Most SciFiHistory.Net readers are too young to appreciate the birth of the big screen Fantasy film that took place in the 1980’s.
While it doesn’t get the recognition it deserves, John Boorman’s Excalibur (1981) largely paved the way for studios both looking for and investing in the genre. An Academy Award nominated talent, Boorman was only one of the first truly big names to consider adapting something a bit dark and a bit whimsical for audiences; and his respectably faithful interpretation of the Arthurian legend truly is owed a resurgence in popularity at some point. But there was more at the cineplexes – a great deal more – that followed in the wake, some of which also hasn’t quite been granted the recognition they were due and maybe still are. Flicks like Dragonslayer (1981), Conan The Barbarian (1982), The Dark Crystal (1982), The Beastmaster (1982), Labyrinth (1986), and Highlander (1986) definitely kept the door open waiting for audiences to show up and return in record numbers. The truth is that never really happened, and the latter half of the decade forced studio bean counters to shrink the dollars spent as a consequence to bring a smaller wave of these mildly lavish productions to theatrical life.
Undoubtedly, this is only one small part of why something like Gor (1987) – a theatrical incarnation of the already somewhat controversial John Norman series of novels – pretty much entered the ballpark with three strikes against it. Sword and sorcery tales were never big at the box office, and Norman’s novels of one man’s epic struggle to bridge the divide between Earth and the planet Gor were more known for the depiction of really, really, really Alpha Males dominating women in almost every conceivable way. Society of the time wasn’t quite interesting in embracing anything that depicted the female of our species inferior or subservient in any way, despite the fact that the source material was written at a time when not much of this would rile anyone up because it was considered men’s fiction with Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard, or even H. Rider Haggard. Like it or not, women had come a long way, baby; so critics and audiences weren’t likely to embrace this outing in any substantial way.
Directed by Fritz Kiersch – whose only previous genre entry was his debut effort in bringing Stephen King’s Children Of The Corn (1984) to screens in a mostly lukewarm fashion – the script was conceived from the Norman novels by Rick Marx and Harry Alan Towers. To his credit, Towers had a long track record in both film and television; and his involvement in bringing another equally controversial pulp property to theaters – Fu Manchu – may have given the project the clout it needed to draw studio attention. Having seen a few of those efforts, however, I’d much more likely insisted that, at best, Gor was destined for cult status alone if even drawing any positive response whatsoever. The film starred Urbano Barberini, former Playboy Playmate Rebecca Ferratti, Oliver Reed, Graham Clarke, and Jack Palance (in a brief role which only served to set up the sequel).
Buckle up, kids. This one might get ugly.
While it doesn’t get the recognition it deserves, John Boorman’s Excalibur (1981) largely paved the way for studios both looking for and investing in the genre. An Academy Award nominated talent, Boorman was only one of the first truly big names to consider adapting something a bit dark and a bit whimsical for audiences; and his respectably faithful interpretation of the Arthurian legend truly is owed a resurgence in popularity at some point. But there was more at the cineplexes – a great deal more – that followed in the wake, some of which also hasn’t quite been granted the recognition they were due and maybe still are. Flicks like Dragonslayer (1981), Conan The Barbarian (1982), The Dark Crystal (1982), The Beastmaster (1982), Labyrinth (1986), and Highlander (1986) definitely kept the door open waiting for audiences to show up and return in record numbers. The truth is that never really happened, and the latter half of the decade forced studio bean counters to shrink the dollars spent as a consequence to bring a smaller wave of these mildly lavish productions to theatrical life.
Undoubtedly, this is only one small part of why something like Gor (1987) – a theatrical incarnation of the already somewhat controversial John Norman series of novels – pretty much entered the ballpark with three strikes against it. Sword and sorcery tales were never big at the box office, and Norman’s novels of one man’s epic struggle to bridge the divide between Earth and the planet Gor were more known for the depiction of really, really, really Alpha Males dominating women in almost every conceivable way. Society of the time wasn’t quite interesting in embracing anything that depicted the female of our species inferior or subservient in any way, despite the fact that the source material was written at a time when not much of this would rile anyone up because it was considered men’s fiction with Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard, or even H. Rider Haggard. Like it or not, women had come a long way, baby; so critics and audiences weren’t likely to embrace this outing in any substantial way.
Directed by Fritz Kiersch – whose only previous genre entry was his debut effort in bringing Stephen King’s Children Of The Corn (1984) to screens in a mostly lukewarm fashion – the script was conceived from the Norman novels by Rick Marx and Harry Alan Towers. To his credit, Towers had a long track record in both film and television; and his involvement in bringing another equally controversial pulp property to theaters – Fu Manchu – may have given the project the clout it needed to draw studio attention. Having seen a few of those efforts, however, I’d much more likely insisted that, at best, Gor was destined for cult status alone if even drawing any positive response whatsoever. The film starred Urbano Barberini, former Playboy Playmate Rebecca Ferratti, Oliver Reed, Graham Clarke, and Jack Palance (in a brief role which only served to set up the sequel).
Buckle up, kids. This one might get ugly.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“American professor Tarl Cabot is transported via a magical ring to planet Gor, where he must help an oppressed country overthrow its evil king and his barbarian henchmen.”
As happened far too often back in the day, there was very little information published about the making of Gor. So far as the Information Superhighway is concerned, the flick was a something-something that came to life without a great deal of demand, enjoyed a premiere at the oft-praised Cannes Film Festival in 1987 (May 9th of that year), and then pretty much vanished. There is some reportage suggesting that Cannon Films – the maker – was interested in giving it a theatrical run allegedly scheduled for September; but IMDB.com reports that it didn’t see screens in the U.S. until February of 1988 and – even then – it was a limited release, meaning it was probably dumped into a handful of locations.
As explained above, it’s easy to assume that a great deal of its disappearance is owed to the source material’s scandalous treatment of women; but the truth remains that Gor – as a whole – is largely dreadful on all counts. Of all the listed screen talent, only the legendary Oliver Reed – as the villainous Sarm – seemed to be artistically ‘in sync’ with what the script required, constantly gesturing about theatrically and obviously hamming it up for the cameras; and the production details – while occasionally quaint – never amount to much more than draperies and loincloths distributed liberally amongst the sweaty lot. A few of the sets look curiously better than the film deserves, so it’s good to remain thankful for small favors when you see them as diamonds in the rough.
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“American professor Tarl Cabot is transported via a magical ring to planet Gor, where he must help an oppressed country overthrow its evil king and his barbarian henchmen.”
As happened far too often back in the day, there was very little information published about the making of Gor. So far as the Information Superhighway is concerned, the flick was a something-something that came to life without a great deal of demand, enjoyed a premiere at the oft-praised Cannes Film Festival in 1987 (May 9th of that year), and then pretty much vanished. There is some reportage suggesting that Cannon Films – the maker – was interested in giving it a theatrical run allegedly scheduled for September; but IMDB.com reports that it didn’t see screens in the U.S. until February of 1988 and – even then – it was a limited release, meaning it was probably dumped into a handful of locations.
As explained above, it’s easy to assume that a great deal of its disappearance is owed to the source material’s scandalous treatment of women; but the truth remains that Gor – as a whole – is largely dreadful on all counts. Of all the listed screen talent, only the legendary Oliver Reed – as the villainous Sarm – seemed to be artistically ‘in sync’ with what the script required, constantly gesturing about theatrically and obviously hamming it up for the cameras; and the production details – while occasionally quaint – never amount to much more than draperies and loincloths distributed liberally amongst the sweaty lot. A few of the sets look curiously better than the film deserves, so it’s good to remain thankful for small favors when you see them as diamonds in the rough.
Professorial nerd Tarl Cabot (played by Urbano Barberini) wears a rather ugly familiar heirloom – a ceremonial ring with a curiously glowing stone (more like a rock than a true gem) – that, unbeknownst to him, opens a conduit between our world and the savage land of Gor. A place seemingly always in the throes of war between its various kingdoms, Cabot finds himself befriended by the kind people of Koroba, perhaps the only peaceniks in all the lands. Naturally, they’re willing to help the teacher get back home but that’s only if he’ll join them on a quest to recover the communal Home Stone, their cultural good luck charm and apparently the source of his ring’s secret power. With no other options available, Cabot enlists; and this means he’s going to have to be trained – albeit briefly – to be the warrior these Korobans need in the time of crisis.
Sadly, the script only flirts with the opening comic sensibilities of an Earth man thrown back into the Stone Ages. While Cabot gets in a few laughs that buoys some of these earlier moments, screenwriters Marx and Towers chuck out such tongue-in-cheekiness for what instead turns all too easily into a Conan The Wannabe. When they could’ve embraced the ‘fish out of water’ template that has given life to other Science Fiction and Fantasy franchises (i.e. TV’s Starman, Syfy’s Farscape, etc.), the scribes turned their backs on what works in favor of what needed to be swallowed by the audience with handfuls of salt to be accepted as even possible. In the rush, Cabot becomes the muscular heavy far too quickly, and he goes about the business of retaking the Home Stone with relative ease.
Making matters worse is the fact that – ahem – no one in the cast seems to be taking any of the noted jeopardy with any degree of seriousness. Sword fights and fisticuffs are particularly atrocious and even narratively unnecessary, a predicament that has Cabot’s kinda/sorta love interest Talena (Ferratti) being a formidable presence in one sequence while having her ass fairly easily handed to her in the next. Reo Ruiters is listed as the stunt coordinator (for this film and its sequel, Outlaw Of Gor); and the work here is so inept I’m curious if the man himself had ever even picked up a blade before shooting. No one looks even remotely comfortable with the weapons of choice, and I’ve seen better sparing in community theater.
Yes. It’s that bad.
As a quest story, Cabot and his band of adventurers don’t exactly rise to the level of participating in Star Wars’ often recognized ‘Hero’s Journey,’ but the trappings are still all there. Our lead has to become a better man – which he does – in order to granted passage to a way back home; so he undergoes several trials in the process to such a deliverance. Of course, he makes friends and enemies along the way; and he’ll need their assistance in order to eventually pick up the bow, knock an arrow, and take the shot that ends Sarm’s reign of terror. There’s no nuance here, but there’s plenty of sweat, wide camera angles of parched and dry lands, and tanned chest shots to otherwise fill that void. That has to count for something, no?
Sadly, the script only flirts with the opening comic sensibilities of an Earth man thrown back into the Stone Ages. While Cabot gets in a few laughs that buoys some of these earlier moments, screenwriters Marx and Towers chuck out such tongue-in-cheekiness for what instead turns all too easily into a Conan The Wannabe. When they could’ve embraced the ‘fish out of water’ template that has given life to other Science Fiction and Fantasy franchises (i.e. TV’s Starman, Syfy’s Farscape, etc.), the scribes turned their backs on what works in favor of what needed to be swallowed by the audience with handfuls of salt to be accepted as even possible. In the rush, Cabot becomes the muscular heavy far too quickly, and he goes about the business of retaking the Home Stone with relative ease.
Making matters worse is the fact that – ahem – no one in the cast seems to be taking any of the noted jeopardy with any degree of seriousness. Sword fights and fisticuffs are particularly atrocious and even narratively unnecessary, a predicament that has Cabot’s kinda/sorta love interest Talena (Ferratti) being a formidable presence in one sequence while having her ass fairly easily handed to her in the next. Reo Ruiters is listed as the stunt coordinator (for this film and its sequel, Outlaw Of Gor); and the work here is so inept I’m curious if the man himself had ever even picked up a blade before shooting. No one looks even remotely comfortable with the weapons of choice, and I’ve seen better sparing in community theater.
Yes. It’s that bad.
As a quest story, Cabot and his band of adventurers don’t exactly rise to the level of participating in Star Wars’ often recognized ‘Hero’s Journey,’ but the trappings are still all there. Our lead has to become a better man – which he does – in order to granted passage to a way back home; so he undergoes several trials in the process to such a deliverance. Of course, he makes friends and enemies along the way; and he’ll need their assistance in order to eventually pick up the bow, knock an arrow, and take the shot that ends Sarm’s reign of terror. There’s no nuance here, but there’s plenty of sweat, wide camera angles of parched and dry lands, and tanned chest shots to otherwise fill that void. That has to count for something, no?
About the best that can be said of something with its stars so misaligned is that because genre fans didn’t get a lot of fantastical fare consistently they’re apt to overlook a great deal of these deficiencies and simply have fun with it. Gor remains the type of feature that Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) has taken steps to lampoon; and why not? When everything about the production is so sub-standard (and mind you that everything gets even worse in its sequel) then all one can do is embrace the lunacy for giggles. Whether one likes it or not, there’s still a hint of charm in some of this – small moments mostly reserved for Reed’s barking and Ferratti’s tempting visage – and that’s why it survives in small pockets to this day. It’s flawed. It’s flaws are (goddam) obvious. Hell, it even occasionally doesn't make sense ... like when Sarm does an about-face by turning away from wishing for Cabot's demise to suddenly an allegiance in the last reel. (???) Yet, people come.
Gor (1987) was produced by Cannon International and Cannon Films. Presently, the film shows available for digital rental or purchase on a variety of platforms. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I can assure you that – most definitely – Gor remains the type of flick needing a technical makeover as even the version I watched is a bit undercooked. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? As I viewed this one via streaming, there were no special features under consideration.
Alas … only Mildly Recommended but still appreciated for its camp sensibilities by this old soul.
Critics, academics, and the vast amount of your cultural betters will assure you that there’s no reason to both with Gor (1987), an otherwise forgettable bit of cinematic Fantasy that brings nothing unique much less technically accomplished to the table. While they may be right, I prefer to think of the motion picture as a glimpse back into another place and another time – much like its central character endured in its simplistic story – because it works perfectly fine just beneath the level of the traditional B-Movie. No, there are no good performances. Yes, it’s mostly laughable at every turn. Still, this was the kind of thing that one could put on the Boob Tube entirely for grins and giggles; and those projects are increasingly in short supply these days.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that I’m beholden to no one for this review of Gor (1987) as I viewed the feature entirely from a platform to which I subscribe.
-- EZ
Gor (1987) was produced by Cannon International and Cannon Films. Presently, the film shows available for digital rental or purchase on a variety of platforms. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I can assure you that – most definitely – Gor remains the type of flick needing a technical makeover as even the version I watched is a bit undercooked. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? As I viewed this one via streaming, there were no special features under consideration.
Alas … only Mildly Recommended but still appreciated for its camp sensibilities by this old soul.
Critics, academics, and the vast amount of your cultural betters will assure you that there’s no reason to both with Gor (1987), an otherwise forgettable bit of cinematic Fantasy that brings nothing unique much less technically accomplished to the table. While they may be right, I prefer to think of the motion picture as a glimpse back into another place and another time – much like its central character endured in its simplistic story – because it works perfectly fine just beneath the level of the traditional B-Movie. No, there are no good performances. Yes, it’s mostly laughable at every turn. Still, this was the kind of thing that one could put on the Boob Tube entirely for grins and giggles; and those projects are increasingly in short supply these days.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that I’m beholden to no one for this review of Gor (1987) as I viewed the feature entirely from a platform to which I subscribe.
-- EZ
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