Sword and Sorcery! Part One: A hunter from the future-Yor
By: Chris Nersinger
Tags: Entertainment, Cinema, Literature, Sword And Sorcery, Pop Culture

Above -possible book cover art -Italian design

As we last left our young hero he was in the midst of defending himself from the lashing tentacles of the dreaded behemoth, Landro. But he was driven by the very force that kept him forever forging ahead, love. A love that knew no bounds- Wilamenia. And thank goodness he was sure footed, wearing his lucky sandals plus brandishing the very weapon forged by the ancestors… entrusted to him after the various deeds he had performed. The sword of Vulcania.

The path along the cliffs were narrow and a fall from there would surely land him on the jagged rocks below. The mist that was said to permeate that particular area was as thick as a twice roasted stew over ones own fire pit. The spray from the pounding surf reached several feet above its source. Actually causing the very ground he labored across to become as slick as a seals’ skin. For if he was not careful that may be what Landro might be having for his next meal a la one less hero to contend with…. Sound familiar?

Well aside from indicating that our main character — the hero .. was wielding a sword to his great peril as a possible outcome-these battles are a more personal level with lots of action of an often violent nature. We also have a creature… with tentacles…who could be of a supernatural origin… but a “monster” yes…or maybe a wizard. I state this here so we understand what makes a story fall within the Sword and Sorcery genre. It is actually a sub-category of Fantasy. To make it simple if you are watching, listening, playing(a game) or reading … if the elements or the ingredients contain what I described above in the first two paragraphs it is a Sword and Sorcery genre.

Below- are names, films, comic books…etc that we are all familiar with. And yes some may surprise you, some will not but again they are all part of what this new series of articles and reviews will tackle… are all things associated with this genre from creators and writers to films,TV series to special effects geniuses and the characters.

Authors & Creators-Robert E. Howard(Conan), Tolkien(The Hobbit), Alexander Raymond(Flash Gordon), Roy Thomas and Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Characters and Literary series-Arabian Knights, Sinbad, Jason(& the Golden Fleece), Ulysses, Camelot-King Arthur and John Carter of Mars

Below- the trailer for the original 1958 Hercules film and star Steve Reeves

Films and TV series-

Star Wars, Hawk The Slayer(1980-Jack Palance), The Beastmaster, Hercules TV series(Kevin Sorbo) Dragonslayer… The Time Bandits. Conan The Barbarian…The Sword and the Sorcerer(Lee Horsley)

Cartoons-

He -Man, Blackstar, Thundar the Barbarian, The Herculoids, Mighty Mightor and

The Thundercats

Comic Book series-Kull, Thor, Doctor Strange, Red Sonja)(Marvel), The Warlord and Kamandi by Jack Kirby both from DC Comics

and from the Golden Age of Comics- The Shining Knight (Leading and DC Comics)

Special Effects -Ray Harryhausen,

Jim Danforth, Stan Winston, John Dykstra and Steve Wang.

It is time for you to begin your quest and may the …(you thought I was going to say force) Heavens guide the way….

Below- a little traveling music as we cross the realm in to Swords and Sorcery by David Whitaker

Yor Hunter From the Future- The Film

Yor: The Hunter From the Future saw a January 2018 Bluray release date. It moves fast at a 89 minute run time. A perfect pace for an action film. Starring Reb Brown ( Captain America I & II-Mid 70’s made for TV / Uncommon Valor 1983) as the hunter from the future and Corinne Clery (An American Werewolf in London & Moonraker) .

Above a lost scene from Yor-A water cyclops

Yor finds himself asking who am I and where did I come from. An advanced civilization holds the key to all Yor’s questions, can he find their hidden sanctuary in time? Sprinkled with lots of action and plenty of adventure as Yor’s search to his past takes him through a prehistoric landscape brimming with primitive tribes and creatures. It’s a world thrown back well beyond the dark ages.

Combining the peplum genre of the 60’s with Conan and Star Wars. It’s swords vs blasters …who will win- the evil overlord bent on reconquering the earth with the perfect robots or the few surviving less advanced humans and a group of rebels?

The film was actually edited from a Italian mini-series based on the novel & comic book Yor, written by Juan Zanotto ( an Italian born Argentine who also created a female sword and sorcery character named Barbara and worked for Marvel at one time War Man) and Ray Collins. Directed by Anthony Dawson( Antonio Margheriti).

Columbia pictures with some shrewd planning brought this stateside riding the wave of popularity that Conan the Barbarian was enjoying during the early 80’s. And thanks to He Man, Master of the Universe from Filmation. Yor, which released in 1983, had a built in audience. First time I ever saw this pure cheese flick was on HBO in the mid 80’s after a run at the theaters. I was like how did I miss this during its initial run. A perfect Drive-In outing. I truly fell in love with it and maybe for all the wrong reasons.

See Mill Creek Entertainment link below…

The Bluray itself is boasting an audio commentary by Reb Brown and the original theatrical trailer. The commentary by Reb is not be missed. Not only insightful to how this gem was made especially when it comes to the production-offering first hand account of the conditions which the actors endured. This was a time without CGI and Reb did all his own stunts. Locations were used throughout Turkey and Rome. Italy.

Reb puts it all in perspective from the freezing desert terrain in Turkey to his battle to maintain weight from a bout with dysentery. Praise for the special effects and the crew. What I enjoyed the most is Reb’s utmost respect for the entire aspect of making this film and you can hear how proud he is of this production. I agree with him as he points out on several occasions that the effects for the time and the budget are very well done. The picture and the audio are really magnificent. Restored and remastered. Crisp on all levels. There is everything to like about Yor- so make this your own midnight movie presentation with a bowl full of Snyder Dutch pretzels and a root beer float.

Before I go I wanted to share a place to get all things popculture & cult films/TV in a graphic tee.I also am proud to say that I have a Yor graphic t-shirt in my collection courtesy of Fast Custom Shirts. These “guys” have an incredible choice in pop culture tees ranging 10.00(B/W) to $14.99(color). From Big Trouble in Little China to Looker to The Howling and Coffy. Genres Sci Fi to Exploitation- you name they have it.

So the sword swings over the few weeks with the likes of Fulci’s Conquest,The Barbarians and The Beastmaster…

Link for Mill Creek-

See link for Fast Custom Shirts below

Kino Lorber-

Vinegar Syndrome-

https://twitter.com/VinegarSyndrome

Below — reversible cover art The Beastmaster 4K