The Beast and the Magic Sword

His family cursed by a witch, Waldemar Daninsky (Paul Naschy) seeks the help of a Jewish doctor to cure him of his annoying habit of turning into a werewolf. The doctor is attacked by some local Christians in hoods and, before he dies, he tells Waldemar to head to Japan to seek out another doctor who can surely help him. So the Daninsky family head to the land of the rising sun to battle his curse of the full moon.

This is a pretty fascinating take on the werewolf myths Naschy had been building for over a decade in his native Spain. Apparently the Waldemar flicks were big in Japan and a company offered to co-produce this movie if he set it in Japan. The end result is really unlike any werewolf movie. Where else can you see a werewolf and ninjas (besides your nightmares)? Naschy directs and always has his eye on exploitation. For example, the werewolf bursts into a home and, when grabbing the women, always rips off their tops. There is also a crazy battle between the wolf man and a tiger (a real tiger is used) and a surreal sequence complete with snow falling where Japanese lead Shigeru Amachi fights off several otherworldly foes in order to gain the mythical sword that can kill the werewolf. The film is a tad overlong (1 hour and 45 minutes) but definitely worth seeing for a werewolf tale off the beaten path.

This was Paul Naschy's ninth outing as tragic werewolf Waldemar Daninsky and the eighth I have watched; I'm pretty much fifty-fifty on them, as four proved quite worthwhile but just as many came off as dismal disappointments. This falls in the former category and is probably the one to give the character biggest scope, being mostly set in feudal Japan and running a hefty 110 minutes; that said, at such length, the film eventually outstays its welcome (especially given the frequent concessions to irrelevant swordfights). I have always admired the fact that Naschy would change his werewolf make-up from one film to the next: here, perhaps in keeping with the Oriental theme, its forehead unaccountably sports prominent wrinkles (for lack of a better word) but is otherwise as vicious as ever (incidentally, the first attack is even presented saturated from the monster's P.O.V. – possibly as a nod to WOLFEN [1981]). The film (bolstered by an appropriately rousing score) starts off in medieval times – as was the case with the previous Daninsky entry, THE CRAVING (1980) – with the hero's ancestor defeating a feared invader but, as a result, his lineage is cursed by the warrior's witch acolyte. In the 16th century, Waldemar is forced to flee his country when the sorcerer he consults for a cure is turned upon by the townsfolk but, before expiring, the old man tells him to seek a Japanese practitioner of magic and also to take along and protect his blind female charge. With no fixed address to go to, many a full moon comes along and with it bloody murders by the lycanthrope which strikes terror in the populace; unaware of Naschy's odyssey, the Oriental mystic becomes interested in the case – even coming face to face with the monster outside a brothel – and follows his tracks to our hero's shack; though under obligation to report him (especially since his General uncle has staked his honor on the fiend's capture), he commits himself to help Daninsky…but the eventual concoction, made from extracts of a Tibetan plant, fails to provide the requisite remedy. Meanwhile, Waldemar's other companion is approached by a sorceress claiming she can release him – but, when they go to her (against the extra-sensitive blind girl's better judgment), soon reveals her evil designs and enslaves our hirsute hero!; she even brandishes the titular weapon (molded from silver, naturally) and wounds the werewolf. Anyway, after much activity – including the magician helping out at his uncle's hara kiri ritual! – we reach the climactic showdown between monster and mystic; however, it is the latter's sister (who has conveniently fallen for Naschy) who deals him the coup-de-grace. All in all, an interesting change of pace for both Naschy and Daninsky; actually the samurai/werewolf concept would resurface – indeed be fused – in KIBAKICHI (2004; itself followed by a sequel) which I watched fairly recently

A late werewolf film written, directed and starring the irrepressible Paul Naschy. Apparently he had to go to Japan to finance this rather lavish production and that must be why much of the cast is Japanese and much of the filming done on location in that country. Co-stars the eminent Japanese actor Shigeru Amachi who among many films starred in the much earlier Black Line (Kurosen Chitai). Indeed this is one of his last films, dying a couple of years later. So neither he nor Naschy were very young when they did these pretty impressive action sequences. This is a bit slow starting but improves as we move to Kyoto and in the end this turns out to be a very colourful and energetic movie with some great moments and some nudity. A lot of sword fights but a really impressive one with chief villainess who wears a rather fetching red diaphanous costume. There is also a most impressive fight with a tiger. I don't whether this was a stunt man but its certainly a real animal someone in Naschy's costume is fighting (or pretending to). All in all not the director's finest hour but certainly something a bit different.

Perhaps being one of the more unsung examples of Spanish Horror master Paul Naschy's bravura filmmaking genius, the masterfully genre-bending cult classic takes Waldemar Daninsky's tragic Lycanthrope to the far-flung exotic locales of feudal Japan since the maniacal ministrations of the inquisition force him and his nubile entourage to seek the aid of Japanese healer Kian (Sigheru Amachi) but it is not long before Waldemar's gruesome Lunar-inspired rampages draws the unwelcome attentions of a master Samurai Swordsman, night-swarming Ninja Assassins, and then being lured to the diabolical castle domain of powerful sorceress Satomi (Junko Asahina) whose zealous claim of being able to cure him of his ancient malediction might disguise an altogether malevolent agenda!

Writer/director/actor Paul Naschy is on especially inspired form with his exciting, phantasmagorical masterpiece 'The Beast & The Magic Sword' one of his more audacious and delightfully unconventional Daninsky chapters that gorily fuses doomy European Gothic with beautifully ornate, stylishly atmospheric Japanese mythology, many of the striking sequences where the bellicose werewolf must do battle with these uncommonly eerie-looking spectres are tremendously evocative, the bold use of colour redolent of maestro Mario Bava's masterpiece 'Black Sabbath', thereby giving Naschy's exceptionally vivid fantasy an otherworldly, exquisitely ethereal sense of having just visited a diabolically dark magical realm of illimitable madness!

This time Naschy is turned into a werewolf when annoyed witch cursed his ancestors. Middle Age, a magician (Sara Mora) pronounces a curse against heirs of Irineus Daninsky . XVI Century, Toledo , Spain, Waldemar Danisky looks desperately for a cure . He travels to Japan along with his lover (Beatriz Escudero) and a blind girl (Violeta Cela). There Waldemar goes on a murderous rampage every time the moon is full. At Japan contacts a Samurai (Amachi) who tries to cure his Lycanthropy with a potion of drugs and the flower of Tibet.

Unknown Werewolf movie with the unforgettable Waldemar Daninsky-Jacinto Monlina ,under pseudonym Paul Naschy. Continental Europe's biggest horror star again with his classic character and frightening to viewer. He returns as El Hombre Lobo for the umpteenth time and once again battles enemies. Jacinto Molina Aka Paul Naschy ,who recently passed away, was actor,screenwriter and director of various film about the personage based on fictitious character, the Polish count Waldemar Daninsky. The first film about Waldemar was ¨The mark of the Wolfman (1967)¨ by Enrique Eguiluz , after that ¨Night of Walpurgis¨, ¨Fury of the Wolfman¨ , ¨Doctor Jekill and the Wolfman¨ ,¨The return of the Walpurgis¨, ¨Howl of the devil¨, ¨The beast and the magic sword(1982)¨ that is filmed in Japan and finally ¨Licantropo(1998).

After ¨The craving¨ it was such a box office disaster that Jacinto was bankrupt. He was forced to turn to Japan for making artist documentaries, as he filmed ' Madrid Royal Palace and Museum of Prado' and he gets financing from Japanese producers for ¨The human beasts¨, the first co-production Spanish-Japan and followed ¨The beast and the magic sword¨. Lavishly produced for the Paul Naschy standards. As the Atrezzo and gowns were expressly made for XVI Century , the Katana is actually manufactured in silver, and the white horse is a precious race champion. Spectacular and very well made combat between a tiger and Wolfman. As Jacinta Molina tells for these scenes, there were brought 4 tigers (one of them is the Sandokan TV's tiger) dominated by a dog. Filmed in Japan and castle of Chinchon (where was shot El Cid) in which took place the tournament that appears Paul Naschy's family.

It's a B series entertainment with abundant sensationalistic scenes and a Naif style.The movie has a bit of ridiculous gore with loads of blood similar to tomato and is occasionally an engaging horror movie full of sword and witchery, beheading, Hara-Kiri and several other things. This time Paul Nashy/Jacinto Molina exhibits little breast but he was a weightlifting champion. Here Waldemar takes on wizards and Samurais in some unforgettable fighting scenes.Pretty slow going, but hang in there for the Werewolf versus witches , Samurais and spirits. Good cinematography by Julio Burgos is accompanied by a correct remastering. Eerie and atmospheric musical score by Angel Arteaga .The motion picture is professionally directed and played by Jacinto Molina , a slick craftsman and mediocre actor.The flick will appeal to Paul Naschy fans and terror genre enthusiastic. Rating : 6, Acceptable and entertaining.