Wizards (film)
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| Wizards | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster. |
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| Directed by | Ralph Bakshi |
| Produced by | Ralph Bakshi |
| Written by | Ralph Bakshi |
| Starring | Bob Holt Jesse Welles Richard Romanus David Proval Steve Gravers |
| Music by | Andrew Belling |
| Cinematography | Ted C. Bemiller |
| Editing by | Donald W. Ernst |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | March 2, 1977 |
| Running time | 80 min. |
| Country |  |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,200,000 |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Wizards (originally titled War Wizards[1][2]) is an animated post-apocalyptic science fiction/fantasy film about the battle between two wizards, a good wizard representing the forces of magic and an evil wizard representing the forces of technology. It was written, produced and directed by Ralph Bakshi. Wizards is notable for being the first fantasy film made by Bakshi, who was previously known only for gritty, urban films such as Fritz the Cat, Heavy Traffic and Coonskin. It grossed $9 million theatrically, and has since become a cult classic. It was released on DVD in 2004.[3]
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[edit] Synopsis
The film opens with a live-action sequence showing a large book in a desert, the title page reading "An illuminating history bearing on the everlasting struggle for world supremacy fought between the powers of Technology and Magic." The film's narrator (an uncredited Susan Tyrrell) reads from the book, explaining that the planet Earth has been badly damaged by terrorists, and that it has taken two million years for the radioactive clouds to once again allow sunlight to reach the surface. Only a handful of humans have survived; the rest of humanity has changed into hideous mutants. These mutants roam the radioactive wastelands of earth. In the good land of Montegar, fairies, elves and dwarves (the true ancestors of man) have returned and now live happily in the good areas.
During The Feast of Plenty, a celebration of 3,000 years of peace, Delia, the queen of the fairies, feels a pull from the skies. She looks up and sees dark clouds forming on the horizon in every direction. Delia then falls into a trance and leaves the party, heading for her home on a high hill. At first, the fairies are puzzled, but then they too feel a force drawing them to follow Delia. The storm grows until it is a raging cyclone hovering over the dwelling. One of the older fairies ventures inside the house. Delia has given birth to twins: one good, one evil. These are not ordinary infants, but magical wizards. Avatar, (voice of Bob Holt) the kind and good wizard, spends much of his boyhood entertaining his mother with beautiful visions, while Blackwolf, (v. by Steve Gravers) the mutant wizard, never visits his mother, and spends his time torturing small animals. After many years, Delia dies. Blackwolf, learning that his mother has died, is excited; he believes he will take over her leadership and rule the land. Avatar engages in battle with his evil brother, emerging as the victor because his magic was strengthened by grief over his mother's loss. Defeated, Blackwolf leaves the good lands, vowing to return and 'make this a planet where mutants rule'.
Years later, Blackwolf becomes the leader of the dark land of Scorch, where he finds and restores bits and pieces of old technology. He tries to attack Montegar twice, but fails both times; in the midst of battle, his warriors become bored or sidetracked. Then, Blackwolf discovers an old projector and some Nazi propaganda. Impressed with the horrorifing warfare methods unleashed in the past, Blackwolf enhances the projector with magical power that make the images "real" and utilizes this as a weapon at key moments in battle to inspire his own soldiers and decimate the elves. Meanwhile, in Montegar, Avatar has become a tutor to Elinore (v. by Jesse Welles) - the daughter of Montagar's president (v. by Jim Connell) - who is training to become a full-fledged fairy. Avatar is madly in love with Elinore, but he feels old and over the hill. The situation in Montegar is complicated when the president is assassinated by Necron 99 (v. by David Proval), a robot sent by Blackwolf to kill the believers in magic. After a confrontation through brain reading, Avatar learns from Necron 99 that the deciding factor in the war with Blackwolf is a 'dream machine' (the projector) which inspires armies with ancient images of war. Avatar, Elinore, Necron 99 (who no longer wants war and is renamed Peace), and Weehawk (v. by Richard Romanus), one of Avatar's elf spies, set out to destroy the projector and save the world from another Holocaust.
Wizards is an allegorical comment on the neutrality of technology and the potentially destructive powers of propaganda. Blackwolf's secret weapon is propaganda, used to incite and motivate his legions and terrorize the good fairy folk of Montegar; Blackwolf also utilizes technology for evil ends. However, in the end, it is Avatar's willingness to use a technological tool (a handgun pulled from "up his sleeve") which saves them all.
[edit] History
When production on Wizards started, Bakshi had made four city-based autobiographical politically oriented films, Fritz the Cat, Heavy Traffic, Hey Good Lookin' (released in 1982), and Coonskin, all of which had been plagued with problems and controversies. Bakshi wanted to show the world and himself two things, which were that "it doesn't take controversy for animation to be soulful, beautiful, [to have] feelings, and be realistic. [...] And, also, I didn't want to repeat myself to death."[1] Bakshi felt that he could make an animated fantasy film, and come up with the same elements that were in his other films. "If I could do a kids' film," Bakshi is quoted as saying, "with the same sort of emotion that people love, that doesn't lean on curse words, that doesn't have urban dialogue...that it would validate why I did these other films. [...] I wanted to do a family film that had heart, that talks to kids in a real way, so Wizards was a very important challenge for me."[1] The original title of the film was War Wizards. During the production of the film, director George Lucas, who, at the time was making Star Wars for the same studio, approached Bakshi. "Lucas asked me for a big favor. He said, 'look, Ralph, we can't go out with War Wizards and Star Wars. It doesn't sound right.' The various departments were having a problem with two fantasy films coming out with 'war' in the title. So, he asked me whether or not I could drop 'War' and give it to him. So, I said, 'Let me think about it, George.'" Eventually, Bakshi changed the title.[1]
[edit] Production
Actor Mark Hamill auditioned for and received a voice role in the film. "He needed a job, and he came to me, and I thought he was great, and Lucas thought he should do it, and he got not only [Wizards], he got [Star Wars]."[1] Bakshi had wanted a female narrator for his film, and he loved Susan Tyrrell's acting. Tyrell performed the narration for the film, but Bakshi was told that he couldn't credit her for her narration. Years later, Tyrrell told Bakshi that she got most of her work from her narration on the film, and that she wished she had allowed him to put her name on it.[1][2] Notable artists involved in the production of Wizards include Ian Miller, who produced the gloomy backgrounds of Scorch, and Mike Ploog, who contributed likewise for the more arcadian lanscapes of Montegar.[2] Bakshi was unable to complete the battle sequences with the budget Fox had given him. When he asked them for a budget increase, they refused (during the same meeting, director George Lucas had asked for a budget increase for Star Wars and was also refused).[1] As a result, Bakshi finished his film by paying out of his own pocket and using rotoscoping for the unfinished battle sequences.[1][2] "I thought that if we dropped all the detail, it would look very artistic, and very beautiful, and I felt, why bother animating all of this? I'm looking for a way to get realism into my film and get real emotion."[2] "There's no question that it was an easier way to get these gigantic scenes that I wanted. It also was the way that showed me how to do Lord of the Rings, so it worked two ways."[1] In addition to stock footage, the film used battle sequences from films such as Zulu, El Cid, Battle of the Bulge and Alexander Nevsky for rotoscoping. Live-action sequences from Patton were also featured.
[edit] Response
The film was well-received in Japan and Germany. According to Bakshi, he was once interviewed by a German reporter who asked him why the Nazi symbol was used in the film to represent war. Bakshi responded, "Are you kidding?"[2] Critics were generally positive in their response to the film,[4] with a few exceptions. Film website Rotten Tomatoes, which compiles reviews from a wide range of critics, gives the film a score of 56%.[5] In David Brin's article on The Lord of the Rings, and more generally Romanticism versus the Enlightenment, he says that the "animated feature called Wizards was, in my opinion, just about the most evil thing produced since Goebbels ran the Nazi propaganda mill".[6] The film's visual designs are heavily influenced by Vaughn Bode's Cheech Wizard comics, to the point where some people have accused the film of plagiarism. In actuality, Vaughn was a friend of Bakshi's, and had tried to persuade him to direct a screenplay he had written.[7] The film still maintains a large fanbase.
[edit] Sequel
Bakshi has stated that Wizards was always intended as a trilogy. One of the sequels was pitched to Fox, who have yet to greenlight the project.[4] In late 2004, a Wizards II graphic novel went into production, produced by Bakshi. The stories will be from the Wizards "universe" and each story will be created by a different artist.[8]
[edit] Home video availability
Fox had long neglected to put the feature out on DVD until an online petition[9] created by Animation on DVD.com and written by Keith Finch demanding the film's release on DVD was brought to their attention, influencing them to release the film in the format.[1][2][10] The disc, released on May 25, 2004, featured an audio commentary track by Bakshi and the segment Ralph Bakshi: The Wizard of Animation, in which Bakshi talked about the film against a black screen as various rare production photos and clips from the film are shown throughout.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Ralph Bakshi: The Wizard of Animation. Wizards DVD, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2004, documentary. ISBN: 0 24543 12026 1
- ^ a b c d e f g Bakshi, Ralph. Wizards DVD, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2004, audio commentary. ISBN: 0 24543 12026 1
- ^ ASIN: B0001NBMIK. Amazon.com. Retrieved on March 25, 2007.
- ^ a b Townsend, Emru (July 2, 2004). Interview with Ralph Bakshi. FPS. Retrieved on March 25, 2007.
- ^ Tomatometer for Wizards. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on March 25, 2007.
- ^ Brin, David. We Hobbits are a Merry Folk: An Incautious and Heretical Reappraisal of J.R.R. Tolkien. Retrieved on March 25, 2007.
- ^ Bakshi, Ralph (Feb 21, 2005). Re: No mention of Bode. Ralph Bakshi Forum. Retrieved on March 25, 2007.
- ^ McD, Chris (January 18, 2005). In Production.... The official Ralph Bakshi website. Retrieved on March 25, 2007.
- ^ Finch, Keith. Ralph Bakshi's "Wizards" on DVD Petition. Petition Online. Retrieved on March 25, 2007.
- ^ P., Ken (May 25, 2004). An Interview with Ralph Bakshi. IGN. Retrieved on March 25, 2007.
[edit] External links
- Wizards at the Internet Movie Database
- Wizards at the TCM Movie Database
- Wizards at Rotten Tomatoes
- Wizards at the official Ralph Bakshi website.
Feature films: Fritz the Cat • Heavy Traffic • Coonskin • Wizards • J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings • American Pop • Hey Good Lookin' • Fire and Ice • Cool World • Cool and the Crazy • Last Days of Coney Island
Short films: This Ain't Bebop •Malcom and Melvin •Babe, He Calls Me
TV series: The Mighty Heroes • Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures • Spicy City
TV specials: Christmas in Tattertown • The Butter Battle Book
