“A kingdom ruled by evil. A princess enslaved by passion. A warrior driven by justice.”
Such was the tagline of “The Sword and the Sorcerer” fantasy movie of 1982. Barely beating “Conan the Barbarian” to the box office, this 3-bladed-projectile-sword pulp movie generated a cult following that persists to this day. Imagine my shock and awe when a Rediscovered Realms’ reader mentioned that there were coloring books . . .
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I’m a sucker for those old 80s fantasy movies, no matter how terrible they may be. At the time (and even now!) they transported you to a world of beauty, magic, vile viciousness, and cheeky heroism that you just can’t get any more in today’s cinema.
Plots are often sparser than the actresses’ outfits, acting is not usually Oscar-grade-steel, but oh the Imagination that went into making them!
When I get the opportunity to watch these kinds of movies nowadays, I find myself thoroughly enjoying them, belly-laughing at so many of the lines and situations - not in a derisive way, but in full enrapturement of the pre-socially-correct-policed-era spectacle.
Enter “The Sword and the Sorcerer”. If you’ve ever seen it, you still remember it. If not Talon’s “Tri-sword”, then you’ll remember learning the evil sorcerer, Xusia, was played by Night Court’s Richard Moll (R.I.P.)
It’s interesting to me that Sword beat out Conan the Barbarian to the box office by just a few weeks in 1982 here in the U.S. - especially since another of its taglines smacks hard of Howardian Hyborea:
“Know you now of days long past, the time when the world was young, when sorcery thrived and wild adventure was forever in the offing. and of this epoch little is known save that which is veiled in the mist of legend.” - The Sword and the Sorcerer, 1982
Here’s Mako as the Wizard from Conan:
“Between the time when the oceans drank Atlantis and the rise of the sons of Aryas, there was an age undreamed of. And unto this, Conan, destined to wear the jeweled crown of Aquilonia upon a troubled brow. It is I, his chronicler, who alone can tell thee of his saga.” - Conan the Barbarian, 1982
And to take the comparison further (and because I love it so much), here is Robert E. Howard’s original opening lines in “The Phoenix on the Sword” from 1932:
“Know, O prince, that between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities, and the years of the rise of the Sons of Aryas, there was an Age undreamed of, when shining kingdoms lay spread across the world like blue mantles beneath the stars - Nemedia, Ophir, Brythunia, Hyperborea, Zamora with its dark-haired women and towers of spider-haunted mystery, Zingara with its chivalry, Koth that bordered on the pastoral lands of Shem, Stygia with its shadow-guarded tombs, Hyrkania whose riders wore steel and silk and gold. But the proudest kingdom of the world was Aquilonia, reigning supreme in the dreaming west.” - “The Phoenix on the Sword”, Robert E. Howard
Love Conan and Sword & Sorcery? You’ll definitely want to check out this past Rediscovered Realms newsletter:
Magnificent thews and verse that can’t lose. This week we have unearthed a limited-run 1975 fanzine full of cool fantasy art and . . . poetry inspired by Conan’s creator, R.E. Howard. Before you skip this Rediscovered Realms’ rhyming class, you’ll want to stick around because I’ve uncovered a little-known illustration of one of the most famous modern-day…
Regardless of its Barbarous roots, The Sword and the Sorcerer was a welcome addition to the burgeoning Sword & Sorcery genre of the early 80s (though most critics hated it!)
P.J. Thorndyke in his book, “Barbarians at the Gates of Hollywood: Sword and Sorcery Movies of the 1980s” considers The Sword and the Sorcerer along with Hawk the Slayer as a “bridge between the early fairytale-toned movies like Excalibur and Dragonslayer and the post-1982 sword and sorcery movie which traded medieval romanticism for barbarian pulp.”
Here’s the definitive trailer for The Sword and the Sorcerer (1/3 Clash of the Titans + 1/3 Krull/Hawk the Slayer + 1/3 Indiana Jones = Pure AWESOMENESS!):
Ok. You have to admit that trailer is badass!
French version - “The Savage Sword”
DID YOU KNOW?!
The Sword & the Sorcerer grossed $39,103,425 at the box office (with inflation, the equivalent of $127,309,000 in 2024!), making it the most profitable independent film of 1982. It even spawned a short-lived production line of three-bladed plastic swords in resemblance to Talon's. - Wikipedia
So, what about these coloring books? I mean, if you’ve seen the movie, you know there are a lot of adult themes that shouldn’t really lend well to kids’ activity books! And this was WAY before the era of adult-zen-coloring-acceptability.
Check out another of the movie’s taglines below. Not sure “lusty”, “revenge” and “desire” are appropriate kid themes.
“A lusty epic of revenge and magic...of dungeons and dragons, of wizards and witches, of damsels and desire...and of a warrior caught between them all.” - The Sword & the Sorcerer advertising tagline
The fact remains that these fantasy adventure “coloring & activity books” were made the same year the movie was released in 1982.
I can only imagine they imagined targeting kids whose parents saw the movie and were like, “Hey, wouldn’t it be awesome if they made kids coloring books for this R-rated fantasy movie? And instead of 1 coloring book, it would be even more rad if they made a series of 4! Oh, and then if they could ask quiz questions that only someone who watched the movie would know how to answer . . .”
<me scratching head>
I’m poking a little fun here. The 4 books do expound upon enough of the story to allow you to answer the many quizzes throughout. It was curious though that they weren’t numbered (and the ISBNs are all the exact same), so you have to sort of know the story to put the books in the correct sequence. I guess they were sold as a single unit set back in the day?
Probably because D&D was in full swing and prompted so many other fantasy products and IPs, they just figured these books would ride on that trend.
I’m not judging but will always remain extremely curious!
Another thing I’m not judging is these books’ quality. I’m a huge proponent and supporter of Fantasy creators, authors and artists, both past and present.
It’s easy to sit back and judge, but to get your ideas & dreams across the finish line is worthy of respect & praise and helps put Play back in the world. This, to me, always makes lives and living a little more fun and a little bit better.
I’ll just say other than the nostalgia, the covers and title pages are my favorite parts of this series. ‘Nuff said. On with the tour!
DID YOU KNOW?!
There was even a toy line (by Fleetwood) for The Sword and the Sorcerer?
Other than the demonic summoning, and the repeated mention of the “harem room” and “harem girls”, the story was sanitized enough to take out the more unsavory mature parts from the film.
The books skip the seedier aspects of the movie - instead of stakes through hands, you get ropes. The deaths, the sensuality, and (most of the) violence from the movie were also skipped over (except for poor Xusia - we see his pushed-over-the-cliff “demise” in full panoramic coloring page glory!)
“Hey, Xusia old buddy. Why don’t we walk together over to this beautiful steep cliff . . .”
DID YOU KNOW?!
Shout! Factory released a special edition 4K Resolution UHD Blu-ray on March 15, 2022.
“Mom, what’s a ‘harem room’?”
German version - “Talon: In the Fight Against the Empire”
DID YOU KNOW?!
The Sword and the Sorcerer was originally conceived as the first in a series of several films.
A sequel, Tales of an Ancient Empire (as trailed at the end of The Sword and the Sorcerer), directed by Pyun,was released on January 24, 2012 on DVD. Kevin Sorbo, Victoria Maurette and Lee Horsley starred in the film, the latter reprising the role from the original film.Although Christopher Lambert and Yancy Butler were initially announced to appear in the film, they do not appear. - Wikipedia
“Mom, there’s that word again in the crossword puzzle. What is it?”
“Mom, can I have a ‘harem room’, too?”
Oh, and did I mention there is a new campy Sword and the Sorcerer style movie? “The Slave and the Sorcerer”was funded on KICKSTARTER and is billed as “Deathstalker meets The Evil Dead”.
Here’s the UNOFFICIAL fan-made trailer (unapologetically one of the best things ever!):
If you liked that, then here’s some more campiness for you from their Kickstarter promo video. It’s epic in its ridiculousness!
And so, we come to the end of another tale. A classic tale as old as time. A tale where, no, Talon & Alana did not live happily ever after, but instead “were happy to be alive.”
Such is life in the harsh children’s coloring book world of “The Sword and the Sorcerer”!
Cromwell: “Arrrghh. I wonder if that Masters of the Universe movie might need any extras …”
If you like Fantasy Coloring Books, you definitely need to check out this past Rediscovered Realms newsletter:
4 classic Advanced Dungeons & Dragons coloring books plus one other mysterious missing coloring book of legend. Join Warduke, Strongheart, and Rediscovered Realms this week as we start to settle-in for winter and enjoy some of the impressive illustrations from Marvel Books’ supercool 1983 TSR fantasy AD&D RPG coloring books!
It’s expensive running a kingdom these days. That’s why occasional support from Generous Adventurers like you helps keep Rediscovered Realms’ moat stocked with monsters and swords sharpened for action.
Did you know the Castle playing cards in this giveaway are a Kickstarter exclusive, with only 48 wooden double-deck boxes sold? This set is valued at $120!
Wow, what a summer! With re-releases in the movie theater for Lord of the Rings and The NeverEnding Story as well as the upcoming Man And Witch movie (featuring Tami Stronach from The NeverEnding Story!) - I’m excited to know about this Time Bandits remake. It was in all honesty, a movie that messes you up as a kid (at least it did for me!) with its strangeness and harsh (multi-)world realities, but still beloved nonetheless.
Looking for some arms and armour or practical books about how to use them? How about some historically accurate gifts or cool TV and movie paraphernalia? Then check out the shop at RoyalArmouries.org
Tons of fun stuff to explore, and proceeds help support their mission to preserve historical artifacts for future generations to enjoy.
Netflix goes back to the 1300s with its envisioning of Boccaccio’s Decameron. Sure to be full of bawdy ironies, ironic bawdiness (and Monty Pythonic parallels), I can’t help but want to check it out on July 25th.
“As the bubonic plague spreads through Italy, a group of nobles and servants retreats to a villa, where their lavish getaway quickly spirals into chaos.”
Until next Sunday, Colorful Coloring Centurion. May all the blades of your sword be sharp and your sorcerer, dead. (Just don’t assume - even if you push him off a cliff)
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ok...Time Bandits remake looks pretty good, but I am still worried as MP was the gold standard for humorous films. Thanks for sharing a couple of films I have never heard of , and we all called the Sword and the Sorcerer, the Rocket Propelled Sword...back in the day, but I do remember seeing it in the theater
In no way is The Sword and the Sorcerer a kids movie so for them to bring out colouring books and a toy range was the work of deranged genius 😁
Saying that, I must have watched it for the first time on video when I was about 12 or 13, which was probably still far too young but the cover just looked so damn cool and there were so few fantasy movies about that you had to watch whatever you could. I would say it was between this and Hawk the Slayer for my favourite. Albeit this had a much bigger budget and wasn’t quite so British!
Never knew they made a sequel so I’ll need to check it out.
ok...Time Bandits remake looks pretty good, but I am still worried as MP was the gold standard for humorous films. Thanks for sharing a couple of films I have never heard of , and we all called the Sword and the Sorcerer, the Rocket Propelled Sword...back in the day, but I do remember seeing it in the theater
That’s absolutely fantastic J.Q. 😆
In no way is The Sword and the Sorcerer a kids movie so for them to bring out colouring books and a toy range was the work of deranged genius 😁
Saying that, I must have watched it for the first time on video when I was about 12 or 13, which was probably still far too young but the cover just looked so damn cool and there were so few fantasy movies about that you had to watch whatever you could. I would say it was between this and Hawk the Slayer for my favourite. Albeit this had a much bigger budget and wasn’t quite so British!
Never knew they made a sequel so I’ll need to check it out.
Another great memory. Thanks J.Q. 👍🏼