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Summary: A timeless story and truly epic movie , most epic of all.
Review: The most epic story of all epic's this is one of the best DVD's you will come across.This movie has everything a true epic should have but most of all it's a noble telling of this timeless story.You know the charachters the most powerful and noble king Aurther , his trusted first knight Sir Lance A Lot, and his savior Percival.His true friend and father figure and respected wizard the great Merlin , His sinful father Uther and mother egraine , Aurther's evil sister morgana. Aurther's godlike son mordrid a land gone a kingdom at war , a land without a king.Where sin meets lust , where flesh meets steel and one man shall weild the sword of power one last time in battle. This movie is incredible and if your only 24 like me it was a big treat to see the trailer of this masterpeice.This movie was copied so much and chewd up by it but this movie will forever be the best version period it dosen't leave out anything. You'll be thrilled by it's amazing battle scenes a incredible and timeless classic. And for the many who have seen this powerful film it will be a treat when you see it with Jhon Boorman's commentary put your aurmor on saddle up and prepare for fantasy at it's most awsome and best.
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Summary: Not Perfect, But About as Definitive As It Gets
Review: It's tough to compress the 900-some-odd pages of text that Thomas Malory used to tell his story of Le Morte d'Arthur into 140 minutes of film, but director John Boorman and screenwriter Rospo Pallenberg give it a good shot. While it sometimes leaves out important details or compresses events in the interest of time, it can never be accused of playing fast and loose with the legend. However, the film also requires a bit of work on the part of the viewer to fill in some of the details, and it's obvious Boorman expects his viewer to be at least passing familiar with the traditions of the Arthurian legend (anyone unfamiliar with Arthur's fate after his death, for example, will be baffled by the film's final shot). So brush up just a bit before you sit down to this one. With its darkened, cloud-streaked skies, lonely stone castles, eerie green lighting, (all caught in beautiful widescreen glory on the DVD), and effective use of the music of Richard Wagner, you won't find a moodier, more beautifully shot film. In fact, there are some downright breathtaking cinematic moments in this film, none more so than when Perceval hurls Excalibur back into the water, and Wagner's music swells just in time for the Lady of the Lake to make a dramatic clean catch. Great stuff. It also helps that Nicol Williamson turns in a very game performance as Merlin, but it's Nigel Terry who carries the film in an underappreciated but wholly believeable interpretation of King Arthur. Terry leaves the scenery-chewing to Williamson, and anchors the film instead with a steady, understated performance. Look also for stars-in-the-making Liam Neeson as the jealous Gawain, and Patrick Stewart as Guenevere's father, Leodegrance. EXCALIBUR has all the elements one expects in a fantasy, yet, in a sense, Boorman does for the sword-and-sorcery film what Sergio Leone did for the western: whereas prior horse operas showed cowboys riding across the desert and shuffing down dirt streets without a bit of sweat, and firing pistols that never drew blood, Leone made everyone look hot and sweaty, and showed that a Smith & Wesson could rip a real hole through your gut. Boorman does the same for the knight in this film -- knights clunk around clumsily in heavy armor, get skewered on pikes, get their heads bashed in, and cough their guts out in bloody mud puddles. It all lends an air of veracity to the film that makes it all seem like It Could Really Have Happened This Way. The widescreen format available on DVD gives this film the weight and heft it has long deserved, and there are some real gems lurking among the additional features -- including a surprisingly cheezy, Grade B trailer, and a really great alternate soundtrack in which director John Boorman discusses the action and shares some behind-the-scene goodies (such as the fact that Nicol Williamson and Helen Mirren couldn't stand each other, or that the actor playing the grown-up Mordred was actually a first-rate horseman). Give this one a try.
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Summary: After 20 years, Still the BEST
Review: In the fantasy genre (as opposed to sci-fi), Hollywood has not produced anything better than "Excalibur", before or since. Even after twenty years, its innvoative direction and glowing cinematography still shines. Filled with established (Helen Mirren) and incipient superstars (Liam Neeson, Patrick Stewart, et al). A true classic. Enthusiastically recommended.
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Summary: God Save the King
Review: What can I say but a wonderful movie....costumes and locations were most beautiful. Actors were great. Helen Mirren played Morgana Lefay so well....and how could I forget Merlin? :) I'd like to have him teach me a thing or two... ;) P.S. Exodusi...please email me :)
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Summary: VARIOUS INFLUENCES AND A NEW INTERPRETATION
Review: This film version of the Arturian legend has no peer in the realization of its ambition to be an atmospheric, spiritual, thoroughly earnest telling of the complete Arthur cycle. It sets a theme:"the king and the land are one," and everything in the movie expounds opon that theme. When the king is healthy, the land is healthy. When the king is sick and all the knights have left his court, the land is sick, and famine and pestilence abound. Merlin works to heal the land, while Morgana seeks selfish revenge. Since her target is the king, her successes bring the land to ruin. No one should think that this is the definitive film version of Arthur, there is no such thing. The demands of the medium prevent such a thing from existing. However this is one of the most satisfying fim experiences based on Arthur out there. There are nit-picky inaccuracies all over the place. The knights wear plate armor all the time. In truth, knights did take their armor off when not in battle. The warriors of the historical Arthurian period (late 5th - early 7th cent., depending on who you read) did not wear plate steel armor at all (The TV movie "Merlin" actually has the most authentic period armor, even changing the armor styles over time). Percival is made to throw the sword into the water at the end, when in all the books it's been Bedevere (no film version gives us that). But these are really director's choices to put forward his vision of the legend. I'm sure even making Merlin look like Sergei Eisenstein's "Ivan the Terrible" must be a deliberate choice (perhaps to indicate that Merlin is not necessarilly a GOOD man, and is willing to do BAD things for the good of his nation). This movie is a worthy addition to the Arthurian tradition and an excellent film in its own right.
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Summary: King Arthur's story is wonderful
Review: The Arthur legend is told at its best in this retelling of the medevil king. Wonderfully acted, with a strong supporting cast (Liam Neeson, Gabriel Burne). The story gets weird at the end, but otherwise it's very good.
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Summary: The Real King Arthur
Review: First of all, I am a historian and I wish to elaborate on this film. This movie may be, in part, responsible for my vocation. As a youth, I fell in love with the story and to this day Excalibur remains one of my favorite movies. It should be noted though that the Real Arthur was trying to unify the local tribes for a reason. He was a Briton, indigenous to the region, who was fighting the invasion of the Angles and Saxons. Hopefully, this enhances you viewing pleasure! I am anxiously awaiting my DVD!
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Summary: Must have on DVD for any fan of Excalibur
Review: You haven't really seen this film if the only version you saw was VHS. Thank God for widescreen and the picture is absolutely sparkling. Its like somebody went back in time and reshot the film on modern equipment. Well no, but the film is finally presented the way John Boorman intended sans the big screen. If you know somebody with a DVD player (S-video input/stereo loudspeaker minimum) see what I mean.
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Summary: Arthur is real I tell you!
Review: Uh, I'm really interested in Medeival Times so I give good reviews to almost all movies about that period. I think it's up there with Braveheart and Willow.
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Summary: What a story and what a Movie! One of my alltime favorites
Review: The Legend of Arthur is one of the most fascinating stories in Western culture. The myth covers a lot of themes basic to everyday life. Good vs. Evil, heroism, loyalty, love, and infidelity. It tells the storybook heroic rise of a king and his unlikely fall. It tells us that if you stray from the virtues and ideals that brought you your good fortune darkness is only around the corner. It tells us that if you believe strongly enough in something you can overcome great odds, as in the case of Perceval. The Arthurian legends tell stories, that are basic to everyone, with characters that are larger than life. For that reason the Arthurian legend has captured the imagination of millions over the centuries. Boorman's treatment of the legend in 'Excalibur' is flawless. He tells the tale true to the legend in an almost dreamlike presentation. The battle scenes are understatingly displayed in a foggy hazy atmosphere instead of the typical crystal clear panoramic epic production. Boorman's cinematography is as great for what it doesn't show as it is for what it does show. It fuels your imagination for a mythological far away land and time. What a story and what a Movie!
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