Though Hawk barely merited a shrug from me when I saw it in the cinema, I admire your spirited defence of it. Maybe it needs a poem-review in the style of "The Battle of Maldon"...?
Haha! Thanks, Dave. I dunno. I think Hawk needs to have found you at the right age, in the right circumstances or not at all. Then - like all cult movies - it takes on this whole secondary life. Speaking of my imaginative life at the time, Dave, your Dragon Warriors and Blood Sword books were so much a part of that. Thank you for writing! You helped get me and my friends through a lot of tough times and certainly furnished my imagination in ways that I'm still trying to emulate today. Thank you.
Thanks, Alec. It warms my heart to hear that. And yes, you're right, a lot depends on when you encounter a story. Having been glued to the huge (and probably radioactive) B&W television at a tender age, I'm far fonder of Hartnell-era Doctor Who than the acting, scripts, or sets really justify!
I love Hawk The Slayer. It's not the best sword & sorcery film, for me that's Conan & then Beastmaster. But it's definitely my favourite, then Beastmaster (a teen crush on Tanya Roberts keeps it in the 2nd spot) then Conan. I really appreciate your article & it's interesting to discover how it started the genre - credit more deserving.
I love how Terry Marcel & Harry Robertson had their own unique vision for the look & sound. Despite the obvious compromises it feels uncompromising. If you watch the behind the scenes footage they all think they're making something on the same scale as Star Wars.
I genuinely hope that Terry's daughter Kelly continues her success directing & producing films that she can leverage her cache to get a sequel made. She & Tom Hardy are friends, he was attached before why not again?
Thanks, David. I love how the making-of story came down to Marcel and Robertson choosing to make the movie their way. Really made me respect them as artists. And Marcel is so cheerful and generous in his interviews. Bit of an inspiration really.
"All fantasy, but sword and sorcery and epic fantasy in particular, must pledge itself to its own wild premise. Jokes, doubt, self-consciousness, snark, all these do is tarnish the magic. Let the hipsters and sceptics laugh. They’ll never know how it feels to soar within that dream."
Incredibly interesting, Alec! I loved Hawk the Slayer as a kid. I still have fond memories (and want your comics!) It's funny though - when I did a movie night with the grandsons a few years back, I was so excited to share, since they were about the same age I was when I watched it. They thought it was terrible and still groan about it to this day whenever I bring it up. 😁
I remember watching this on what must have been PBS as a kid in the 1980s. Bernard Bresslaw I knew from Krull, of course, though it was great to see his full face! I loved Baldin's opening scene ("I'll give you great glory!"), and Crow. When my sister and I would play make-believe in the land of the Dark Crystal/Elfquest, I always had to jump into playing Crow for at least one battle, just to fire off a few wicked-fast arrows into whatever villain we happened to be fighting.
My dad taped down the movie on VHS for us, so there were lots of rewatches, even into the 1990s. As I got older, I found the story dragged in spots, and there seemed to be a repeat of one of the conversations between Voltan and his evil spirit-thing, but I remained engrossed by the fight scenes.
They don't make them like Hawk the Slayer anymore.
Sorry to necro my own question - are there any plans for more Black Beth? I really quite liked the first volume, but there's so little there. The character, the setting and DaNi's art are such a nice combo, I'd love to read more.
No worries, Jan. I’ve got another BB five-pager in this years Treasury of British Comics annual, with art by Anna Morozova this time. From here I’m hoping we can do another one-shot, which might get it enough pages for another trade collection. I’m told the last one did really well.
Always enjoyed this movie for the histrionics of Jack Palance . There is something truly mesmerising about his over the top acting which appeals to me and here he is at his best ( gives me hope for the future movies of Nic Cage) .
Also loved watching this and seeing Bernard Bresslaw, an actor I had only seen in “Carry On” movies.
A , turn of your thoughts, forget logic and just enjoy movie and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Though Hawk barely merited a shrug from me when I saw it in the cinema, I admire your spirited defence of it. Maybe it needs a poem-review in the style of "The Battle of Maldon"...?
Haha! Thanks, Dave. I dunno. I think Hawk needs to have found you at the right age, in the right circumstances or not at all. Then - like all cult movies - it takes on this whole secondary life. Speaking of my imaginative life at the time, Dave, your Dragon Warriors and Blood Sword books were so much a part of that. Thank you for writing! You helped get me and my friends through a lot of tough times and certainly furnished my imagination in ways that I'm still trying to emulate today. Thank you.
Thanks, Alec. It warms my heart to hear that. And yes, you're right, a lot depends on when you encounter a story. Having been glued to the huge (and probably radioactive) B&W television at a tender age, I'm far fonder of Hartnell-era Doctor Who than the acting, scripts, or sets really justify!
Wow, that was like reading about my own childhood! Hawk and Krull were on regular rotation!
Haha! KRULL! Now there's a 'no-way near as bad as everyone makes out' movie...
Lovely piece! That is very close to making me watch the bloody thing again
Both Deathstalker and Ator: The Fighting Eagle were the subject of Mystery Science Theater 3000 or Rifftrax piss-takes.
Yeh, it's mad. There's a whole sub-genre of mickey-take B-movie commentaries out there. :D
I've not seen it for at least a couple of decades, but I've very fond memories of it. Lovely article!
I love Hawk The Slayer. It's not the best sword & sorcery film, for me that's Conan & then Beastmaster. But it's definitely my favourite, then Beastmaster (a teen crush on Tanya Roberts keeps it in the 2nd spot) then Conan. I really appreciate your article & it's interesting to discover how it started the genre - credit more deserving.
I love how Terry Marcel & Harry Robertson had their own unique vision for the look & sound. Despite the obvious compromises it feels uncompromising. If you watch the behind the scenes footage they all think they're making something on the same scale as Star Wars.
I genuinely hope that Terry's daughter Kelly continues her success directing & producing films that she can leverage her cache to get a sequel made. She & Tom Hardy are friends, he was attached before why not again?
I look forward to your new story.
Thanks, David. I love how the making-of story came down to Marcel and Robertson choosing to make the movie their way. Really made me respect them as artists. And Marcel is so cheerful and generous in his interviews. Bit of an inspiration really.
"All fantasy, but sword and sorcery and epic fantasy in particular, must pledge itself to its own wild premise. Jokes, doubt, self-consciousness, snark, all these do is tarnish the magic. Let the hipsters and sceptics laugh. They’ll never know how it feels to soar within that dream."
Amen.
https://youtu.be/OTDt5PuETLA?si=shVViRHbmEa71Ev9
Incredibly interesting, Alec! I loved Hawk the Slayer as a kid. I still have fond memories (and want your comics!) It's funny though - when I did a movie night with the grandsons a few years back, I was so excited to share, since they were about the same age I was when I watched it. They thought it was terrible and still groan about it to this day whenever I bring it up. 😁
It's one of those time-capsule movies, I think. You were either there for it at the time or else you miss the boat completely. :D
Thanks for this deep dive into Hawk the Slayer!
I remember watching this on what must have been PBS as a kid in the 1980s. Bernard Bresslaw I knew from Krull, of course, though it was great to see his full face! I loved Baldin's opening scene ("I'll give you great glory!"), and Crow. When my sister and I would play make-believe in the land of the Dark Crystal/Elfquest, I always had to jump into playing Crow for at least one battle, just to fire off a few wicked-fast arrows into whatever villain we happened to be fighting.
My dad taped down the movie on VHS for us, so there were lots of rewatches, even into the 1990s. As I got older, I found the story dragged in spots, and there seemed to be a repeat of one of the conversations between Voltan and his evil spirit-thing, but I remained engrossed by the fight scenes.
They don't make them like Hawk the Slayer anymore.
Thanks for sharing that, Mayumi. I had a very similar experience. :D
Will "The Last of Her Kind" be released as a standalone book in the future?
I hope so, though I'll have to write some more adventures yet - which I AM planning to do.
Excellent, I shall wait then. :)
Sorry to necro my own question - are there any plans for more Black Beth? I really quite liked the first volume, but there's so little there. The character, the setting and DaNi's art are such a nice combo, I'd love to read more.
No worries, Jan. I’ve got another BB five-pager in this years Treasury of British Comics annual, with art by Anna Morozova this time. From here I’m hoping we can do another one-shot, which might get it enough pages for another trade collection. I’m told the last one did really well.
Great to hear! The first hardcover is a lovely object, I'll be sure to get the next one too.
Always enjoyed this movie for the histrionics of Jack Palance . There is something truly mesmerising about his over the top acting which appeals to me and here he is at his best ( gives me hope for the future movies of Nic Cage) .
Also loved watching this and seeing Bernard Bresslaw, an actor I had only seen in “Carry On” movies.
A , turn of your thoughts, forget logic and just enjoy movie and there’s nothing wrong with that.