The Last Realm of Magic

It is very rare for me to recommend a movie so publicly, particularly a children's movie.  But if you ever have 90 minutes to burn, I highly recommend the following:

I can already hear Don McLean's silky tones.

Don't be fooled by the terrible cover.  The art of the actual film is...

Erm.  Well.  It's a little sub-par, at times, as well.  But that's not the point!

The Flight of Dragons is an early 80s direct-to-TV Rankin & Bass film based on the books, The Flight of Dragons by Peter Dickinson and The Dragon and the George by Gordon Dickson.  I have read neither book, much to my shame (hey, hey - two more to add to the list!) so I can't comment on how closely they follow the source material.

But believe me when I tell you - they could have changed everything, and to me, it would not have mattered.

I first saw this movie in maybe kindergarten or first grade.  The art teacher at the time thought it would be a nice treat, and so we got to see the first half hour, or so.  Being pretty young, I of course forgot the title and most of the events, though the imagery and probably the music stuck out long after I saw it.  It wouldn't be for another 5-ish years that I would see it again.

On a whim, my father and I decided to rent a film from the local public library, but were having a hard time finding anything that piqued our interest.  Eventually, out of the corner of his eye, he catches the title of some flick in the children's section.  The word "dragon" grabs his attention.  We both like dragons.  Why not?

I do not think I am exaggerating when I say that it was the best random happenstance that occurred in my young childhood.

Not long after, we got a copy for ourselves, and I watched that sucker more times than I admit to reveal. Even now as a grown-ass-adult, I watch it when I'm feeling in a fantastical mood.

The premise is simple enough - the evil wizard Ommadon (voiced by JAMES EARL JONES, WHAT) is threatening to poison the mind of man so that he can control them with his dark magic.  It's up to a scrappy band of heroes to save the day, etc., etc.

The story on its own doesn't really stand too tall.  If it was just a basic good versus evil film, I wouldn't care half so much.  But there's a lot of subtle (or - sometimes not so subtle) context and conflict that really give it the extra edge.

I don't like giving away spoilers, so I won't go into too much of the meat, but I do want to share a quote from early in the film.  Carolinus, one of the main protagonists, is explaining to his daughter why the sentient authority of all magic requires that Ommadon always be present at council. In response to her confusion, he says the following:

"As evil is a part of all things, evil is a part of our world of magic.  For the irony of all existence is that good would be totally impotent without the contrast evil."

This film takes itself and its audience seriously, much like other great movies that came out of that decade (An American Tale, The Secret of NIMH, Nausicaa, etc.)  To this day, I list it on my top ten, without shame.  Though - as far as shame goes, I can't say the same of my behavior regarding the film, necessarily:

I can't decide if I'm more ashamed of my nerdiness, or that
I stooped to using the "Keep Calm" format.

BRYAGH!  COME, I SAY!

It is definitely a lesser-known film that deserves a little more publicity.  For real.  Give it a go.

"...Save for the length of a dream or a flash of inspiration.  But it will stay, through the years, the centuries, and the ages, a part of man for all time.  And whenever man needs magic, we will be here."

Indeed you have.

Until the next.