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Summary: Just wondering...
Review: Did anyone besides me notice that a certain gauntlet-wearing knight checked to see if he could feel a pulse THROUGH THE STEEL of his armor?Gods, it's been YEARS since I saw this, and that one scene sticks in my head.
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Summary: Words cannot describe how much I love this film...
Review: ...but I will try. It is wonderful, one of my favorite film of all time, and quite possibly my favorite of all time; this is somewhat odd because I have no more than the most casual interest in the Arthurian legend. Nonetheless, I love this film. It is absolutely exquisite on every level, from the glorious soundtrack to the sumptuous cinematography to the wonderful cast. It does have two flaws, one minor and one very minor--respectively, they are that Igrayne hardly seems worth Uther's ardor, and a garbling of the soundtrack momentarily in the beginning of the film. Nonetheless, no matter how many times I watch it, and those times are probably in the triple digits by now, I never tire of it. The final scene, where Perceval casts Excalibur back to the Lady of the Lake, never fails to take my breath away. If this isn't marked as one of AFI's top 100 films, there is no justice.
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Summary: Best Arthurian Epic Ever
Review: This is one of my favorite all time movies. There's no better Arthurian movie around. It's got brilliant characterization, a feast for the eyes and terrific sound. I saw it years ago, and had to have it as one of the first DVD's I bought. It's a story almost everyone already knows, but the way it is portrayed here is masterful. Each scene sets the current mood of Camelot. If you turn off the sound you can easily watch the rise and fall of Camelot just from the sets and lighting. Superbly subtle. Any sword/sorcer/mythos geek has to have this movie.
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Summary: It still enchants
Review: I remember when I saw this movie when it first appeared. I was mesmerized and I had to see it again and again. Merlin is unforgettable!
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Summary: Good atmosphere but unusual telling
Review: The film opens with a perfect image of dark nights in dark combat. Uther fights the Cornwall for the Kingship, yet Uther spoils the new alliance by taking the Duke's wife to bed (with Merlin's aid). Their son, Arthur, eventually becomes king. The rest of the story unfolds from there. While the imagery, costumes, and story is quite good, Trevor Jones' music is horribly experimental and distracting (even resorting to the over-used Carmina Burana at moments when he runs out of ideas), the liberties taken with the story unacceptable, and some scenes are just plain weird (such as when Arthur initially draws Excalibur from the stone and hides with Merlin overnight). Merlin takes too much of an active role in the film, even physically and strategically aiding in an intial battle where Arthur claims his kingship. Lancelot (Nicholas Clay) does not speak in a French accent. Arthur shows little of his grand morality and presents no justification for his worthiness as king. Merlin and Morgana are played well, even though their characters are written a bit over the top. Did you even know Liam Neeson was in this? So is Patrick Stewart, who gives the best performance of the film as Leondegrance. While this may be the best King Arthur movie that I've seen, that doesn't mean that there aren't better ones out there, or better ones coming. Whatever you do, don't pay full price for this DVD. It's not quite worth it.
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Summary: Sweeping epic
Review: Director John Boorman may have bitten off more than anyone could chew by trying to fit the legend of King Arthur into just slightly more than two hours. The necessity of moving the plot forward does not allow time for much character development. Rather than human characters with recognizable motivations, we are given iconic figures who behave as they do because the legend demands it. Nevertheless, this film does have some considerable strengths. It is atmospheric and beautifully filmed. The production values belie the small budget. The cast does a marvelous job; its fun to watch some of the early work of Patrick Stewart, Liam Neeson and Gabriel Byrne. Also, the poigniancy of the characters' essential plight remains. These are larger-than-life figures who have taken on the superhuman task of providing for the welfare of their land; however, they cannot avoid being undone by the flaws inherent in basic human nature.
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Summary: Before there was Braveheart...
Review: In 1981's Excalibur, Director John Boorman did for the Legends of King Arthur what Mel Gibson did for William Wallace in Braveheart; that is, he created a lush, thoroughly involving period piece with engaging characters, a heap of action and a dash of romance that spares nothing in terms of production. This is not only the quintessential movie about King Arthur, but the granddaddy of all quality sword and sorcery films. From the music to the scenery to the acting, your suspension of disbelief will be total, your immersion in the tale complete. Drawing as it does on such rich source material, it would have been difficult for Boorman and co-writer Rospo Pallenberg to have made this film poorly. But the duo goes beyond mere adequacy, creating an unforgettable world and populating it with enthralling characters that will stick to your brain like peanut butter to the roof of your mouth. Above and beyond the outstanding hack-and-slash action, it is the drama that unfolds between these characters that makes the film an enduring classic. Virtually every scene -- and indeed almost every spoken line -- in Excalibur is a classic, from a naive young Arthur pulling the sword from the stone and handing it to his older brother saying, "Your sword is stolen, brother. But here is Excalibur..." to Merlin's many stirring soliloquies, to Morgana's deception of Arthur in order to concieve Mordred (similar to the way Arthur was concieved by his father's deception of his mother), to Mordred's icy, final, "Come father, let us embrace at last..." The betrayal by Lancelot, the championing of the queen by duel, the temptation and destruction of the knights as they search for the holy grail, all of these are sure to replay in your head for hours or even days after you have watched the final credits roll. That's why this is a film to purchase, not rent, as you will want to watch it again and again. As for the DVD itself, the extras are a little thin. There is really only John Boorman's commentary track, which only served to show me how very different movie directors can be from how I stereotypically perceive them. Boorman is soft-spoken and sounds almost disinterested, and talks mostly about the bluebonnets in all the outdoor scenes and how hard it was to keep the crew from trampling them. But there are some very interesting facts in his commentary. For instance, Helen Mirren and Nicole Williamson despised each other in real life and almost refused to work together. The girl who plays Arthur's mother, Igraine, is actually Boorman's daughter, who also "arm doubles" for the lady of the lake in one scene where nobody else would lie down in the freezing water of the river. And Boorman had to use polo ponies, because they alone are perfectly suited to being ridden in close proximity to each other, while being controlled with one hand by a rider who is swinging something around (in this case a sword) in the other hand. In summary, this is a DVD well worth owning.
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Summary: King Arthur tales with a smile
Review: An excellent interpritation of the King Arthur tales. It is not very consistent with the book, but still makes for a highly intriguing plot and interesting movie. It is full of humor, with Merlin being the main "funny character", performing some standard comedy-style acts, such as falling into water, hitting his head, etc... That definetely does not make it a comedy because all those things blend in very well with the general flow of the motion picture, raising the general mood, but never over-playing. The presence of such actors as Liam Neeson and Patrick Stewart as secondary characters is surprising, but their excellent acting only makes the film better.
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Summary: A film forged with passion
Review: Excalibur, the sword, may have been forged by a god and foretold by a wizard, but it was found by director John Boorman, and rightfully so. Excalibur is its own character, held by the wisest and most powerful of men, and studied by all who have heard its name. Today's interpretations of Arthur's sword are so cliche-ridden that the makers have a difficult time believing the legend. In this case, Boorman and his writers view the material as something they truly opine. They believe in it, and treat it with passion. To watch Excalibur glide through the crowds of soldiers is to see it before it saw itself. The movie is seemingly ahead of its time.
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Summary: An amazing movie
Review: Ok, its not a perfect movie, but for this movie, which covers the mythology of Arthur, Camelot and Excalibur(very very difficult to do) it succeeds remarkably well. There are scenes that are nearly perfect throughout the film. When the Knights of the Round Table first form, when Arthur and Lancelot joust, the sins of adultery scene, the 'unholy child' scene, the search for the Grail, when Perceval strips his armor and is born anew(remarkable), when Arthur and Guenevere meet one last time with some beautifully poetic dialogue, the scene where Arhur sees Merlin in his dreams while at Stonehenge at dusk, and of course the final battle. Wow, there are just so many great scenes. Probably my favorite is when Perceval casts Excalibur back into the lake and the Lady of the Lake reaches out to take it back. Then, we see another amazing scene as Arthur is seen being taken away in a boat to Avalon. I could go on and on about this film. See it in DVD, though, the widescreen vision. A beautiful, remarkable film that few directors would even begin to attempt today. I think a younger Speilberg would be daring enough to attempt it, but I doubt he would succeed nearly as well. Zemeckis gave it a try with Sean Connery and Richard Gere. It was called First Knight. Watch that movie and then watch Excalibur and it is almost laughable how much better the latter one is... Buy this movie now, sit back and enjoy.
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