278:. After a long time, King Brakus, ruler of the Hawk Clan, is able to gather and finally peacefully unite several antagonizing clans, and thereafter tries to win them over for the combat against their shared foe. However, there is treachery in his own ranks: His nephews Sandros and Riis have contacted the Dynasty in their craving for power, and so the Dynasty's supreme warlord Gar and his snake people command the two to get rid of Brakus. Meanwhile, Brakus' son Toran has a clash with the beautiful sorceress Estra, whose mother was murdered by Brakus under the order of his mentor Lazar-Sa. At the end, Estra is giving Toran a cryptical prophecy where she is promising him a hopeless search.
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for Lazar-Sa to kill him and avenge her mother. In the city of Kamal, Toran, Estra and Slant clash with a person claiming to be Lazar-Sa and trying to chase the people out of the area. Toran, Estra and Slant are asked by the city council to end the menace. Because Lazar-Sa is their common target, the three agree and travel to a canyon where the sorcerer is hiding. After their departure, Gar also finds his way to Kamal, where he picks up Toran's trail again.
286:, frees Toran, and together they both start the search for Lazar-Sa while being chased by Gar and his snake people, who are determined to prevent a new alliance of the clans of Malveel under the leadership of the Hawk Clan. To ensure that, Gar kills Sandros and Riis. Drained by their escape and his age, Mak turns over the magic bow to his apprentice, dying when the bow severs his old bond to unite with Toran.
301:
Following that, Estra parts from her former companions to follow her own path of finding Lazar-Sa. Toran and Slant are on their way back to Kamal when a message from Lazar-Sa reaches them. Lazar-Sa is promising Toran to lead him to his higher purpose if he frees the sorcerer from his current prison:
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The story goes on with Brakus getting killed in that same night by Gar using Toran's dagger, which had been secretly stolen by
Sandros. While breathing his last, Brakus wrests a last promise from his son Toran: Search for Lazar-Sa so the king's efforts weren't in vain. Toran is found with the corpse
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Toran is able to wound Gar at their next confrontation, which gets the attention of the rogue Slant, who henceforth joins Toran. Although Slant initially tries to steal the bow, he starts taking a genuine liking to Toran and aids him with his world wisdom. At the same time, Estra starts her search
297:
controlled by an ex-slave from Kamal named Rega. He once met Lazar-Sa and got a magical stone and a gauntlet from him to take revenge for the humiliations he has suffered. Rega tells the three where Lazar-Sa was seen last, but then kills himself because his scheme is revealed. Gar, who followed
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concerning a hidden species of advanced reptilian beings disguised among us while covertly controlling the levers of power, which has been a recurring theme in fiction and conspiracy since the story's publication.
298:
Toran, seizes the gauntlet and challenges Toran. During the battle, Toran strikes Lazar-Sa's stone with an arrow, rendering it unstable. The stone's power destroys the canyon, but Toran, Estra and Slant escape.
314:, but the series never saw the light of day. This explains the open ending of the film (mainly that Lazar-Sa was not found and the group declares the search for him as a target). In comparison to films like
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we would have had a series helmed by a fantasy buff, and written by writers familiar with the area (Nick was adamant on seeking out such scribblers to insure that the show would please fantasy fans)."
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The film had more success abroad as it "received some theatrical exposure" across Europe and publications on media like VHS and DVD (29. April 2011, Koch Media) in
Germany.
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Malveel, an area inhabited by clans of nomadic people who battle against each other, is in danger of being conquered by the rising Bar-Draikian empire, mainly called
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The
Endworld. What Toran and Slant don't know is that Gar also survived the catastrophe in the canyon and still hungers for Toran's death.
320:(1981) the technical possibilities of the early 1980s were not utilized to the fullest. Quite successful is the look of the masks and the
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Adventurous fantasy examination in comic style between good and evil, questionable when it comes to its glorification of violence.
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and all the upcoming sword & sorcery in film, some kind of fantasy series will appear sooner or later. In the case of
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Empires of the
Imagination: A Critical Survey of Fantasy Cinema from Georges Méliès to The Lord of the Rings
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of his father, and is kept captive as his murderer. Toran's old mentor Mak, who is the bearer of a magic
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In the canyon, the three meet Lazar-Sa. They realize very quickly that he is just a magical
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Originally the television film was produced as a pilot for a planned television series by
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effects used to portray the Snake People. Mainly involved in it was John
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is one of the first soundtracks ever completely produced electronically.
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magazine and stated that "The worst thing about the demise of
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539:. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1996. (pg. 26)
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632:(August 1981). "The Sword of Hollywood".
618:. Lexikon of international film, Germany.
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513:Videohound's Golden Movie Retriever, 1992
411:after the hero he portrayed in the movie.
16:1981 television film by Nicholas J. Corea
384:as a series is that with the success of
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362:Lexikon of international film, Germany
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688:The Archer: Fugitive from the Empire
677:The Archer: Fugitive from the Empire
666:The Archer: Fugitive from the Empire
599:The Archer: Fugitive from the Empire
559:. New York: Ballantine Books, 1997.
495:. New York: Penguin, 1991. (pg. 46)
372:The Archer: Fugitive from the Empire
237:The Archer: Fugitive from the Empire
23:The Archer: Fugitive from the Empire
436:magazine is the origin of both the
262:written, directed and produced by
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749:Films set in fictional countries
739:American sword and sorcery films
734:American fantasy adventure films
555:Martin, Mick and Marsha Porter.
475:. Toronto: Bantam Books, 1989.
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537:The Psychotronic Video Guide
249:The Archer and the Sorceress
422:Reptilian conspiracy theory
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405:named his 1982 born son
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222:April 12, 1981
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77:Victor Campos as Slant
252:, is a 1981 American
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605:(see Trivia section)
198:Universal Television
192:Production companies
651:: Biography on IMDb
535:Weldon, Michael J.
471:Scheuer, Steven H.
254:made for television
195:Mad Dog Productions
430:The Shadow Kingdom
616:"Der Zauberbogen"
519:, 1991. (pg. 55)
517:Visible Ink Press
511:Weiner, David J.
491:Maltin, Leonard.
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352:Critical response
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515:. Detroit:
434:Weird Tales
401:Main actor
276:The Dynasty
111:Chao-Li Chi
107:as ferryman
93:Marc Alaimo
49:Directed by
35:Film poster
724:1981 films
718:Categories
693:Letterboxd
459:References
390:The Archer
382:The Archer
306:Production
295:simulacrum
226:1981-04-12
187:95 minutes
147:Production
101:as Naestra
95:as Sandros
87:Kabir Bedi
41:Written by
386:Excalibur
370:reviewed
344:Reception
327:The Thing
152:Producers
83:as Brakus
682:AllMovie
603:IMDB.com
450:and the
441:subgenre
416:See also
360:—
121:Music by
74:as Estra
68:as Toran
59:Starring
448:fiction
445:fantasy
432:" from
224: (
219:Release
209:Network
142:English
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322:makeup
174:Editor
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408:Toran
671:IMDb
584:ISBN
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477:ISBN
396:Cast
374:for
270:Plot
246:and
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691:at
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601:at
443:of
312:NBC
284:bow
213:NBC
720::
571:^
424:—
330:,
266:.
228:)
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