Wizards (film)
| Wizards | |
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| File:Wizards (Movie) (VHS).jpg | |
| Directed by | Ralph Bakshi |
| Written by | Ralph Bakshi |
| Produced by | Ralph Bakshi |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date | March 2, 1977 |
Running time | 82 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,200,000 |
Wizards is an animated post-apocalyptic Science Fiction/Fantasy epic movie written, produced and directed by Ralph Bakshi in 1977, and released by 20th Century Fox.
The film, originally titled War Wizards (later shortened to Wizards to avoid confusion with Star Wars, which was being made at the same time for Fox), was originally to be entirely cel-animated from scratch, but because of budget problems, 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).
So, Bakshi finished his film by paying out of his own pocket and using rotoscoping for the unfinished battle sequences. In these sequences, stock footage is stripped of detail, leaving only shadows of the live figures to be painted over onto animation cels. Clips include scenes taken from films such as Zulu, El Cid, Patton and Battle of the Bulge.
Critics were generally mixed in their responses to the film. Film website Rotten Tomatoes, which compiles reviews from a wide range of critics, gives the film a score of 56%. Despite criticism, the film grossed $9 million theatrically, and was considered to be a hit by Bakshi and his crew. It has since been released on home video, and more recently, on DVD.
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, reading from the book explains that planet Earth had been destroyed by terrorists, and that it took two million years for some of the radioactive clouds to allow some sun in, and by then, only a handful of humans had survived, and the rest of humanity has changed into hideous mutants who floundered in radioactive lands that never allowed them to become human again, and made each birth a new disaster.
In the good land of Montegar, fairies, elves and dwarves (the true ancestors of man) came back, arising from their long sleep and lived happily in the good areas. During The Feast of Plenty, a celebration of 3,000 years of peace, Delia, the queen of the fairies, felt a pull from the skies. She looked up and saw dark clouds forming on the horizon in every direction. She fell into a trance and left 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. The storm grew until it was a raging cyclone hovering over the dwelling. One of the older fairies ventured inside the house. Delia had given birth to twins: one good, one evil. These are not ordinary twins, but magical wizards.
Avatar, the kind and good wizard, spends much of his boyhood entertaining his mother with beautiful visions, while Blackwolf, the mutant wizard, never visited his mother, and spent his time torturing small animals. After many years, Delia dies. Blackwolf, learning that his mother had died, was excited, because for now he felt he would take over her leadership and rule the land. Avatar engages in battle with his evil brother, with Avatar coming out as the victor because his magic was stronger, because he had the emotional loss of his mother that drove him on. Blackwolf leaves the good lands, vowing to return make this a planet where mutants rule.
Years later, Blackwolf becomes the leader of Scorch, where he finds bits and pieces of old technology, restoring it. He tries to attack Montegar twice, failing, because in the midst of battle, his warriors get bored or sidetracked. Then, Blackwolf discovers an old projector, and some Nazi propaganda, which he eventually uses as a weapon. When played at certain points in the battle, it gets his warriors excited enough to fight, and at the same time, confusing the elves. Meanwhile, in Montegar, Avatar has become a tutor to Elinore - the daughter of Montagar's president - 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 president is assassinated by Necron 99, a robot sent by Blackwolf to kill the believers in magic. After a confrontation through brain reading, Avatar learns from Necron 99 that the key is a dream machine that inspires armies with ancient war images. Avatar, Elinore, Necron 99 (who, after Avatar's brain reading, no longer wants war, and is renamed Peace), and Weehawk, 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 potential destructive powers of propaganda. Blackwolf's secret weapon is propaganda, used to incite and motivate his legions and terrorize the good fairy folk. 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. The references to Hitler and the Nazi war machine are poignant, though somewhat unsubtle.
Trivia
Although it was written and produced in the mid-seventies, considerable hippy influence from the sixties is evident throughout the story. The fairies are depicted as peace-loving Luddites.
Notable artists involved in the production of Wizards include Ian Miller, who produced the gloomy backgrounds of Scortch, and Mike Ploog, who contributed likewise for the more arcadian lanscapes of Montegar. 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 Ralph's, and had tried to persuade Bakshi to direct a screenplay he had written. [1]
Home video avalibility
Fox had long neglected to put the feature out on DVD until an online petition created by Animation on DVD.com and written by Keith Finch demanding the film's release on DVD was brought to their attention. The petition had the following text:
- This petition is to get the Ralph Bakshi film Wizards released on DVD. This animated futuristic fantasy depicts a battle between magic and technology, a kind-hearted old sorcerer named Avatar embarks on a perilous quest into darkness to save the world from his evil brother Scortch's black magic.
- There has recently been a resurgence in interest in Ralph Bakshi's films (Heavy Traffic, Fritz the Cat and The Lord of the Rings are already either out on DVD, or announced for release). We would like to support an effort to release all of Bakshi's films on DVD - this particular petition focuses on Wizards.
- We, the undersigned would like to support a DVD release of Wizards - preferably with the audio and video presented at the highest level of quality possible, in the original theatrical aspect ratio. Supplemental features such as a commentary track with Mr. Bakshi should be included if at all possible.
- For more information about Animation on DVD in general, please visit http://www.animationondvd.com
- Sincerely,
- The Undersigned
The DVD was released on May 25, 2004. The disc featured an audio commentary track by Bakshi and the segment Ralph Bakshi: The Wizard of Animation, in which Bakshi talks about the film against a black screen. Various rare production photos and clips from the film are shown throughout the documentary. Also of interest are the multiple photo galleries on the disc, which feature some very interesting early sketches of the characters, including nude sketches of Elinore the faery pupil.
External links
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