Subcreation on the screen

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The eighth volume of Fastitocalon explores early fantasy films and television series from the late 1970s and early 1980s, focusing on less conventional themes. Rather than conventional topics like worldbuilding or good versus evil, the authors examine nuanced issues such as anti-communist undertones in Lech Majewski’s The Knight, the socio-political context of Conan the Barbarian, and the orientalist constructions in John Milius’s portrayal of the Cimmerian hero. They also discuss the challenges faced by Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass in adapting Tolkien’s works into animation, as well as mythological parallels in Robert Tapert’s Xena: Warrior Princess. This multidisciplinary approach offers valuable insights into fantasy films of the late twentieth century, contributing to the broader study of speculative fiction on screen before the global success of Peter Jackson’s trilogies and HBO’s Game of Thrones. Contributors include Franz Klug, Lukasz Neubauer, Przemyslaw Grabowski-Górniak, Mat Hardy, and Martin J. Auernheimer, each bringing unique perspectives on the intersection of fantasy and socio-political themes in these early works.