The Sword and The Sorcerer

“Is your sword for hire?  I would pay anything for it. What is wrong?  Is your sword too small. . . “

Go BOLD or GO HOME, right?  Surely, that must have been behind this sword and sorcery romp as a bad king dares to raise a demon from the depths of Hell in order to conquer even more land for him to reign over.  Unfortunately, the demon sorcerer has its own plans at world domination and - after putting up with a lot of backtalk from King Titus Cromwell and his men - rips out one of his men’s hearts in a display of force.

"isn’t going to recruit anymore true believers to its side"


This does not stop Cromwell from his plans, nor does it give him pause.  He will - because he is the ultimate bad guy - lay waste to a whole lot of good guys and then kill the demon himself.  Oh, if only there was a young man who could stand against such evil and reclaim the throne as his own!  Ah, there is!

Meet Talon, a daring mercenary who conquers castles and dungeons alike with his lethal three-bladed sword. But when Talon learns that he is the prince of a kingdom controlled by an evil sorcerer, he is thrust into the wildest fight of his life. Can Talon rescue the beautiful princess and slay the warlock, or will he fall prey to the black magic of medieval mayhem?

While the title might be a bit too generic for its own good, The Sword and The Sorcerer remains a campy and over-the-top throwback to the fantasy flicks of the 1950s and 1960s and now, thanks to Shout! Factory, the 1982 American sword and sorcery fantasy film is now on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray!  Soaring theme song and all!The Sword and The Sorcerer

Co-written and directed by Albert Pyun, and starring Lee Horsley, Kathleen Beller, Simon MacCorkindale, George Maharis, Richard Lynch, and Richard Moll, The Sword and The Sorcerer is fun, wild, and campy as hell as lots of blood is lost from both heroes and villains while swords become code words for penis' and more! 

Never fear, though, Talon’s three-bladed sword will save us all as his band of warriors stomps all sorts of baddies deep into the ground on their way to revenge, revenge, and more revenge!  Not really, Talon just wants to sleep with Alana.  Hell, he’ll sleep with any of the topless chicks in this fantasy flick . . . and there are a lot.

The Sword and The Sorcerer is corny, convoluted, and full of some pretty cool images, but none of that means anything to anyone outside of this cult classic’s core audience.  It’s also fun as hell, but - like I said - this flick isn’t going to recruit anymore true believers to its side.

You either get it or you get lost.  The Sword and The Sorcerer is now on 4K Ultra HD thanks to fine efforts of Shout! Factory!

4/5 beers

The Sword and The Sorcerer

4k details divider

4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Collector's Edition

Home Video Distributor: Shout Factory
Available on Blu-ray
- March 15, 2022
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles
: English SDH
Audio:
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Discs: 4K Ultra HD; Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set
Region Encoding: 4K region-free; blu-ray lokced to Region A

Meet Talon, a daring mercenary who conquers castles and dungeons alike with his lethal three-bladed sword. But when Talon learns that he is the prince of a kingdom controlled by an evil sorcerer, he is thrust into the wildest fight of his life. Can Talon rescue the beautiful princess and slay the warlock, or will he fall prey to the black magic of medieval mayhem? Lee Horsley (Matt Houston, The Hateful Eight), Kathleen Beller (Dynasty), Simon MacCorkindale (Jaws 3-D) and Richard Moll (House) star in this action-packed adventure saga, filled with brutal battles, plucky maidens, savage monsters and more!

Video:

Newly scanned & restored in 4k from its 35mm interpositive, The Sword and The Sorcerer  looks almost brand new again.  The 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 transfer is a thing of rugged beauty. Newly restored from its original 35mm camera negative, there is a new depth to much of the film which reveals just how cheap the shoot was. Doesn’t matter, though, this restoration is a thing of beauty.  Black levels are strong, too. Grain has never looked this inviting. The details through this feature are simply scrumptious. From fabrics in the jackets of the actors to the facial imperfections of their outfits this AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) 1080p transfer gets the look right.

Audio:

A DTS-HD Master Stereo Audio track provides the only source of sound for all the sword-and-sorcery shenanigans.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • See Special Features, but there are two.

Special Features:

Two discs of material are included, including a commentary from Albert Pyun, and lots of NEW interviews from the cast and the crew!

DISC ONE (4K UHD):

  • NEW 4K Scan From The Original Negative
  • NEW Audio Commentary With Director Albert Pyun

DISC TWO (BLU-RAY):

  • NEW 4K Scan From The Original Negative
  • NEW Audio Commentary With Director Albert Pyun
  • NEW Tales Of The Ancient Empire – An Interview With Director Albert Pyun
  • NEW A Princess' Tale – An Interview With Actress Kathleen Beller
  • NEW Mightier Than The Sword – An Interview With Co-Writer/Co-Producer John Stuckmeyer
  • NEW Master Of The Blade – An Interview With Editor Marshall Harvey
  • NEW The Specialist And The Effects – An Interview With Special Makeup Effects Artist Allan Apone
  • NEW Brothers In Arms – An Interview With Special Effects Artists The Chiodo Brothers – Charles, Edward And Stephen
  • NEW Dedicated To Jack Tyree, Stuntman – The Cast And Crew Remember Stuntman Jack Tyree
  • Trailers From Hell – Editor Marshall Harvey On The Sword And The Sorcerer
  • Theatrical Trailers
  • TV Spot
  • Still Gallery

4k rating divider

  Movie 4/5 stars
  Video  5/5 stars
  Audio 4/5 stars
  Extras 4/5 stars

Composite Blu-ray Grade

4/5 stars


Film Details

The Sword and The Sorcerer

MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime:
99 mins
Director
: Albert Pyun
Writer:
Tom Karnowski; John V. Stuckmeyer; Albert Pyun
Cast:
Lee Horsley; Kathleen Beller; Simon MacCorkindale
Genre
: Fantasy | Adventure
Tagline:
A kingdom ruled by evil. A princess enslaved by passion. A warrior driven by justice.
Memorable Movie Quote: "Come now, let's be off. There's a battle in the offing! We've got kingdoms to save and women to love!"
Theatrical Distributor:
Group 1 International Distribution
Official Site:
Release Date:
April 30, 1982
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
March 15, 2022.
Synopsis: Meet Talon, a daring mercenary who conquers castles and dungeons alike with his lethal three-bladed sword. But when Talon learns that he is the prince of a kingdom controlled by an evil sorcerer, he is thrust into the wildest fight of his life. Can Talon rescue the beautiful princess and slay the warlock, or will he fall prey to the black magic of medieval mayhem? Lee Horsley, Kathleen Beller, Simon MacCorkindale and Richard Moll star in this action-packed adventure saga, filled with brutal battles, luscious maidens, savage monsters and more!

Art

The Sword and The Sorcerer