Beginning, as all films really should, with John Huston narration, which fills us in on the titular object, Disney's "Black Cauldron" was a noble experiment that mostly clicks. In the 1980's, there was a glut of films aimed for child audiences that were not patronizing, like "Twice Upon a Time", "Rock & Rule" and "Pogo for President", and "Cauldron" sought to do the same thing. "Black Cauldron" is a strange, paranoid film that's definitely unnerving at times. An almost unrecognizable John Hurt voices the Horned King, easily one of the greatest cinematic villains ever. I am familiar with the Chronicles of Prydain, and while some major characters don't appear, those that do stick closely to what Lloyd Alexander originally intended for them.As a stand-alone film, it's very entertaining and re-watchable. Go check out the DVD, which is unfortunately not the long dreamt-of "director's cut" of the film, which is still in the Disney vaults for the time being.
Review of The Black Cauldron
The Black Cauldron
(1985)
No gratuitous songs, no kid-friendly voices, and no pop-culture references. I love it!
26 September 2003