A young wizarding apprentice is sent to kill a dragon which has been devouring girls from a nearby kingdom.A young wizarding apprentice is sent to kill a dragon which has been devouring girls from a nearby kingdom.A young wizarding apprentice is sent to kill a dragon which has been devouring girls from a nearby kingdom.
- Nominated for 2 Oscars
- 7 nominations total
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- Trivia"Vermithrax Pejorative" roughly translates as "The Worm of Thrace Which Makes Things Worse".
- GoofsIn the Paramount Widescreen Collection edition, during the lottery scene the man drawing the tiles reads the name "Princess Elspeth Ophelus; Filia Regis," Latin for "Daughter of the King". The subtitles say "Clearly outrageous".
- Quotes
Valerian: Are you afraid of dragons?
Ulrich: [confidently and calmly] No. In fact, if it weren't for sorcerers, there wouldn't be any dragons. Once, the skies were dotted with them. Magnificent horned backs, leathern wings... soaring... and their hot-breathed wind. Oh, I know this creature of yours... Vermithrax Pejorative. Look at these scales, these ridges. When a dragon gets this old, it knows nothing but pain, constant pain. It grows decrepit... crippled... pitiful. Spiteful!
- Alternate versionsIn the edited-for-television version, two scenes are completely removed - The scene where Galen discovers Valerian to be female (by swimming with her) and the scene where Galen causes an avalanche over the entrance to the dragon's cave.
This film proves that it doesn't need 21st century technology to make a beautiful and visually complex piece. As I watched the dragon, it was easy to tell that it was not real; it had flaws in its appearance and its movements were not perfect. But that did not detract at all from the film, because what made the dragon impressive was the artistic elements of its design; its many layers of thin, translucent membrane, its finely chiseled and formed teeth, and the almost charcoal-like, tough scales on its hide. In many modern fantasy movies, the creatures and dragons are uninspired, dull, and drab, despite the computer engineering behind them. In the 80's, directors had to be creative to produce their desired effect, and this creativity went a long way in producing visuals that both wowed audiences with their appearance and the thought of the work that went into making them.
- How long is Dragonslayer?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $18,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $14,110,013
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $2,407,939
- Jun 28, 1981
- Gross worldwide
- $14,110,013
- Runtime1 hour 49 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1