michael Collins in Michael Collins, Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Alfred Kinsey in Kinsey and Aslan in The...
and
ScottishThe Scots people and an ethnic group indigenous to Scotland.An ethnic group, historically they emerged from an amalgamation of Picts, Gaels and Brythons....
actorAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
Robbie ColtraneRobbie Coltrane, OBE is a Scottish actor, comedian and author. He is most widely known for his role as Dr Eddie "Fitz" Fitzgerald in the British TV series Cracker...
and for its surrealistic set design within the Black Fortress.
Plot
The world of Krull is invaded by an evil alien entity known as The Beast and his army of Slayers, mindless cyborgs, who travel the galaxy in the mountain-like spaceship, the Black Fortress. Prince Colwyn and Princess Lyssa decide to marry and form an alliance between their rival kingdoms in the hope that together their combined forces will be strong enough to defeat the Beast and his armies. It was foretold that Lyssa, who has an ancient name, would bear a child destined to rule the galaxy. The Beast, intent on ensuring it came true to his satisfaction, has his Slayers attack on the wedding day. The castle of Lyssa's father, King Eirig (
Bernard ArchardBernard Joseph Archard was an English actor.Born in Fulham, London, he was a tall, imposing actor with a distinctive face...
), is destroyed, the Kings are murdered, the human armies protecting the castle are devastated, and the princess is kidnapped and taken to the Black Fortress.
Colwyn, the only survivor of the attack, sets out to rescue his bride under the guidance of Ynyr the Old One (
Freddie JonesFreddie Jones is an English character actor.Jones was born in the town of Longton in the city of Stoke-on-Trent. He became an actor after ten years of working as a laboratory assistant with a firm making ceramic products, when his hobby took over...
). His first task is to find the Glaive, an ancient and magical star shaped weapon (not to be confused with the
polearmA glaive is a polearm consisting of a single-edged blade on the end of a pole. It is similar to the Japanese naginata and the Chinese Guan Dao. However, instead of having a tang like a sword or naginata, the blade is affixed in a socket-shaft configuration similar to an axe head. Typically, the...
of the same name) that he must retrieve from a lava cave high in the mountain peaks. Next, he must learn the location of the Black Fortress, which teleports to a new location on the planet at sunrise every day. On his journey he is joined by a cowardly shapeshifting magician, Ergo "the Magnificent" (
David BattleyDavid Battley was a British actor specialising in laconic, lugubrious comedy roles. He was married from 1971 to his death in 2003 to Sarah Hanrahan. With her he had two children, and one of them is actress Zoe S. Battley. He was about five foot eight.-Early life:He was born in Battersea, London,...
), the cyclops Rell (
Bernard BresslawBernard Bresslaw was an English actor. He is best known for his comedy work, especially as a member of the Carry On team.- Biography :...
), and Torquil (
Alun ArmstrongAlun Armstrong is a Laurence Olivier Award-winning English actor and singer known for his role as Brian Lane in New Tricks.-Early life:...
), the leader of a band of ten escaped convicts that includes Kegan (
Liam NeesonWilliam John "Liam" Neeson, OBE is an Irish actor, who has been a U.S. citizen since 2009. He is well known for his roles as Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List, Michael Collins in Michael Collins, Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Alfred Kinsey in Kinsey and Aslan in The...
), Rhun (
Robbie ColtraneRobbie Coltrane, OBE is a Scottish actor, comedian and author. He is most widely known for his role as Dr Eddie "Fitz" Fitzgerald in the British TV series Cracker...
) and Oswyn (
Todd CartyTodd Carty Todd Carty Todd Carty (born 31 August 1963, North London to Irish parents, is a British actor and director, who has grown up on television screens in a variety of roles...
in his feature film debut). Colwyn enlists the convicts' aid, as his armies have already been slaughtered by the Slayers. He offers them their freedom as reward for their service.
They are also aided by the blind prophet, the Emerald Seer (
John WelshJohn Welsh was an Irish actor.After an early stage career in Dublin, Welsh moved into British film and television in the 1950s...
), with his young apprentice Titch (
Graham McGrathGraham McGrath is an English actor with film, television, radio, and theatre credits. He currently also works as a freelance photographer based near London in Surrey, England. He had tuition at the Primary Academy of the Royal Academy of Music in London when he was only 4 years old...
) in the attempt to find the Black Fortress. However, the Beast manages to have the Emerald Seer disposed of before he can reveal his location, forcing Ynyr to see the Widow of the Web (
Francesca AnnisFrancesca Annis is a Brazilian-born British actress, particularly well known for her film and television appearances, most recently the BBC series Wives and Daughters, Cranford, and Deceit.-Biography:...
) for aid at the cost of his life. The Widow of the Web is an enchantress who loved Ynyr long ago and whose terrible crime exiled her to live within the lair of a giant spider. With the information given by a dying Ynyr, Colwyn and his group have only until the next sunrise to find the Black Fortress, defeat the Slayers, vanquish The Beast, rescue Lyssa, and save their world.
Colwyn and his followers reach the palace, using the Fire Mares (the only transport fast enough to reach the teleporting fortress in the same day), but are held back by Slayers, who kill Rhun. Rell arrives and due to his great strength withstands Slayer blasts and forces an entry into the Fortress by holding huge rock doors long enough for the others to enter, but dies as the entrance closes and crushes him. Kegan dies shortly after at the hands of a Slayer and Colwyn is separated from the others. Ergo transforms into a tiger to fight the Slayers and protect Titch. Torquil and Oswyn are trapped in a cave that threatens to kill them by impaling them on spikes coming through the walls.
Colwyn injures The Beast non-fatally with the Glaive and finds Lyssa. He is, however, unable to retrieve the Glaive from the Beast's body. She realises that the flame she passed him at the marriage ceremony can finish the beast. He uses it to slay The Beast and they make their way out of the Fortress, finding Torquil and Oswyn and retrieving Ergo and Titch. Colwyn uses the fire to blast his way out of the Fortress, which collapses and disappears up and out of Krull. Colwyn names Torquil as Lord Marshall, which Torquil accepts. As the heroes depart across a field, the narrator confirms that they will rule the world and their child shall rule the galaxy.
Production
- Early in production, Krull was actually supposed to be the official Dungeons & Dragons movie
Dungeons & Dragons is a 2000 live-action film directed by Courtney Solomon and based on the role-playing game of the same name.-Plot:The Empire of Izmer has long been a divided land. The Mages - an elite group of magic users - rule whilst the lowly commoners are powerless...
, based on the role-playing gameA role-playing game is a game in which the participants assume the roles of fictional characters. Participants determine the actions of their characters based on their characterization, and the actions succeed or fail according to a formal system of rules and guidelines...
of the same nameDungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game is currently published by Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro...
. There was even some production art and press releases where the movie was called Dungeons & Dragons. At some point before the movie was completed, however, the D&D license was either lost or dropped.
- The voice of Princess Lyssa was re-dubbed by American
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress Lindsay Crouse-Early life:Crouse was born in New York City, the daughter of Anna and Russel Crouse, a playwright. Her full name—Lindsay Ann Crouse—is an intentional tribute to the Broadway writing partnership of Lindsay and Crouse. Her father and his writing partner, Howard Lindsay, wrote much of...
.
- The Fire Mares, steeds that travel so fast they leave a trail of flame and can defy gravity, are played by Shire horses.
- Twenty-three sets were built for the film covering ten soundstages at Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios is a major British film studio situated in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire. Approximately west of Central London on what was the estate of Heatherden Hall, the studios were created in 1934 by Charles Boot and built within 12 months by the Henry Boot Company of Sheffield. Boot drew his...
, London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
.
- The dub for the death screams of the Slayers and the demise of the Emerald Seer imposter was taken from the Mahar shrieks in At The Earth's Core
At the Earth's Core is a 1976 science fiction film produced by Britain's Amicus Productions. It was directed by Kevin Connor and starred Peter Cushing, Caroline Munro, Philippa Herring and Doug McClure. It was filmed in Technicolor...
.
- Other filming locations were Lanzarote
Lanzarote, a Spanish island, is the easternmost of the autonomous Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 125 km off the coast of Africa and 1,000 km from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering 845.9 km
2, it stands as the fourth largest of the islands...
in the Canary IslandsThe Canary Islands are a Spanish archipelago which, in turn, forms one of the Spanish Autonomous Communities and an Outermost Region of the European Union. The archipelago is located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the disputed border between Morocco and the...
and Campo ImperatoreCampo Imperatore is a mountain grassland or alpine meadow formed by a high basin shaped plateau located in the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy in the Gran Sasso massif. It is the largest plateau of the Apennine ridge...
, ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
Tie-ins
In 1983, several games were developed with the Krull license:
- A Parker Brothers
Parker Brothers is a toy and game manufacturer and brand. Over nearly 130 years, the company published more than 1800 games; among their best known products are Monopoly, Cluedo , Risk, Trivial Pursuit, Ouija, Aggravation and Probe. Parker Brothers is currently a subsidiary of Hasbro.-...
board game and card game
- An arcade game by D. Gottlieb & Co.
Gottlieb was an arcade game corporation based in Chicago, Illinois. The company was established by David Gottlieb in 1927, initially producing pinball machines while later expanding into various other games including pitch-and-bats, bowling games, and eventually video arcade games .Like other...
, who also designed a Krull pinball game that was never put into production.
- A console game originally planned for the Atari 5200
The Atari 5200 SuperSystem, or simply the Atari 5200, is a video game console that was introduced in 1982 by Atari Inc. as a replacement for the famous Atari 2600. The 5200 was created to compete with the Intellivision, but wound up more directly competing with the ColecoVision shortly after its...
, but changed to the Atari 2600The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
because of poor sales of the former system.
Music
Some pieces of the music were reused for the area atmosphere nearby
Space MountainSpace Mountain is the name of a space-themed indoor roller coaster attraction located at all five Magic Kingdom-style theme parks. Although the rides are very different in nature, all have a similar domed exterior façade that is a landmark for the respective park.The name can refer to :* Space...
: From the Earth to the Moon (1995-2005) — now
Space Mountain: Mission 2Space Mountain: Mission 2 is a space-themed roller coaster attraction at Disneyland Resort Paris.-Original plans:After the Parisian site had been chosen and work began on Discoveryland, a showcase attraction was planned. Discovery Mountain was initially designed to feature not only Space Mountain,...
— at Disneyland Paris.
Adaptations
A novelization was written by
Alan Dean FosterAlan Dean Foster is an American author of fantasy and science fiction. He currently resides in Prescott, Arizona, with his wife, and is also known for his novelisations of film scripts...
. A comic book adaptation was published by
Marvel ComicsMarvel Publishing, Inc., a company doing business as Marvel Comics, produces American comic books and related media. It forms a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, Inc....
, both as a Marvel
Super SpecialMarvel Comics Super Special was a series of one-off comic books published by Marvel Comics from 1977 to 1985. The first issue featured the rock band Kiss in an original adventure...
with behind-the-scenes material from the film, and as a two-issue
limited seriesA limited series is a series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
.
External links