>> Lords of Fantasy: The Fellowship of the Genre
The fantasy genre, like a dragon gorged on too many human carcasses, has crapped out some fiery stinkers. But, with the coming months offering a fantastical feast, Robin Fuller celebrates the forces of goodness.
1. Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)
An astonishing trilogy of ?lms, adapted from J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary originals and a popular read amongst the disillusioned hippy counter-culture of the ‘60s who dreamt of a world outside of their own.
Peter Jackson’s hat trick of cinematic masterpieces arrived onto screens in December 2001, only three months after 9/11 and the wrath of Bin Laden had turned the western world upside down. It was a period of fear, confusion and political volatility that drew parallels with the ‘hippy’ era. Both the novels and ?lms shared the twisted fortune of being welcomed as escapist antidotes, founded on a concrete morality with clearly de?ned representatives of good and evil, played out in a beautiful world.
Visually, Jackson’s ?lms are at times on a par with the experience of staring up at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The CGI enhanced New Zealand landscape is transformed into a believable Middle Earth, with exquisite set pieces such as Elven kingdom Rivendell, the dark and foreboding lava soaked Mordor, pouring out orcs beneath the Nazgul and the eye of Sauron.
Furthermore, the ?lms are a triumph of human characterisation, inviting our support or condemnation for the heroes and villains through their ultimate battle to uphold good or evil. Ian McKellen is a delight as bearded wizard Gandalf (Jackson’s Obi-Wan), together with Sean Astin’s chubby hobbit Sam Gamgee and Andy Serkis’s CGI schizophrenic Gollum, propelling the ?awless narrative along to its climactic battle under the imposing shadow of Minus Tirith and moving conclusion on Mount Doom.
Return of the King bagged a deserved Oscar, recognition of Jackson’s achievement and an unprecedented, not to mention overdue, acknowledgement of the genre as a legitimate art form. Eternally Preciousss.
2. The Princess Bride (1987)
Classic fairytale with occasional cheeky winks and ?atulent mockery in the direction of the genre, courtesy of director Rob Reiner who introduced us to 11-max amps in Spinal Tap (1984).
Stripped bare, it is an hilarious tour through the mythical library of fantasy conventions and absurdities. Paupers and princesses, swordsmen, friendly giants and maniacal midgets battle it out on treacherous mountaintops and monster-infested swamps all in the name of lurve and revenge. Much of the comedy that peppers the plot comes courtesy of Billy Crystal, Peter Cook and Mel Smith who is hilarious as an albino torturer. Narrated by Peter ‘Columbo’ Falk, made up like Japetto, it’s a traditional adventure yarn told by a granddad to his ailing grandson. Anyone for a Werther’s Original? It even features WWF wrestling hero Andre the Giant as a…erm…giant.
3. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
Diabetics stay well clear, this is as sugary as you can get but hey, that’s Capra for you.
It’s a Wonderful Life sank at the box of?ce on its original debut but is now considered one of the greatest ?lms of all time. Fresh from battling the Luftwaffe in WWII, top gun James Stewart fancied sinking his capped teeth into some Chrimbo schmaltz. Stewart plays George Bailey, sel?ess businessman and entrepreneur of the sleepy snow scene of a town, Bedford Falls. The sanctity of Bailey’s ‘Shire’ is threatened after the loss of an $8000 loan at the hands of evil millionaire, Mr Potter. Broke and guilt ridden, Bailey considers suicide until a magical guardian angel shows him the grim vision of a town without him.
Pure quasi-fantasy minus the dragons and goblins, a populist fairytale that warms the heart and rots the teeth.
4. Labyrinth (1986) & 5. Dark Crystal (1982)
The gratuitous outline of Bowie’s balls squashed into skintight jodhpurs caused many a giggle amongst ‘80s adolescents. Jim ‘Herriot’ Henson was the master of inserting his hand upward in the name of muppetry. A young girl (Jennifer Connelly) has to rescue her baby brother from the evil clutches of the Goblin King (Bowie with exaggerated Toyah Willcox mullet) by navigating her way through a magical labyrinth beset with muppet monsters and midgety meddlers. The narrative is peppered with enjoyable Bowie led musical numbers, supported by Henson’s dancing creations.
Dark Crystal (1982) was its darker predecessor and another awesome cinematic slice of Henson fantasy, minus the testicular emphasis. Both are much deserved of top ten inclusions. Muppet fantasies that remind us of a time before CGI…
6. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
To me, Margaret Hamilton’s Wicked Witch of the West is a scarier pant ?ller than the motorised hag from Chorlton and the Wheelies or the recent woodland trust mascot, the Blair Witch. The Wizard of Oz, to some degree, is the granddaddy of celluloid fantasy; 66 years ago, Judy Garland’s pigtailed innocent from Kansas was swept away in a cyclone to the wonderful world of Oz. Jay-walking the yellow brick road cheered on by a crowd of colourfully costumed magical inhabitants, she meets a scarecrow who needs a brain, a tin ?gure who needs a heart, and a cowardly lion who needs some courage.
Beautifully vintage, quasi-religious fantasy pressing human virtues to the max, in a year when WWII became a reality.
7. Shrek (2001)
What do you get if you splice Wayne Rooney with the Incredible Hulk and inject the human plus points of modesty and sel?essness into the equation? Eight feet’s worth of computer enhanced box of?ce dynamite, that’s what.
Shrek was Warner Bros’ successful attempt to dip into the computer animation market saturated with Pixar productions. On release, this frog-prince fairytale was a critical and ?nancial triumph. Forget the high-tech animation, the tale, spun over 90 minutes, is a magical unravelling of the ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ saying. John Lithgow’s deliciously evil knee-high ruler Lord Farquaad attempts to banish fairytales from the magical land of Duloc but is thwarted by a triad of thwarters: Mike Myers’ Scottish ogre, Eddie Murphy’s career redeeming character, Donkey, and Cameron Diaz’s gorgeous (but homely) Princess Fiona who is not what she seems…
8. Brazil (1985)
Directed by master of the surreal, Python veteran Terry Gilliam, this directorial offering does him many a favour. Set in an Orwellian vision of the future, the narrative focuses on Jonathan Pryce’s Sam Lowry, a pen pushing civil servant and technocrat harassed and huddled together like the rest of the populace by a faceless police state. The brief moments of release our hero experiences are in the form of a dreamlike refuge in a fantasy world of his making. An administrative cock-up at his place of work leads Lowry to ?ght for the innocence of shoemaker Harry Buttle, played by De Niro, inadvertently becoming the hunted himself.
Fantastical vision of the future by the man who helped introduce us to the ministry of silly walks.
9. Jason and The Argonauts (1963)
Ray Harryhausen is a vintage name synonymous with stop motion animation still employed by Hollywood’s mad professor Tim Burton (Nightmare before Christmas, Corpse Bride). Harryhausen’s cinematic adaptations of Greek myths and legends were more often than not accompanied by the laborious implementation of this early stop-frame technology. And it works. Two images are permanently supplanted in my memory with regards to this glorious mythical epic: the monstrous copper statue, Achilles, coming to life, and a landscape of dust and dirt erupting with skeleton warriors preparing for war. If the latter prompts a bout of déjà vu, recall the scene in The Fellowship of the Ring when thousands of goblins pour out from the ground of Moria.
Effects aside, it is a brilliant adventure yarn too, sourcing the bottomless pit of Greek mythology that has been the inspiration for many a fantasy tale.
10. Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Like Bowie’s love spuds in Labyrinth, this entry is an awkward squeeze… into the top ten. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001) was a box of?ce beast thanks to the millions of children across the globe who had gorged themselves on J.K. Rowling’s debut novel and were looking for a celluloid alternative. Christopher Columbus’s ?lm adaptation of the international bestseller was a poorly threaded interpretation of the book, hampered further by some seriously ?awed performances by the young cast of apprentice wizards, particularly Daniel Radcliffe a.k.a. Harry.
In director Alfonso Cuarón’s Azkaban, the original narrative has matured in a sinister fashion (murders, executions) to accommodate adult as well as child audiences and the younger cast have also matured. Featuring werewolves and Dementors (Rowling’s ring wraiths), the third instalment exploits its strong cast of wonderfully eccentric characters to good effect. Gary Oldman is a superb addition as escaped crim, Sirius Black. A franchise redeemed, albeit with a helping hand of in?uence, courtesy of Peter Jackson.