George and the Dragon

Plot synopsis:
Note: Significant plot details follow.George (James Purefoy) returns from the Crusades to his father Sir Robert's (Paul Freeman) hall. George has tired of battle and has resolved to find a small plot of land to build a cottage and rear cattle. His father, formerly a great knight, is not best pleased that his son will not seek further glory. However he tells him of a friend to the north King Edgaar (Simon Callow) who may grant him some land especially if George shows him the Dragon Horn that Sir Robert has crafted from the toe-nail of a dragon, a dragon he once almost slew and that took both his legs, a horn that sounds a note only a dragon can hear and that the king will know can come only from his friend Sir Robert. Though he does not believe his fathers tale he accepts the horn and parts for the north.Several scences follow until George is presented to King Edgaar by his new friend Garth (Patrick Swayze). There is an exchange between Garth and King Edgaar in which we discover that with no good evidence Garth is convinced of the Picts guilt in the dissaperance of Princess Lunna and he has and will continue to persue them mercilessly in his desire to recover his bethrothed the Princess Lunna (Piper Perabo). As George is the son of a great knight and is himself a warrior he is entreated by King Edgar to assist in the search for his daughter. George agrees and George, Garth and a detachment of troops head out in search of the Princess Lunna.Sometime later George, Garth and troops arrive at a forward camp. It is from here that Garth has been conducting his search. Garth tells George that he has found no evidence of the Picts movements. However this encourages Garth. He is convinced that a lack of evidence means that the Picts must be guilty. Garth resolves to build boats in order to make a surprise attack upon the Picts. However as George, Garth and Men chop and work wood to make boats the Picts themselves launch a surprise attack upon the camp. Though the attack is repelled an excited monk pursues a group of three retreating Picts into the forest. George parts with Garth in order to assist the monk who he narrowly saves with the assistance of a lad from his fathers hall who has secretly been following them.George, the monk and the lad are subsequently unable to return to Garth being cut of as they try by the patrolling men of the mercenary El Cabillo, for he too is in search of the princess. Forced further into the woods they seek shelter in a cave. A cave that contains an egg the size of a cow.A creature squirms within the egg and George draws his sword to kill it before it can hatch. As he readys his thrust he himself is struck down with a blow to the back of his head. He is only dazed and he opens his eyes to see a small woman. The monk rushes up identifing the woman. It is the Princess Lunna herself.The Princess Lunna has named the egg and was aquainted with the mother dragon but tells the band that the mother dragon had gone down to the lake one day and had never returned. George insists that they kill the egg. Princess Lunna is determined to protect what may be the last dragon and to take the egg to a safe place to hatch. Reluctantly obeying her royal command George and his small band load Princess Lunna and the egg on a cart, though George laments he does not know where a safe place might be.They travel to a convent, where a cousin of Lunna's is a nun (Caroline Carver). Here they meet a friar an old friend of George's. The friar convinces the mother superior to allow the band of travellers and the egg to stay. She agrees but it must be for only one night and the precence of the egg must be kept secret. George must also tidy up as he is not suitably dressed for a knight. It is now that George is given his distinctive white tunic with the red cross pattée.At evening meal they encounter Garth for he too has sort refuge for the night. Though pleased to see the Princess Luna she is less than pleased to see Garth. Garth belives this must be because Princess Lunna has fallen for George, which George denies. The Princess Lunna tells Garth that she will never marry him, that she will marry only for love.Overnight Garth develops a rage, and a plan, he sends for his men to meet him at an abandoned castle and aducts the Princess Lunna and the Friar in order that he might marry the Princess. He will then return to King Edgaar and take the throne.George and his band chase after Garth. Several scences follow and it is revealed that the Mercenary El Cabillo is a title given to whoever bests the previous El Cabillo in single combat and the present El Cabillo is yet another friend of George's. However El Cabillo's men will not pass up such a rich bounty as the Princess Luna and the movie degenerates into a general melle involving Garth's Men, El Cabillo's mutinous men, and of course Garth, George and his band and also the Princess Lunna. At somepoint during this the baby dragon hatches, the monk is killed saving the Princess from a flying spear and King Edgars men and Sir Robert's men arrive to join the fray. This conflagration is interupted as the wall of the castle keep explodes across the screen.The mother dragon has returned.The combatants all flee. George is last to the door of the keep but debris prevents his escape. In the castle courtyard the former combatants all listen in silence as the dragon makes much noise within the keep. The Princess Lunna fears the worse for George.Within the keep the mother dragon seems preoccupied with her child and George is largely frozen lest he attract the mother dragon's attention. George notices a lance protrudes from the mother dragons side. This is the lance of his father still lodged in the beast. George slowly approaches the lance and takes hold. He asks God's forgiveness for what he must do.The scence shifts to the castle courtyard an almighty roar is heard. George emerges from the keep with a bloddied lance. Believing that George has slain the dragon the men are overjoyed. The Princess Lunna however is not and, sobbing, she flees on horseback. George pursues with King Edgaars horse and his blessing to marry his daughter. There is a chase along the shore of a large body of water but George is not alone in the chase. Garth has also persued. Garth knocks George from his steed and they fight. Garth has the advantage and as he raises his sword for the killing blow the mother dragon leaps from the water and swallows Garth whole.The Princess Lunna realizes that George did not actually kill the dragons. They kiss and presumably live happily ever after.Significant plot details end here.

Tags: violence, action

Review:
After his performance in "Vanity Fair," a serious and heartbreaking dramatic role, it's nice to know that he is just as capable of making a funny, lighthearted film as well.
Of course, the CGI dragons aren't exactly as slick as you'd like them to be in 2005, but the cinematography is beautiful, and the editing is fast and keeps the pace rolling along at a good clip.Did I mention that James Purefoy is wonderful?
There was a lot to complain about in this film - the editing was awkward, the fight scenes poorly shot (they were well choreographed, but poorly filmed), and the special effects were mediocre.Still, I'd watch this movie again, simply because the characters were so much fun, and the movie made the point of not taking itself seriously.I saw this movie on Sci-Fi channel, and didn't realize it was any thing other than a made- for-TV movie, and so thought that many elements were better than average.
James Purefoy and Piper Perabo were wonderful - and had a good chemistry.
Certainly not 'period,' at all, but then the really good princesses never are.James Purefoy was equally enjoyable - he seems very much the natural, whether on horseback, wielding a sword, or doing a classic double-take.
He makes every scene his own with great charm.Michael Clarke Duncan, while having a small role, was enjoyable, and would have liked to see have seen his character more fully developed.Patrick Swayze was very, very weak - he didn't seem interested in what he was doing, unless it was a fight scene.
An English accent wouldn't have killed him either.But I had fun with the movie - I laughed out loud more than once, and really, really enjoyed the jokes.
I had been looking forward to seeing this movie through weeks of advertising and I was not disappointed.The story was well written, with several interesting twists.
I had enjoyed him in his small role in "A Knight's Tale" and wondered if the promise he showed in that movie would carry over into others.
Costumes were great, sets were lovely, script was fun.All in all, this is a movie I would recommend to my friends..
A princess who turns out to have quite a big secret.George and the Dragon is a simple, and light medieval comedy that takes on the story of St:George and the dragon.
But foremost it is a traditional knight-rescuing-princess story with a dragon, a king, some bandits, an evil guy and a few good fights.
It would probably fare well amongst the younger movie viewers.Michael Clarc Duncan is far from convincing as a moor with that wide American accent, but that does not matter.
The movie is pleasantly free from overbearing Hollywood cliché humor that most simple comedies are contaminated with.The story is very simple, and quite skittish: first this happens, then he did that, then they did this.
I guess SOMEONE had to play that part.George (James Purefoy) is charming as the hero, and the princess (Piper Perabo) is willful and strong, although she feels like a college sweetheart at some points.
The role of Garth seemed made for Patric Swayze, and the rest of the cast are quite likable as well.If you are looking to be dazzled with a good story, sparkling action and mesmerizing effects.
I saw the world premiere of George and the Dragon at Cinenygma, Luxembourg International Film Festival.
After the opening minutes of "George", it should be clear to anybody that it is time to cast aside expectations of seeing LotR's little brother, the skateboarding monk reveals that this film does not take itself seriously at all or does it just emulate a certain elf surfing shields?
Nice entertainment, good cast, weak realization.
Quite interesting actors/characters interleaving: Purefoy starring as George here played a tiny but plot-significant role of Prince Edward in "Knight's Tale" and this character could be the future of George; and vice-versa for another comic fantasy "Willow", also close by the mood to this one, where we had Kilmer starring, and his tiny but plot-important role of El Cameo #1 in "George..." could be the bad future of his thief character in "Willow", would he not have a chance to show himself as a true hero.We also have a charming princess, which reminds me the one out of "Shrek", with strong character and extraordinary view on the world, a sweet smile for friends and a hard hand for foes, quite a charismatic character as well as George himself, and James Purefoy makes a very charismatic presence in the film, becoming my personal actor discovery, so if you love Purefoy, that's definitely a title to enjoy.I haven't seen Patrick Swayze on screen for a long while and he was my reason to buy this movie, but that's definitely not his best appearance, I had an impression that he wasn't giving himself a lot into playing that knight.
I heard he did want to plain villains, but he still looks best as romantic hero by his manners, and thus he fits well for this role since his character is quite ambiguous: not romantic, not sensitive, eager for power and fame, but he does show the qualities of a strong chief and he's also drawing sympathies as a deft and humorous warrior.
Almost until the end I was hoping they would still end up friends with George, as they started out being naturally attracted to one another as two of a kind, but the end roughly outlines the core difference between them  purity of the heart, even still showing their similarities.Well, the bottom line  that's not a piece of art, but a very good entertainment, perfect for kids.
Simple nice and romantic plot, a classical fairy-tale story, with right moral accents.
Very good set of actors, the characters are almost all hilarious: what of the Father Bernard played by Jean-Pierre Castaldi or George's best friend out of Crusades - Tarik the Moor played by Michael Clarke Duncan!
And the plot is not without a knot - quite a nice & kind "upside down" view of a famous Christian legend of George the Dragon slayer!.
Throw in a greedy prince and a bunch of villains and you have a nice romantic and adventurous fairy tale.This movie was nice to watch and enjoy, but just as easily forgotten.
In terms of special effects, you cannot compare it to other dragon movies like Dragonheart or Reign of Fire.
If you're familiar with the several versions of George and the Dragon, there are lots of good puns and carry-overs to amuse it but the amazing thing is it works.
Well, I guess I'm no different.I saw this movie listed on my "You might like this" list at one of the DVD websites, and, after scoffing at it here and there, wondering what kid of film would have such unimpressive DVD cover art (technically very good, but nothing unique) for a title I'd never heard of?
But maybe that's getting too high- falutin' for film meant for younger ages.There's some contemporary pop culture references, and the acting is a little over done, but again it's all aimed at younger audiences.The one interesting aspect was to see Patrick Swayze in a historic/fantasy film.
It's a film that despite being aimed at younger viewers, shows that there's more than enough story material that can be eeked out of a period that's very unfamiliar to most people.
Good, sincere performances without the usual annoying clichés that infect most scifi CGI-filled fantasy films.Good cast has fun with the story.On the downside, there is some bad editing, cheesy CGI and everything is a bit rushed to speed towards the climactic battle.
This has ambition like Lord of the Rings, action that sort of equals Eragon but with well written characters who are as fun to watch as those of Princess Bride.Awesome stuff.
A "What really happened" retelling of the tale of St. George and the dragon.
It begins when the dutiful princess Lunna (the perky Piper Perabo), who agreed to marry a man she hates for the good of her father's kingdom, is abducted by a dragon.
No one realizes that she wasn't abducted to be devoured, but to help care for the dragon's egg while she recovers from an injury!George(James Purefoy) returns from the crusades and agrees to rescue the princess in return for land.
Accompanying him is Lunna's self-absorbed betrothed (Patrick Swayze) and a small boy who grew up on tales of noble knights and Dragon Slayers.
George thinks to find Princess Lunna gentle and despairing, but instead she's sick of playing gentle princess and ready to defend her charge by any means necessary.This movie is refreshing in it's ability to poke fun at itself and the swashbuckling tales in general.
I had been reading about this movie for a while and thought the idea of a humorous retelling of the legend of George and the dragon had some potential.
Then I was watching Sci Fi Channel on a boring Saturday and suddenly this movie appeared (under the generic name of "Dragon Sword").
I quickly realized this was the "George and the Dragon" movie I'd been wanting to see.
James Purefoy is fun to watch as the war-weary knight who just wants "an acre and two head of cows" and finds himself on a rather odd journey.
Piper Perabo is cute as the spunky princess (though they never adequately explain why she is so obsessed with dragons).
The supporting players are pretty good as well.Keep your expectations low and you'll enjoy the movie.
I saw this on the Sci-Fi Channel so I knew it would be bad to start with but I was surprised at how much worse it was than expected.
The only redeeming quality of this movie is that it's so terrible it's almost funny, especially the part where Patrick Swayze's knight character goes home to his Knight father who has retired after losing his legs and is now bed-ridden in his armor for the sole purpose of letting the audience know he was a knight.
The majority of the movie focuses around an enormous dragon egg that hatches into a not-so-enormous baby dragon with some of the worst CGI I've ever seen.
That James Purefoy looks exactly like Thomas Jane!That's the most profound thought I took with me after having seen the rather underwhelming George And The Dragon.
For a fantasy comedy, the story was very dull and the effects unspectacular.The problem wasn't the acting.
James Purefoy makes a good knight, and his various side-kicks are not bad characters.
I even thought Patrick Swayze in this role was a pretty good idea, too.
Compared to another recent fantasy comedy, Ella Enchanted, which was actually funny, this movie comes up terribly short.
This movie started with some promise: big name cast, good looking sets, but then it fell apart.Most of the time it can't tell whether it's a serious movie or a comedy.
One minute they're talking about how there's no joy in killing and the next there is a fight scene set to funny music and funny banter.Some of the acting is pretty bad, mainly from Patrick Swayze and Piper Perabo.
She also gets some groaner lines like, "When I marry, it will be about love." Ugh.But the worst thing about this movie is that it's just boring.
Despite a meandering plot, George succeeds on the strength of its beautiful setting, nice cast and numerous action scenes.
George (James Purefoy) has just returned from the crusades, with a Moorish friend, Tarik (Michael Clarke Duncan) with him.
This is a very handsome film, with a nice cast and plenty of action.
The actors are fine, with Purefoy making an excellent hero and Perabo giving the princess spunk, brains, and beauty.
As the main "heavy", Swayze does a good job while Duncan makes the most of his smaller role, too.
Certainly my favorite James Purefoy movie.
In fact it was thanks to this movie that I became a fan of Purefoy, this and 'A Knight's Tale'.
Still a good movie and as for Purefoy fans it's one of his best.
The really great things is he gets the limelight and he actually plays the good guy.
This film looks as though it had major production problems with cast (disapearing) and hence a revised plot line??
After what I imagine is a bit of a bodge job on the script the cast has persevered with a lot of humour and gusto to present a story which although it has many flaws also has a charm that makes up for this to the credit of Purefoy, Perabo and Duncan who throw themselves into making the best of it I suspect.
If you like a comedy along the lines of A Knights Tale combined with a bit of Robin Hood Prince of Thieves then this is pretty much what you are getting, a good old romp with some hammy over the top theatricals thrown in..
George (James Purefoy) is returning home after the Crusade.
She stays to guard the egg against the local Picts.This is a loosely reworked version of the medieval tale of Saint George and the Dragon.
I think the creators of the movie meant it to have humor, but the only time i was laughing was when I saw Patrick S.
The scenes at the end were good but they were not a part of the movie.
The movie features some violence but the fun musical score by Gast Waltzing makes sure that the movie remains always light and fun to watch, no matter how serious or scary the movie ever gets.The story is rather weak and simple and the way it is told makes things even worse.
Sure, the sets and costumes all do look nice but what the movie lacks are some truly impressive and large scale sequences or even some spectacular action sequences.
It makes the movie really low budget looking.
James Purefoy is a good actor and he mostly showed that in the HBO mini-series "Rome" but he's not good and charismatic enough to play the main heroic character of this movie.
The supporting cast is far more impressive with actors like Patrick Swayze, Piper Perabo, Michael Clarke Duncan and Val Kilmer in a small cameo.
It makes you wonder why didn't cast a real English and good actress instead.
Also Patrick Swayze feels really out of place in this movie but he at least seemed to be enjoying himself playing in this movie.
Most acting is good until Patrick Swayze (with his Texas Twang- everyone else sounds British-like even the Muslim) shows up, and proves that he can't act.
Other reviewers mentioned "Troubled Production" and it shows.At the end I just didn't even care about the fight scenes, sure, the CGI Dragon was weak, but the storyline was the biggest letdown..
And as much as I have liked Patrick Swayze in other films, he's unforgettable in Dirty Dancing, he sleepwalks through his role here.
However, the rest of the acting is really quite good, James Purefoy is a charismatic hero and Piper Perabo exudes charm and spunk as the princess.
I just watched this movie entitled as Dragon Sword (26 Aug 2006) on the SCI-FI channel.
The fight scenes were quite fun to watch, and it looked like they were having fun making them.
I liked this movie, it reminded me a little of the comedy stylings in the Princess Bride.
It would be fun to watch with someone who had seen all the reference movies..
It was a light highly entertaining film, one that you can sit down and watch at any time.
I had not seen Patrick in a film for a long time and I was slightly disappointed with him in this.
It was so nice to see a movie where the whole family can sit down and watch it.
I used to love this book when I was little and having seen it come to life on the big screen made the movie all the more special.
And even if he does not portray the most likable character of his career in this movie, but it is always good to see Patrick Swayze (no, I am not a Dirty Dancing fan, but Swayze did much more than that and a lot of good stuff among it)!
So if you want good and educative entertainment for little and adult viewers alike, check this movie out!.
Patrick Swayze looked bored, like he would rather be surfing than riding a horse.
While flawed, it's a nice and simple fairy tale that children under the age of 10 may find interest in.The acting is hammy from everyone.
There's not one solid performance at all, but even for such lame acting, everyone seems to have had a good time making this little film.
Michael Clark Duncan is okay, but just like Kilmer and Swayze, his screen time is so limited, why they didn't go for someone "cheaper" is beyond me.
James Purefoy and Piper Perabo both had nice chemistry, even if they tended to overact most of the time.The writing is where the film is vastly flawed.
The title of George and the Dragon as listed on this site is also a little misleading, as any dragon seen in this film is only on screen for maybe 10 minutes all together.
It does provide a good atmosphere to some scenes, but as a whole, there's not a lot to warrant a purchase.When the dragons do finally show up, the special effects are mediocre.
The action is very short, and not at all edited nor choreographed well.All in all, this is a film that really passes the time, that is the only major positive thing I could grant George and the Dragon.
The acting, while hammy, is okay; the special effects are mediocre; the music is less than desirable; and the film is just WAY to simple for mature audiences.I highly recommend this for children under the age of 10.