Rating: 
Summary: Not tears of Joy, those were TEARS OF HORROR!
Review: There was a reason that they waited until Marion Zimmer Bradley has passed away before they could release this movie. There was also a reason that this movie was released straight to television. This was the WORST REPRESENTATION of a book I have ever had the misfortune to see. Not only did the just casually stray from the original parts, there were moments that that were completely new and in places that never existed in the book at all. It was also insulting to Marion Zimmer Bradley's careful work and passion if you ask me. Please just be contented with the book, and stay as far away from this movie as humanly possible.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the finest Arthurian films!!!
Review: I purchased this DVD without really expecting too much for a made-for-TV series. I read the book, but to my pleasant surprise, this movie was exceptionally done. Every element of acting, scenery, and plot were beautifully done. The family lineage is well displayed, and even greater so than the book, it shows the great closeness in family relation each character is to one another. The only elements that aren't elaborated on more are the quest for the grail and the significant role of Merlyn. And each of those elements have their own movie sagas. I definitely recommend this movie to anybody.
Rating:
Summary: The legend comes alive!
Review: Having never really been exposed much to any Authurian tales (outside of Monty Python and the Holy Grail), I came across this film on television. I was mesmerized immediately. This was not the story of a the sword and the stone as told to children. This was a fantastic tale of power, love, lust, greed, and eternal mysteries. Angelica Houston is wonderfully awe-inspiring as the Lady of the Lake. Her performance is commanding and sensitive at the same time. Julianna Margulies's portrayal of Morgaine is the very heart of the story and she is excellent. The countryside settings, the costumes, the language... all of it is very real and makes you feel as though you could live there too. And I wish I did. You won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: I thought this was a wonderful movie.
Review: ...Yes, it would have been nice to have *everything* in it, but that's just not realistic. For what they had to work with, time-wise, I think they did a wonderful job. There are very few movies based on books that don't make significant changes because of time constraints. I watched the movie first, then read the book...I enjoyed both immensely. By the way, I highly recommend others to do it this way -- watch the movie FIRST, then read the book. This allowed me to put faces on all the characters as I read, and I could picture each scene with more detail. Only drawback is if you watch the movie again, you might find yourself (as I did) looking for scenes that you thought you saw, only to realize that you'd pictured them in your head while reading the book. But all in all, though I liked the book more, I do love the movie, and I'm planning on buying it on DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: man, some people are picky
Review: ...This is a fantastic movie. There are indeed slow parts, but the movie makes up for it with the cinematography. The look of the movie is fabulous. The performances are terrific, if sometimes limited by the script, and the amount of story material it had to cover in a relatively brief time. I cannot think of better casting choices. Juliana Margulies is ravishingly beautiful and yet brings a dignity and grace to her role, Joan Allen is appropriately malignant, and Anjelica Huston, well, I was won over by the time she was riding with young Morgaine and explaining to her, "The Goddess is everywhere..." Wicca 101 on primetime TV! Forget the nitpickers, folks. This is a WONDERFUL movie. Pick it up.
Rating:
Summary: Not the book, but still a success
Review: For those who have read the book, this movie may be a disappointment in that it does not follow Bradley's story uniformly. However, the movie is enjoyable and informative in its own right and is a nice tribute to the works of Marion Zimmer Bradley. For those who enjoy the movie, the book comes highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: If you read the book, stay far away from this movie!
Review: This would be an ok movie if it was made in its own right, but asan adaptation of the book it it is awful! Elements of the plot are changed and the entire ending has nothing to do with the one in the book. It is pathetic! I can see how someone who hadn't read the book might like this movie, but as someone who loved the book I find this movie horrible. Also this movie is highly offensive in their reprensentation of pagan people. They don't explain any of the rites, so they do not make any sence. In other words, if you read the book stay away!
Rating:
Summary: Horrible misrepresentation
Review: Too rich and complicated of a story to be presented on screen, I did not expect to be impressed with this release. However, I was even more disappointed by the gross liberty taken with plot and character. If you are an Avalon fan I suggest passing this one by.
Rating:
Summary: too good for TV
Review: When I first read about "mists of avalon" DVD I thought "another TV production". I watched it, and I really don't understand why it was not showed on movie theaters. The cast is great, with anjelica houston and lots of new and talented faces. Though it lasts 180 minutes, all I can say is that "mists of avalon" caught my attention the whole time, and on every scene I got eager to know what would happen next. The story is great and I confess I had never read the book. The most interesting thing about this plot is that it's based on historical facts, without being a movie about fights. It offers a new point of view to king's arthur history, with all the elements that make a movie popular: prohibited love affairs, power, envy, magic. The only negative point on this DVD is the lack of extras. I was hoping to see a making off or even some interviews with the cast, but none of this was included.
Rating: 
Summary: Achtung! Adaptation! Proceed with caution...
Review: Since I am a fan of Arthurian lore I certainly appreciate the filming of another chapter of his rise and fall. The book though is far better than this screen reduction. There is no doubt that the cast is first class and does a marvelous job in enchanting us into Avalon and its surroundings. Still, I would have prefered in this case, a mini series as was the case with "I, Claudius". Maybe a ten episode movie which would have gradually revealed what each character stands and goes for would have been much more appropriate. This is where one bites the dust when he tries to compress a huge epic into an hourglass of two or three hours. It simply doesn't work. Even "Le Morte d'Artur" by Malory has been used and re-used many times only to fall short from ridiculous. After all it's also a 2 Book-long epic, how then can one reduce it into two hours of movie history? Nervertheless, the women in this tale are well chosen and play splendidly, from Anjelica Huston as Viviane, who's always a grand Lady (and not just of the Lake), to Joan Allen who plays a venomous and devious Morgause with skill and attention to the role and further to Julianna Margulies who's a splendid Morgaine (I would have certainly fallen in love with this "fairie") and plays it to the hilt, so much so that one can feel skin-deep the immense struggle that goes on within her character throghout the movie. The only downfall is the male part. Men in this installation are left drifting toward each other, with no real purpose as to serve the will of the "Mother Goddess". Yet we know for a fact, that in those days men were fierce warriors and wouldn't care so much about appearances as they do here, wimpering along about their losses and their emotional struggles, rather than plan the next move toward succession and power, which lastly was their main concern and duty. In as far as the Myth goes, this is truly a mythological saga, well told and well choreographed, but some more spice could have helped along the action scenes and a bit more of manhood would have stirred a bit more the balance of power. All in all I can only recommend it. It'a a nice bit of period work.
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