The Beastmaster (film)

The Beastmaster
Year Released:	1982
MPAA Rating (USA):
Director:	Don Coscarelli
Starring:	Josh Milrad Billy Jacoby

The Beastmaster is a 1982 sword and sorcery film directed by Don Coscarelli and starring Marc Singer, Tanya Roberts, John Amos and Rip Torn. The film is about a child who is stolen from his mother's womb by a witch. The child grows into Dar, who has the ability the communicate telepathically with animals. Dar's grows in a village where he learn to battle but the village is destroyed by a race of beast-like warriors under the control of the sorcerer Maax. Dar vows revenge and travels with new friends to stop Maax from causing any more problems.

The Beastmaster was not a great box office success in the United States and later received extensive television exposure on cable in the United States on channels TBS and HBO. The film had two sequels and a syndicated television series which chronicled the further adventures of Dar.

Summary

In the kingdom of Aruk, the high priest Maax [[[:Template:Respell]]] (Rip Torn) is given a prophecy by his witches that he would die facing the son of King Zed (Rod Loomis). Learning of Maax's scheme to murder his child as a sacrificial offering to the kingdom's god Ar, Zed exiled Maax and his followers from the city. However, Maax sent one of his witches to transfer the unborn child from the womb of Zed's queen (Vanna Bonta) and into a cow to be born. After his birth the witch brands the infant with Ar's mark, but is killed by a villager who takes the infant in his care and raises him as his own son. Named Dar while raised the village of Emur, the child learns how to fight while advised by his father to keep his ability to telepathically communicate with animals a secret. Years later, a fully grown Dar (Marc Singer) witnesses his people being slaughtered by the Jun, a horde of fanatic barbarians in league with Maax. Dar, the only survivor of the attack, vows revenge and journeys to Aruk to avenge his people. In time, Dar is joined by an eagle that he named Sharak, a pair of thieving ferrets he calls Kodo and Podo, and a black tiger whom he names Ruh.

Eventually, Dar meets a redheaded slave girl called Kiri (Tanya Roberts) before getting himself lost and ending up surrounded by an eerie half-bird, half-human race who dissolve their prey for nourishment. As the bird men worship eagles, they spare Dar when he summons Sharak and give him an amulet should he need their aid. Dar soon arrives to Aruk where Maax had assumed total control with the Juns' support and subjects the people to witness their children being sacrificed. After having Sharak save the child of a townsman named Sacco, Dar learns that Kiri is to be sacrificed. On his way to save her, Dar is joined by Zed's younger son Tal and his bodyguard Seth (John Amos), learning that Kiri is Zed's niece as the three work to save her. While Seth goes to gather their forces, Dar helps Kiri and Tal infiltrate the temple and save the now eyeless Zed and while escaping from the temple's beast-like Death Guards.

Consumed by revenge, Zed refuses to listen to Dar's warning against ordering an immediate attack on the city and rejects him as a freak. Forced to leave, Dar later learns that his friends are captured and races to Aruk to save them from being sacrificed. In the conflict that followed, Maax reveals Dar's relationship to Zed before slitting his throat and facing the Beastmaster. Despite being stabbed, revived by his remaining witch before she was killed, Maax was about to kill Dar when Kodo sacrifices himself to cause the high priest to fall into the sacrificial flames. But the victory is short-lived as the Jun horde are approaching Auruk, arriving by nightfall to face the trap Dar and the people set up for them. Tal gets wounded as Dar succeeds in burning most of the Juns alive while defeating their chieftain before the bird-men arrive to consume those remaining. The following day, though Seth learned that he is Zed's first born, Dar explains that Tal would make a better king as he leaves Auruk. Dar sets off into the wild with Kiri, Ruh, Sharak and Podo (who has given birth to two baby ferrets) on the path to new adventures.

Cast

Character	Actor
Dar	Marc Singer
Kiri	Tanya Roberts
Maax	Rip Torn
Seth	John Amos
Tal	Josh Milrad
King Zed	Rod Loomis
Zed's Queen	Vanna Bonta
Young Dar's father	Ben Hammer
Sacco	Ralph Strait
Young Dar	Billy Jacoby
Jun Leader	Tony Epper
Tils	Paul Reynolds

Josh Milrad

Joshua (Josh) Milrad was born on March 1, 1968. He is known for his work on The Beastmaster (1982), We Were the Mulvaneys (2002) and String Theory (2002).

External links

• The Beastmaster (1982) (IMDb)
• Josh Milrad in THE BEASTMASTER part 1 of 2 (All the scenes)! (YouTube video)
• Josh Milrad in THE BEASTMASTER part 2 of 2 (All the scenes)! (YouTube video)