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| Special Features: |
Widescreen format.
Audio commentary by director Don Coscarelli and Co-writer/producer Paul Pepperman.
Tanya Roberts' breasts.
Theatrical trailer.
Behind the scenes footage with audio commentary by Coscarelli and Pepperman.
Original production art.
Posters and stills gallery.
Cast and crew bios and filmographies.
16 page booklet with notes and artwork.
Tanya Roberts' breasts.
Chapter selection.
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| Video Format: |
Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1)
[SS-DL]
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| Languages: |
English (Dolby Digital surround EX)
English (Dolby Digital surround 2.0)
English (6.1 DTS ES)
THX Certified
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| Captions: |
None.
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| Sides: |
1-Disc Keep Case
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Maax (Rip Torn) is a demonic high priest who slaughters the family of the king who threatens to end his reign of evil. The king is imprisoned. Maax's seers foretell the death of Maax at the hands of the king's unborn son. Maax's minions set out to kill the child. They steal him from his mother's womb but a traveler prevents them from killing the child. The child is Dar (Marc Singer plays Dar as an adult). The boy is raised as the son of a peasant. He discovers that he has a kinship with animals. As a child he prevents the death of his adopted father by backing down a marauding grizzly bear. Flash forward 15 years.
Dar is now a full grown, muscular man. When his village is destroyed by the Jun hoards, Dar sets out on a mission of revenge. He does not know that he is the son of the rightful king, nor does he realize that his true enemy is the priest Maax.
On his way Dar spies a beautiful slave girl, Kiri (Tanya Roberts) bathing in a stream. He is taken by her beauty and pleads with her to join him. She refuses and returns to the temple of Maax where she is to be sacrifices. Dar is sidetracked by Kiri's body and travels to the temple to rescue her. It is fate leading to his true enemy and his true mission. To reclaim the crown for his family. Dar is aided along the way by a couple of mischievous ferrets, a black tiger, a hawk and various characters he meets on the way. For those who have not seen this sword and sorcery classic, I'll go no further.
"The Beastmaster" was released at a time when Frank Frazetta inspired sword and sorcery epics were being produced right and left. What set "The Beastmaster" apart from its darker ilk such as "Conan" and "Red Sonja" were likable heroes, a sense of humor and deft direction.
The acting is above average for this type of film. Physically, Marc Singer is no Arnold, but he has the build to carry off the part of Dar. My 15 year-old daughter let out an embarrassed grin which let me know she thought he was hot when Dar swung his sword in the air, showing off his bare chest. Singer is also convincing in his interactions with the animals involved in the project. John Amos and Rip Torn are also good in their respective parts. Tanya Roberts was hired for more than her thespian abilities. She is very sexy, in an empty-headed kind of way. Her topless scene in this film lead to a Playboy spread and countless roles in direct to cable erotic mysteries.
The animals are the real stars of the movie. The ferrets are great as little thieves. One thing I liked about this film was the fact that the animal factor didn't turn the movie into an overly cute "family film." The movie has a brief scene of nudity, a great deal of bloodless violence, several epic battles and a scene of child sacrifice. Were the film rated today, it would most likely garner a PG-13 rating.
This movie has always been one of my guilty pleasures. It ain't Shakespeare, but it delivers the goods!
Another great DVD from Anchor Bay! Excellent B-movie! Great sound! Great Picture! Great Extras! Tanya Roberts breasts!
Picture Quality: 10/10
No artifacts. No pixilation. No loss of clarity during the many night time scenes. You can count the goosebumps on Tanya Roberts as she gets out of the freezing pond!
Sound Quality: 10/10
Lots of great formats to hear this movie. DTS, THX optimized, 6.1 or 2.0 surround. From the clashing of swords to the crashing sound of a thousand approaching horse soldiers, this soundtrack rocks.
Menu: 8/10
Good use of images from the movie. Easy to navigate.
Extra Features: 10/10
The commentary track is excellent. You get insight into the process of making a big scale film on a limited budget.
The behind the scenes footage was filmed with an 8mm camera to document the making of the film. Director Coscarelli and Producer Pepperman provide great commentary to this footage. It compliments the audio commentary of the film quite well.
The galleries are extensive. You see pre-production and concept drawings. Production and publicity stills and posters from the world over.
As with most of Anchor Bay's products, the bios and filmographies go into great detail about the cast and crew.
The 16 page booklet is great. Great drawings and some info that is repeated in the commentaries and some that is not.
The Final Word:
A B-Movie that rises to the A-level in quality, entertainment and fun. While I hate the sequels and didn't watch the TV series, I love the original. Anchor Bay has produced another great DVD which should be a part of everyone's permanent library.
Rusty White
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