L'épée enchantée

"The Magic Sword" is one of B-movie producer/director Bert I. Gordon's best known films. Granted, it's no masterpiece, but it is enjoyable on it's own terms. The plot, very loosely based on the 'St. George And The Dragon' legend, has a princess (Anne Helm) kidnapped by evil sorcerer Lodac (Basil Rathbone) and hunted by lovesick George (Gary Lockwood). Aided by his foster mother Sybil (Estelle Winwood) a good witch, George vows to save the princess and destroy Lodac. Although this plot has been done to death, it's the acting by the splendid Rathbone and Winwood which keeps this film consistently entertaining. Add some modest, but impressive special effects, and you have a very entertaining minor adventure for the family. Beware: this public domain film is available on several cut-rate DVDs, but only the newly released one from MGM/UA home video is worth the price. They have a beautiful print of the film (it was originally released by United Artists) which contains a fun theatrical trailer. This is the one to get!