While I love The Lord Of The Rings very much, when it comes to
fantasy, I've always preferred the lost worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs and
Robert E. Howard. I've always chosen the exploits of Tarzan, John Carter Warlord
of Mars and Conan The Barbarian over that of the Hobbits (again, I say this with
all due respect to the Rings films, which director Peter Jackson did such a
great job of making accessible and entertaining for those of us who have not
read the books). However it wasn't until in recent years that I've realized that
an artist named Frank Frazetta, who drew the covers for these books, largely
shaped my personal view of the fantasy worlds of Burroughs and Howard. Before
Frazetta, Conan was drawn somewhat like a Greco-Roman hero, with togas and
sandals and the like. He looked pretty bland, like a hero from one of those
countless sword and sandal movies that Hollywood made by the dozens.
Yet when Frazetta drew him, Conan and his barbaric world finally exploded into
life in all its violent, gory glory. Frazetta was a major shock wave in the
world of fantastic art, with his imaginative renderings of fantastical worlds
that were still grounded in reality. Look close at any of his majestic paintings,
and despite the obvious elements of fantasy--brave warriors battling legions of
demons--take a good look and you will see that the human anatomy is correct.
Even with the demons and monsters, as fantastical as they may be, there's
realism to their appearance that only Frazetta could create. And Frazetta was
just as famous for his heroines, beautiful women--both good and evil--who wore
outfits that were so scant that they left little to the imagination. This was
all part of the Frazetta style, one that has inspired countless other artists,
as well as fans like myself.
In the early 1980s, animator Ralph Bakshi (the animated Lord Of The Rings, Fritz
The Cat and Wizards) teamed up with Frazetta on a new animated movie. Released
in 1983, it was called Fire And Ice. Taking place in a primal age of brave
barbarian warriors and scantily clad women, Fore And Ice tells the story of the
epic battle between a volcanic land of fire ruled by the fair and just Jarol and
the cold, barren wasteland of ice ruled by the nefarious Nekron. Nekron's forces
are winning, thanks to his magical ability of controlling the movement of the
glaciers with his mind. He pushes this vast wall of ice deep into Jarol's realm,
literally crushing all resistance. After losing his frontier territory to
Nekron's icy assault, Jarol reluctantly agrees to meet with his enemy's envoys
to discuss a peace treaty.
However the envoys from Nekron are sent as a cover to kidnap Jarol's grown
daughter, the Princess Teegra, who eventually manages to elude her captors.
Teegra fends for herself in the treacherous wilderness between the kingdoms
until she meets Larn, one of her father's warriors who barely survived Nekron's
assault on the frontier forts. Together they dodge the various monstrous dangers
of their world, until an encounter with a giant squid separates them. In his
desperate search for Teegra, Larn gets an unlikely ally: a mysterious warrior
known as Darkwolf who has sworn to kill Nekron.
Fire And Ice is literally a Frank Frazetta painting that has come to life. In
much the same way that Sin City tries to BE the Frank Miller graphic novel, Fire
And Ice truly succeeds in bringing Frazetta's vision to the screen in moving
form. Until now, Fire And Ice has been only available on a crappy VHS copy (and
to make matters worse, the film had been recorded in the EP mode, which made the
tape's visual and sound quality even more horrible). But the DVD used a bright, clear
copy of the film that is presented in widescreen, and I have to say that after
seeing Fire And Ice for many years on that sub-standard VHS, it's a revelation
to see it in all of its pristine glory once more.
The DVD includes an audio commentary by director Bakshi, the original 13-minute
making of documentary, Bakshi on Frazetta--an interview with Bakshi concerning
working with Frazetta on FAI (culled from his interviews in Painting With Fire),
Sean Hannon's (who acted Nekon in the roto-scoped scenes) Diary Notes, a behind
the scenes still gallery, and the trailer. I reviewed the special edition of FAI,
which also includes the superb documentary Frazetta: Painting With Fire, on a
second disc. This is a marvelous look at the life and times of Frazetta, as seen
through the eyes of family and friends, as well as the man himself. If you
already have this documentary on DVD, then FAI is available in a regular version
with just the film by itself. The Frazetta influence aside, Fire And Ice is a
fun, diverting adventure in a distant land that takes your mind off your worries
for a while. And it's that occasional escape from reality that is what the best
fantasy stories are best at: they offer us a respite from the world while
sparking our imagination.
--SF
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