Das Zauberschwert (1962)

Das Zauberschwert: Directed by Bert I. Gordon. With Basil Rathbone, Estelle Winwood, Gary Lockwood, Anne Helm. The son of a sorceress, armed with weapons, armour and six magically summoned knights, embarks on a quest to save a princess from a vengeful wizard.

“I saw this film at a matinée in 1962 when I was seven. I remembered it over the years as 70 minutes of pure excitement. I watched it again on DVD with my kids. Yes, it is low budget. Yes, it has cheesy special effects by todayu0026#39;s standards. Yes, it has a corny plot and weak acting from some of the characters. Yet, I found it to have charm and my kids were just as enthralled as I was 43 years ago when I suspended my disbelief in the dark of the Saturday matinée. This film is, in its genre, a minor classic. Further, Basil Rathbone as the heavy is very good in the waning years of his life and career–much better than Torin Thatcher who played similar u0026quot;heavyu0026quot; roles in similar adventure movies.”