Excalibur (B+ or 3/4 stars)
The King Arthur legend has been adapted into many movies through the decades (I'm reminded of my fave, 1963's Disney animated classic, The Sword & the Stone). Some focus on the search for the Holy Grail. Some focus on just one character; some on many. But many consider this 1981 film version, 'Excalibur', directed by John Boorman, to be the quintessential effort because it tries to jam so much into one film. 'Excalibur' begins with Arthur's illegitimate birth and, when he's a teenager (played by a youthful looking Nigel Terry), he pulls the infamous sword from the stone & ... becomes king (using the sword to defeat evil invaders & establish the great court of Camelot/Knights of the Round Table). He fights Lancelot (Nicholas Clay) & decides to make him a knight.
But romantic drama ensues when Lancelot falls in love with Arthur's betrothed, Guinevere (Cherie Lunghi). They pine for each other & eventually give in to their lust -- the scene with the two of them fornicating naked in the woods is ... ahem ... eye opening. It's not every day {certainly back in 1981} where you'd you see a male's entire butt in our face or the full frontal of a female. So yeah, we see quite a bit of Nicholas Clay & Cherie Lunghi, haha. During this time & the arrival of Mordred (Robert Addie) & his evil half-sister, the sorceress Morgana (a sexily-wicked Helen Mirren), shakes things up a bit. Through it all, enigmatic magician Merlin (Nicol Williamson) watches over everything, always ready to throw in a little magic when it's called for.
Nigel Terry is well cast as Arthur, whose unwavering faith & trust is both heroic, yet painfully naive. Paul Geoffrey is good as Perceval, Lancelot's squire who becomes a knight, himself. As mentioned, Nicholas Clay & Cherie Lunghi convey the burning passions which cannot be denied; even if it means betraying Arthur in the process. Robert Addie is suitably nasty as Mordred. Helen Mirren is electric & commands the screen as Morgana -- of course, her breast-plated attire doesn't hurt. And Nicol Williamson makes for a flamboyant, self-sacrificing Merlin. Other roles are portrayed by Gabriel Byrne (as King Uther), Clive Swift (as Sir Hector), Liam Neeson, yes, THAT Liam Neeson (as Gawain), & even Patrick Stewart (as Leondegrance).
Director Boorman, with the aid of Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Alex Thomson, gives everything in this movie a shiny glow, especially the sword (Excalibur) & the knights' armor -- I love that. The medieval production design is superb (every castle, dingy interior, forest locale looks & feels authentic). Bob Ringwood's varied medieval costumes (lots of chain-mail, headpieces, & gowns) are outstanding. The special effects - while not state of the art - do their job {I liked how gruesome they were, at times}. And the underappreciated Trevor Jones provides a solid musical score.
Now, the dialogue {the script is not this film’s strong suit} sounds stiff, at times. Speaking of 'sound', the mix is pretty poor. And the plot drags near the end. So yeah, this production is not 'perfect'. Since SO much is crammed into this already overlong movie (140 minutes), there's not much time for actual character/narrative depth. Nonetheless, there's a hypnotic savagery to the proceedings that felt very lived-in. It's beautiful when appropriate, filthy when necessary, passionate in spurts, & bloody at others. Even if the overall didn't blow me away, I admire 'Excalibur' quite a bit.
But romantic drama ensues when Lancelot falls in love with Arthur's betrothed, Guinevere (Cherie Lunghi). They pine for each other & eventually give in to their lust -- the scene with the two of them fornicating naked in the woods is ... ahem ... eye opening. It's not every day {certainly back in 1981} where you'd you see a male's entire butt in our face or the full frontal of a female. So yeah, we see quite a bit of Nicholas Clay & Cherie Lunghi, haha. During this time & the arrival of Mordred (Robert Addie) & his evil half-sister, the sorceress Morgana (a sexily-wicked Helen Mirren), shakes things up a bit. Through it all, enigmatic magician Merlin (Nicol Williamson) watches over everything, always ready to throw in a little magic when it's called for.
Nigel Terry is well cast as Arthur, whose unwavering faith & trust is both heroic, yet painfully naive. Paul Geoffrey is good as Perceval, Lancelot's squire who becomes a knight, himself. As mentioned, Nicholas Clay & Cherie Lunghi convey the burning passions which cannot be denied; even if it means betraying Arthur in the process. Robert Addie is suitably nasty as Mordred. Helen Mirren is electric & commands the screen as Morgana -- of course, her breast-plated attire doesn't hurt. And Nicol Williamson makes for a flamboyant, self-sacrificing Merlin. Other roles are portrayed by Gabriel Byrne (as King Uther), Clive Swift (as Sir Hector), Liam Neeson, yes, THAT Liam Neeson (as Gawain), & even Patrick Stewart (as Leondegrance).
Director Boorman, with the aid of Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Alex Thomson, gives everything in this movie a shiny glow, especially the sword (Excalibur) & the knights' armor -- I love that. The medieval production design is superb (every castle, dingy interior, forest locale looks & feels authentic). Bob Ringwood's varied medieval costumes (lots of chain-mail, headpieces, & gowns) are outstanding. The special effects - while not state of the art - do their job {I liked how gruesome they were, at times}. And the underappreciated Trevor Jones provides a solid musical score.
Now, the dialogue {the script is not this film’s strong suit} sounds stiff, at times. Speaking of 'sound', the mix is pretty poor. And the plot drags near the end. So yeah, this production is not 'perfect'. Since SO much is crammed into this already overlong movie (140 minutes), there's not much time for actual character/narrative depth. Nonetheless, there's a hypnotic savagery to the proceedings that felt very lived-in. It's beautiful when appropriate, filthy when necessary, passionate in spurts, & bloody at others. Even if the overall didn't blow me away, I admire 'Excalibur' quite a bit.