''The Dragon's Blood'' () is a 1957 Italian

fantasy film Fantasy films are films that belong to the fantasy genre with fantastic themes, usually Magic (paranormal), magic, supernatural events, mythology, folklore, or exotic fantasy worlds. The Film genre, genre is considered a form of speculative fic ...

co-written and directed by

Giacomo Gentilomo Giacomo Gentilomo (5 April 1909 – 16 April 2001) was an Italian film director and Painting, painter. Early life He was born in Trieste. Gentilomo moved to Rome at a young age. Career At 21 years old he entered the cinema industry, working ...

. It is based on

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

's ''

Der Ring des Nibelungen (''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the . The compo ...

''.

Plot

The dying Siegland reaches the house of the dwarf Mime, begging him to raise her baby, called Sigfried, and giving him in custody the

sword A sword is an edged and bladed weapons, edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter ...

of Sigfried's father. Years later, the grown up Siegfried leaves in search of the , and kills a dragon thanks to his invincible sword. Bathing in its blood, the resulting almost invulnerability makes him the bravest fighter of his time. He discovers a

magic ring A magic ring is a mythical, folkloric or fictional piece of jewelry, usually a Ring (jewellery), finger ring, that is purported to have Magic (supernatural), supernatural properties or powers. It appears frequently in fantasy and fairy tales. M ...

and obtains Alberich's magic hat, which can make him invisible. He then goes to the court of the King Gunther of Burgund, where he wins the tournament for the hand of the beautiful princess Kriemhild, but finds an implacable opponent in Hagen von Tronje, who was defeated by him in a duel. Thanks to his magic hat, Siegfried helps Gunther to subjugate the beautiful Brunhild, the queen of Iceland, and to make her Gunther's wife. However, after she learns of his tricks, Brunhild rejects Gunther and swears revenge against Siegfried. Hagen, meanwhile on Brunhild's side, discovers Siegfried's secret from Kriemhild: he has a vulnerable spot on his shoulder. He manages to kill Siegfried during a hunting trip, but he perishes as well in the collapsing grotto, while trying to get hold of the treasure. Upon learning of her involuntary role in Siegfried's death, Brunhild commits suicide.

Cast

Production

''Dragon's Bloods giant dragon was one of the earliest creatures created by special effects artist

Carlo Rambaldi Carlo Rambaldi (September 15, 1925 – August 10, 2012) was an Italian special effects and makeup effects artist. He was the winner of three Academy Awards: one Special Achievement Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 1977 for the 1976 ve ...

. Rambaldi would later be responsible for the special effects on ''

King Kong King Kong, also referred to simply as Kong, is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. The character has since become an international pop culture icon,Erb, Cynthia, 1998, ''Tracking Kin ...

'' (1976) and '' E.T.'' (1982).

Release

''Dragon's Blood'' was released in 1957. It was released in the United States with a longer 97 minute running time.

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dragon's Blood, The 1950s fantasy adventure films Films directed by Giacomo Gentilomo Sword and sorcery films Italian fantasy adventure films Films about dragons Films based on Norse mythology Films based on poems Films set in the 5th century 1950s Italian films Films based on the Nibelungenlied Films about magic rings