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The Mists of Avalon

The Mists of Avalon

List Price: $14.97
Your Price: $11.23
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: To find Avalon, you have to part the Mists yourself...
Review: I have to say that I found Juliana Margulies to be a great casting choice for Morgaine, as well as some other casting choices...too bad the book wasn`t given a chance to become a feature film. Like many have mentioned already, the complex relationships and plot would have been given better chances to make it to the screen. I would recommend this video over other versions of the Arthurian Legend so far.

If it`s any indication, though,I have NOT seen any video or DVD version of this production for sale on the Amazon.uk site, but I have seen many of Zimmer-Bradley`s books (including "Mists" of course), which says a whole lot to me. (I am an American, by the way.)

If you haven`t read the book, this version is an eye-opener for sure, particularly for an American audience, but if you have, it is disappointing, but understandable at the same time. But then again, why do we look for film to recreate great books for us all the time? That`s our own mistake...(shrug)...I have to say I am very guilty of it, too. Nothing comes that easy... I highly recommend the book above all.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I loved it...
Review: Its been a long time since I've been moved by an Arthurian movie, but I LOVED Mists of Avalon, and NO, I haven't read the book, so I had no prejudices about what the film should be like. The film was told from a unique perspective: that of the women of Camelot. The women struggle with the ending of their matriarchal culture and the rising of a patriarchal one. No one character is entirely evil. Some are selfish, others are driven to excess by their own desires or manipulated. In particular, I loved the fact that all the characters were morally ambiguous. One gets tired of reading about pure and innocent Arthur, virginal Gwenevere and rake-like Lancelot. Well, in Mists tells another story.

Favorites: I loved the facial tattoos. Not overdone, just accenting the characters features. Especially the small blue-lines around the eyes. I enjoyed the characterization of Morgan, and the character of Uther. Uther was handsome and bear-like and kindly. The friendship that Arthur and Lancelot shared was evident, and I found both actors to be quite handsome. Gwenevere was portrayed as cow-like and docile, and just a bit spiteful. I even, felt sorry for Mordred, who in my opinion was the worst off, having been manipulated since the point of birth.

I did think it was quite sad and telling that poor Morgan and the others never found happiness. In fact NONE of the characters found happiness towards the end (being stuck in a cloister doesn't cut it, at least for me), but I loved it. Excellent movie. Beautiful soundtrack. I was deeply moved.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: So disappointing.
Review: If you didn't read the book you MIGHT be contented with this horribly abridged, watered-down, soap opera version of the story - with its plodding pace, lame-ass Celtic 101 Soundtrack, and the best performances in an uninspired cast delivered by a strangely wooden Julianna with Anjelica obviously phoning it in. Lancelot and Guinevere have absolutely no chemistry, don't seem to even be in love, and the movie's attempts at eroticism are about as hot as a ketchup packet. If you did read the book you'll probably be totally pissed-off about the merciless slashing of the plot that leaves out major themes like the Holy Grail, Kevin, Morgaine's return to Avalon, Accolon's attempt to kill Arthur, etc; as well as softening and glossing over MZB's indictment of Christianity. Thumbs way down.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Unveiling a new perspective
Review: The TNT production of Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon is spectacular. Special effects, outstanding character development, and gifted actors make this movie well worth your time.
Mists is a retelling of the Arthur legend through the vantage point of a female narrator. Morgaine, Arthur's sister has traditionally been portrayed as a scheming woman. In Bradley's rendition, Morgaine, Arthur, and Viviane are all caught in the same web. What's most interesting about this version is the fact that we see the events through Morgaine's eyes, thereby developing a sympathy for a normally distasteful character.
The movie is true to the novel,a rarity in any production. The actors do a marvelous job embodying their characters and give a realistic sense of life to the viewer. As the film progresses, one begins to truly lose the world around them and becomes engrossed in this movie, to the point where you find yourself emoting over the events as they transpire.
I would recommend this film to any fan of Arthur and Arthurian legend. You won't be disappointed.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Do Not Waste Your Time
Review: If you have read Zimmer's book do not rent, buy or even think about watching this movie. While Angelica Houston and Julianna are two of my favorite actresses, the costumes and sets were beautiful, and the soundtrack was well used, these factors do not make up for the absolute butchery that the producers performed on the Mists of Avalon story.

Huge parts of the plot were left out (i.e, Morgaine's visit to the fairy land, I mean, she is called Morgaine of the Fairies). These deficiencies were not made up for in any way. The acting seemed forced and obviously fake at times and I was just confused at times.

Then, to make matters worse, the DVD has no explanation whatsoever of why the producers chose this version, or chose to portray the Aurthurian legend in this way.

Very, very dissapointing.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Embarrassing!
Review: How a director can take a very good fantasy novel, assemble a superb cast and dumb the production down to the level of the worst WB fantasy programs is beyond me. From the script to the costumes to the poor use of the sets, I was completely embarrassed to be watching this! What a waste! Now I understand why Angelica Houston never really plugged the movie in her interviews, but instead talked about how much her friends loved the book! It really is that bad. Hopefully someone else will undertake this again -- someone who's actually read the book.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wonderful story
Review: I am not sure whether the film should receive bad reviews, but if you need a criterion, what would you think of a film which can make a 21 year old man who lives in a place irrelevant to Arthurian age, cry?

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: read the book
Review: This incredibly loose adaptation of Marion Zimmer Bradley's influential and amazing novel was so disappointing I could have cried. So much was left out--characters, entire scenes, and the characters that were put in the movie were sorely underdeveloped. The movie had a lot of potential--the casting was excellent, the setting great, but it fell very short. It was ridiculous to try and fit a 900 page novel into a 3 hour movie. It should have been something like "Pride and Prejudice": a 6 hour mini-series. While watching I found myself yelling at the TV: "That didn't happen!" or "Where's so and so?" It was horrific for so many people that love the book to see it slaughtered this way. It is most definitely my favorite novel and to see this horrible rendition was not fun.
I gave it 2 stars simply because they couldn't have picked better people to play the parts. Julianna Margulies is a perfect Morgaine, Anjelica Huston excellent as Viviane. I thought it was silly how they had Joan Allen play a 13 year old Morgause all the way to a 50 year old Morgause, but she too was great.
However, the casting does not make up for the pitifulness of this movie. Read the book and you'll see what I mean.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: wonderfuly filmed...a must see!
Review: filmed beautifully! this film captures the addience's attention straitaway!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Decent enough....if you haven't read the book
Review: If nothing else, it was nice of TNT to make the effort of producing the film, endowing it with a substantial budget and casting such fine actresses in all the major roles. (And on a purely aesthetic note, god bless the casting directors for adding Michael Vartan and Edward Atterton.) The scenery is beautiful, the costumes are fantastic....

However - the dialogue is spotty at best: good in some spots (I recognized some of the best lines from the book), but cringeworthy in others. And while plot changes are inevitable in condensing such a long, complex work to screen, most of the omissions and alterations made in the film end up wildly skewing some of the characters, rendering some of their decisions and behavior completely illogical or at least inexplicible, and finally, especially the massive changing of the ending, skewing and going completely against the book's original message.

Overall: mostly entertaining, but a *huge* disappointment for fans of the book.


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