MovieChat Forums > The Magic Sword (1962) Discussion > TV Movie?

TV Movie?

posted 14 years ago by bok602
5 replies | jump to latest

Every time I watch this movie I get the distinct impression that it started out life as a TV movie. the entire look and feel of it, even the production value, is straight up TV movie (almost the same look and feel as an original series STAR TREK episode. The same cheesy sets, costumes and makeup -even the psychedelic Technicolor saturation.

Is there any information as to where and how this film came into being?

I'm thinking that it started out life as a TV movie (maybe a forgotten pilot episode?), and then -midway or even later into production- for whatever reason got a few extra dollars pumped into it and elevated to theatrical status.

Anybody have any input?

"If you don't know the answer -change the question."

[–] vpilutis 9 years ago

TV movies were pretty rare back then.

on location with SUPERMAN I,& OTHER STARS
http://www.vbphoto.biz/

[–] bok602 9 years ago

I disagree. Perhaps they weren't called TV movies, but there were hundreds of stand-alone dramas written for television going all the way back to the late 1940's.

Playhouse 90 and Shower of Stars were just two of the most notable anthology series that regularly presented dramas produced for television.

I don't think I'm that far off to think that this film almost certainly began life as a television production. Other than a widescreen presentation and a longer than usual running time, there is nothing at all to distinguish this as being intentionally produced for a theatrical release.

As I noted before, everything about screams television production. Compare the look and feel of this film to any ambitious color TV production of the same vintage and it will seem obvious that the two are related.

By way of contrast, if you compare this with an actual theatrical fantasy of the same period, the phoniness and staginess of the production values here become all the more apparent.

"If you don't know the answer -change the question."

[–] vpilutis 9 years ago

Most of those were plays that were done L I V E.
Matter of fact the first time we saw James Bond was in a TV play on a show called Climax of Casino Royale with Barry Nelson as an American and Leiter was English.

In any case this was and was intended to be a movie, movie period.

on location with SUPERMAN I,& OTHER STARS
http://www.vbphoto.biz/

[–] clore_2 9 years ago

It's a theatrical, it went into production as St. George and the Seven Curses and that is how Famous Monsters played it up several months before it was released. But compared to the same summer's Jack the Giant Killer, this one suffered.

It ain't easy being green, or anything else, other than to be me
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[–] jchcin1 9 years ago

I take it you are unfamiliar with "B-Movie" fare.