Excalibur

Rating:
Summary: In Days of Old......
Review: This review refers to the Warner Bros. DVD edition of "Excalibur".....

In days of old, with knights so bold, and fair maidens glittering all in gold, lays the legend of King Arthur, Camelot, and the powerful, mystical sword known as "Excailbur". John Boorman's beautiful artistic film (adopted from Sir Arthur Mallory's "Le Morte Darthur"),will captivate you and take you away to another time and place. From the birth of Arthur, Merlin taking him away for 20 years, Arthur drawing "Excalibur" from the stone, the emergence of Camelot,the magical powers of Merlin and the evil Morgana, to Arthur's demise and being taken off to Avalon, the beauty of this film and this story will have you under a spell.

The European cast and the exquiste location shoots in the country side of Ireland add a sense of authentincity to the flavor of this film. King Arthur, The Knights of the Round Table,Sir Lancelot, Guenevere, Merlin, Morgana, Sir Gawain, Percival, Uther, they're all very much part of the story and the cast is tremendous. Nigel Terry is the good and noble King Arthur, Lancelot and Guenevere, who loved their King but also each other are played by Nicholas Clay and Cherie Lunghi. You'll see stellar performances by a young Gabriel Bryne(in his first feature film), Patrick Stewart, and Liam Neeson. Helen Mirren is excellent as the evil Morgana, and the always wonderful Nicol Williamson is the magical mystical Merlin.

The transfer of this 1981 film to DVD is wonderful. The magnificent cinematography, the costumes, and the sound recieve an exquiste treatment. The colors are breathtaking and the picture excellent as well. It is in widescreen,and Dolby Dig 5.1 Surround, and it really does surround you with all the sounds of the battles, and the crisp and clear dialouge.It's on a dual layer disc(Warner Bros....You got it all on one side! Thank you!). The film runs about 2:20 and you won't even notice that the time has passed. There is some commentary by Director Boorman(with lots of insightful information on the filming), which may be viewed with the film if you choose.The only problem with it, is that to get in and out of the commentary I found I had to turn it off and restart it( I couldn't just switch back and forth through the menu). It may be viewed in French, and has subtitles in both English and French as well.

Parents...although a wonderful tale of knights and fair ladies, this is NOT one for younger viewers. The battle scenes are violent and a bit graphic and there are also some sexual situations.

A beautiful story, film and DVD. Enjoy....Laurie

Rating:
Summary: The Ultimate Fantasy!
Review: If you love Knights and magic, action and adventure, sword and sorcery, you must have this movie. It has humor, drama, sex, violence and a mystical feel that thrusts you into a magical kingdom. With beautiful photography, this is the definitive tale of King Arthur, his wizard Merlin and the Knights of the Round Table. An awesome sound track accompanies the action and the characters are well defined. This is a must-have for anyone who appreciates the story of Camalot!

Rating:
Summary: The Arthurian Legend Comes Alive On DVD
Review: John Boorman's 1981 Excalibur is the finest interpretation of the Arthur legends that have graced the screens of Hollywood. Scored with dramatic music, containing a superb cast of actors and detailed with lush cinematography, this is a film that looks even better on DVD. On DVD, the experience is theatrical, digitally remastered for quality sound and picture. Once more we are taken to the magic realm of Camelot, this time we experience Excalibur like never before. The generation that saw Excalibur as teens or young adults, can now enjoy special bonus features, such as director's commentary, deleted scenes that never made it to the original release as well as view the original movie trailer. Excalibur precisely follows the text of Malory's classic, "Le Morte D'Arthur". The story is age-old, and layed with allegory. Arthur, as a young boy, grew up in a lawless, power-hungry society without a king, that of a Celtic Britain. Through the aid of the sage wizard Merlin, Arthur become king of England and carries with him the invincible sword, Exalibur. Arthur's responsibility is heavy. He maintains peace and creates an ideal society that is protected by the mighty, righteous Knights of the Round Table, who embark on a quest for the Holy Grail, which is the ultimate divine gift from God to mankind and the only promise of hope and peace.

But along the way, the knights discover how fragile the ideal can be, especially when human flaws bar the way. Lancelot, Arthur's champion knight, engages in an adulterous affair with Arthur's wife, Queen Guenevere. Morgana, Arthur's sister and a witch, bears Arthur's son through dark magic, Mordred, whom she raises to defy Arthur and lead a rebellion. After Guenevere and Lancelot's affair is made public, the Round Table is dissolved by the impurity and corruption of the Knights and a war ensues, which results in Mordred and Arthur's death. Excalibur is returned to the Lady Of The Lake, whose white-sleeved hand takes the sword down into the lake in the moonlight, and Arthur is taken to Avalon, where he is to be healed and prepared for a victorious return.

Boorman tinges the film with symbolism and a cool, toned color that provides suspense and builds mood. The dark of night is very black, the fires (from torches or from battlefields) are very red, and the use of the color green in the forest and in the glow of the knight's armor and Excalibur itself, symbolizes the magic and the primitive nature that surrounds ideals of peace. It is an opposite to the man-made things, weapons and fortresses. The music is effectively dramatic. For the ending of the film, Boorman used excerpts from Wagner's "Ring of the Nibelung" opera "Twilight Of The Gods", the orchestral Funeral March for the hero Siegfried, and the scenes with Guenevere and Lancelot engaging in trysts in the woods, giving into their "natural" instincts includes the romantic prelude to Tristan and Isolde. For the battle scenes, the choral work, "O Fortuna" from Orff's Carmina Burana sends chills down our spines. Excalibur on DVD is a must see and a great addition to a collection of quality fantasy films. Although some claim the material can at times be violent, it is still very much in the lines of Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings. It would make a perfect addition to your DVD collection. Five stars for a great film. Stars Nigel Terry as Merlin, whose mysterious presence graces the screen with eloquence and power, and there are special appearances by Helen Mirren and a young Liam Neeson.

Rating:
Summary: What a bad movie!
Review: I'm sorry. I've read past reviews and know most people think this is one of the the greatest Arthurian movies out there, but I totally disagree. I have no idea what you were watching, but what I saw definitely did not resemble a "masterpiece" at all!

The portrayals of the characters were all wrong too! Merlin seems to be some weird mix of a character, although I agree he was the best actor in the movie. There is nothing in the movie to tell you that he is Arthur's mentor and true friend and one of the best and greatest influences in Arthur's life.

Arthur just did not look or act like a king, nothing at all like I imagined him to be. It's horrible how they skimped on showing Arthur's childhood and his maturity into kinghood. They don't show how just and kind and compassionate he was. He was a great king, loved and respected by all. Even his biggest folly, the incestuous relationship with Morgana (resulting in Mordred), was portrayed completely wrong. All you saw of him was him running around fighting aimlessly in needless battle scenes.

Who in the world thought up Igraine's character? She was more like a harlot, dancing the way she did in her opening scene, than the respectable wife of the Duke of Cornwall.

Lancelot pops in and out of the movie so randomly, you begin to wonder how important he really is to the overall storyline. How can you even tell he is Arthur's best friend, his greatest knight, his most trusted companion? Lancelot's character is one of the most complex, most fascinating characters ever, and it irritates me to no end to see him narrowed down to this one-dimensional character. All you see of him is that he "loves" Guinevere and is a great fighter. Nothing about his inner struggles to live up to everyone's expectations, or the struggle between his love for Guinevere and his love and loyalty for Arthur.

Guinevere is Guinevere, but there is no reasoning behind her and Lancelot having their affair, other than the fact that it is universally known that she cheats on Arthur with Lancelot. And there's no explaining why even that's important to the story of Arthur's downfall.

Morgana's character has been interpreted many different ways, but blond? And I don't think I ever read a version where she and Merlin work together to learn their cheesy magic tricks. Mordred was perfectly arrogant and spoiled, but he was so one-dimensional.

Don't get me started on the story of the quest for the Holy Grail. That was just plain wrong. No mention of Galahad, who was the one to find the grail, or the significance of the Quest.

The only redeeming quality of this movie was the musical score. But since they did not compose any of the music, I can't give them too much credit.

So all in all, I didn't like this movie. It was utterly disappointing, nothing at all like what I've read. I do NOT recommend this movie. I suggest you go out and buy a book, any book, relating to the Arthurian legends. Anything is preferable to watching this movie.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic, beautiful, over-the-top fantasy film
Review: "Excalibur" is a remarkable film in nearly every way; Monty Python fans will find a veritable plethora of familiar material from "The Holy Grail," fantasy fans will enjoy the beautiful scenery, costumes, and courtly love, and action-oriented people will love the battle sequences.

The star of the show? Without a doubt, Nicol Williamson as Merlin. He gets so completely into his role, without a care for how others may perceive him. He has moments of brilliant drama, a whole bunch of subtle (and not-so-subtle) humor, and a great sense of timing. Nigel Terry plays an unbelievably goofy young Arthur, but then radically switches gears as Arthur matures and is equally convincing as both. The rest of the cast are good, but not oustanding. Liam Neeson is surprisingly goofy in his role as Gawain.

Now then - to the heart of it. True Arthurian legend scholars will no doubt be irked by the treatment of the story; I was. However, that did not lesson my enjoyment of the film in the slightest. It is an epic, sweeping tale of love, betrayal, magic, mystery, heroism, knights, maidens, battles, kingdoms and realms, all woven together under John Boorman's expert touch. The tale of King Arthur and Camelot strikes a very resonant chord within many of us, and we crave vicarious experiences of those simpler, nobler times. "Excalibur" offers a brief glimpse into how it may have been. Some of the dialogue and acting does venture into the gratuitously melodramatic, but if you enjoy a little camp in your films, this will only add to your appreciation of "Excalibur."

I wholeheartedly love this movie, despite the fact that it's not the best of films ever made, and perhaps not even the best Arthurian film ever created. But it's darned good, it sweeps viewers up into itself and carries us away. What more can we ask from a film of this type? Wonderful stuff.

Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece
Review: I agree with the five-star ratings given to this film! It is one of my all-time favorites, and one of the few I'd consider buying in DVD (given that I own a copy in VHS). This movie presents one of the finest examples of scene- and music-editing ever, with my two favorite scenes being the very first and the very last of the movie (both played against the musical background of Wagner's "Sigfried's funeral march"). The first scene shows knights on horses coming out of the nightly mist, and the effect this scene had on me didn't have an equal until I saw the opening scenes of 'Saving Private Ryan', years later. The last scene, though, is one of the most poetic (and sorrowful) ever captured on film: a dying Arthur asks Percival to return Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake, task he first refuses... When Percival returns to Arthur, he finds he has been taken away by three muses of death, in a perfectly wagnerian epilogue...

As others have stated, the scenery of this movie is as close as it will ever be to the lyrical magic of the surroundings of Camelot.

Rating:
Summary: As good as it gets
Review: I agree with all the other comments on this film - it's a marvellous film & a terrific movie experience - and I would like to add one point...and correct another.

First: I saw Excalibur for the first time @ a pre-release screening; when I went to see it w/ friends after general release, I was shocked to see that the film had been significantly changed (edited). Though still excellent, I've longed to see once again that original, uncut work.

This is it.

Though there is nothing to reveal that this is a 'director's cut', and not the general-release version, it IS in fact that first, glorious and disturbing vision.

Second: in reviews here, several people have identified Nigel Terry as the actor who portrays Merlin. This is NOT true. Terry is a fine actor, and is wonderful in this film, but as Arthur - not Merlin!

Merlin is played (exquisitely) by the sensation of Shakespearian London in the '60s, Nicol Williamson. His performance here is as fine as anything you'll ever see.

Rating:
Summary: I have no idea why this film has such a good reputation...
Review: because I really didn't think it was good at all. First of all, it's boring. The first time I tried to watch it, I feel asleep. Second of all, I wasn't impressed at all by the acting. the only character I thought was believable was Merlin--and admittedly the Merlin of EXCALIBUR is one of my favorite portrayals of him--but his scenes with Morgana were just ridiculous. I didn't care for the fantasy land she trapped him in at all. And, speaking or Morgana, I know this is trite, but she is just not convincing with blond hair! Plus, she was too much like a dominatrix or something in this film. I know she's supposed to be evil, but she was pretty anachronistic in this portrayal. Overall I'd say, if you want a good film portrayal of the Arthurian legends, your best bet is the Mists of Avalon, the TNT miniseries.

Rating:
Summary: Best of the Arthurian movies
Review: Excalibur is a wonderful telling of the Arthurian legend. The photography, settings in Ireland, and costumes are breathtaking. I have used this movie (in the PG version) when I teach Arthurian legend. An excellent movie to watch over and over.

Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Fantasy Film Of Medieval Repertoire
Review: Without a doubt, John Boorman's Excalibur, released in 1981, is the epitome of medieval fantasy film. It is loosely based on "L'Morte D'Arthur" by Thomas Malory, the first book in which all the myths surrounding Arthur and his Knights was printed. Arthur is the legendary king of England, whose Camelot has become an ideal in itself. Merlin, his sage wizard and adviser warns him of coming dangers, masterfully performed by Nigel Terry, who steals the whole movie. The Lancelot-Guenevere romance is beautifully rendered in all its passion and intensity, and the downfall of the Round Table and its imperfect Knights and of course the mystery of the Holy Grail is marvelously captured. The DVD version is a terrific experience, and the colors and the sounds are each a component of the tapestry that is this lush epic. Although many people think it is just a straightforward re-telling of the legend, they seldom realize how much the film is suffused with symbolism. The color green, reflected on the armor of the knights, on Excalibur itself and in the scenes involving nature (mainly forests), seem to be telling us two things- magic and the old primitive savagery that humans evolved from. Fire, darkness, the Lady in the Lake, old castles and the mysticism behind the Grail quest, each perfectly conveyed not only through spectacular visual effects but effectively through the music of the classical opera composer Richard Wagner. His Tristan And Isolde prelude is played during the love scenes and his more epic, fatalistic "Siegfried's Funeral March" (which is played in his third opera of the Ring of the Nibelung saga) plays with grandiose style as Excalibur is flung in the air, brandishing in flashes of moon-lit electricity and given back to the Lady of the Lake, whose hand emerges from the waters to take possession of the sword. The Three Queens on the barge, taking the dead Arthur to the magic island of Avalon, where he is to be healed, is prophetic, reminding us that Arthur himself is a parody and allegorical character of the Christ, promising healing and peace after a time of great darkness. This is unmistakably the finest movie revolving Arthur anyone has ever seen. It is unsurpassed, even to those old 50's and 60's films that focus more on dramatic material rather than visuals and music. John Boorman's masterpiece is on DVD. What are you waiting for ?