The Magic Sword Blu-ray - Basil Rathbone

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

Directed by Bert I. Gordon
USA 1962

Mythical monsters and noble knights come to colorful life in this enchanting fantasy-adventure from Bert I. Gordon, legendary director of cult classics The Cyclops, The Amazing Colossal Man, Earth vs. the Spider, Attack of the Puppet People and Empire of the Ants! When the evil sorcerer Lodac (Basil Rathbone, Tales of Terror) kidnaps the beautiful Princess Helene (Anne Helm, Follow That Dream) and threatens to turn her into dragon food, the brave Sir George (Gary Lockwood, 2001: A Space Odyssey) makes it his mission to rescue her—and earn her royal hand in marriage. But George must first survive the seven curses that plague the way to Lodac’s castle. Though he has a speedy horse, invincible armor and a magic sword, will George’s weapons and resolve be enough to defeat Lodac’s ghastly ghouls and deadly demons? Filled with special effects sure to amuse and horrify, The Magic Sword is a rousing good time! Co-starring the wonderful Estelle Winwood (The Producers).

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In this fun-filled adventure-fantasy, a rookie knight embarks upon a valiant quest to save a princess who has been captured by a malicious magician. Along the way he must battle the usual assortment of dragons, ogres and other mythical beings. He is assisted by a good witch who gives him a magic sword. Unfortunately, the magic fails and suddenly he must find his own magic from within.

Excerpt from B+N located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: January 25th, 1962

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Review: Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:20:29.658
Video	1.85:1 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 21,774,981,387 bytes Feature: 20,816,474,112 bytes Video Bitrate: 30.92 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Blu-ray:
Audio	DTS-HD Master Audio English 1553 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1553 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit) Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Kino 1.85:1 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 21,774,981,387 bytes Feature: 20,816,474,112 bytes Video Bitrate: 30.92 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Audio Commentary by Film Historian Tim Lucas and Filmmaker Larry Blamire • -Theatrical Trailer (02:42) • Trailers (Jack the Giant Killer, Arabian Adventure, Sinbad of the Seven Seas) Blu-ray Release Date: December 3rd, 2019 Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters 9

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (December 2019): Bert I. Gordon's 1962 sword-and-sorcery flick "The Magic Sword" arrives on Blu-ray in a brand new 2K master from Kino Lorber. The film is housed on a single-layered Blu-ray disc and features a high bitrate throughout the film's 80-minute running time. The 1.85:1 1080p image has moments exhibiting some really fine definition, while some effects shots look expectedly muddy. There is a heavy grain throughout the picture, with only the occasional speckling of damage. Contrast levels are better than I expected in darker moments. Fans should be pleased by this transfer.

"The Magic Sword" is given a 16-bit 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master audio track to accompany the picture. The epic score is thanks to Richard Markowitz (The Shooting) and manages to successfully transition from a fanfare of trumpets to romantic strings to exotic mystical instrumentation all within the span of a few minutes. There are optional English subtitles on this Region 'A' Blu-ray from Kino.

The main bonus feature here is an audio commentary by film historian Tim Lucas (with filmmaker Larry Blamire joining Lucas during the film's exciting denouement). As far as commentaries go, Lucas has always been a personal favorite contributor, having an encyclopedic knowledge of all things cinematic as well as a laid-back and jovial tone. Within the first few minutes Lucas covers a lot of ground, from the various title changes the film underwent to the film's west coast premiere and subsequent slow eastward roll-out across the United States, not uncommon in the double feature days of the early 60s. Perhaps more unique was the fact that The Magic Sword's release was promoted with a Dell comic adaptation, which commentator Lucas recalls memorizing before the film's release in his hometown of Cincinnati, OH. While some may think these lesser-known film history factoids and stories are purely ephemeral, I treasure it all. Later on in the track Lucas is joined by filmmaker Larry Blamire (writer/director of the fantastic sci-fi parody (slash love letter), "The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra". Following this commentary are some trailers, namely for "The Magic Sword", "Jack the Giant Killer", "Arabian Adventure", and "Sinbad of the Seven Seas".

While the special effects perhaps never reach the heights of a Ray Harryhausen picture, Gordon was certainly no slouch. There are some great campy moments, and the story plods along towards a riveting finale. I can see certain moments that must have inspired "Willow" and "Army of Darkness". Kino's Blu-ray is a must-own for fans. The brand new 2K mastering and the commentary track from Tim Lucas (and brief guest, Larry Blamire) make this an easy recommendation.