40th anniversary of Excalibur (1981)

Great soundtrack and some visuals. Especially at the end with the Avalon raft and the sword throw.


I suspect the director had seen Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 1973 because that is what it reminds one of-especially the armor.

My favorite medieval movie. Unfortunately I didn't get to experience it in the theater.

Excalibur (1981), produced and directed by John Boorman.

Boorman is an imaginative director trying to realize a specific vision, but it never comes into focus. We have dramatic visuals, but the characterizations are not very strong and the sweep of the Arthurian epic never really grabs me. Combining a fantasy approach (he really believes in "shining armor") with the blood and mud grittiness of the dark ages is jarring and keeps us off balance, which may be a good thing.

The story is presented in distinct acts:

• Uther. From the Age when everyone bellowed their lines. There is a lusty scene of Uther in armor ravishing Igrayne (the director's daughter!) before the fire. That couldn't have been comfortable on either side.
• Young Arthur. Pulls the sword from the stone and becomes King.
• Lancelot and Guenevere. A slack episode. Maybe I had enough of this in the Lerner and Lowe musical.
• The Grail Quest. The plot turns mystical: the quest has both internal and external aspects. This could be interesting, but it's never properly developed.
• Mordred. Tie up some loose ends, have a bloody final battle, the End. As they enter the realm of legend everyone starts declaiming in formal speeches.

Throughout, "magic" is a forest-green light just offscreen, representing the force of the old nature-religion.

Nicol Williamson plays Merlin semi-comically, part mage part con-man. He had a feud with Helen Mirren over previous work and Boorman hoped this would amp up their conflict on screen.

We have many faces that became more familiar in later years, eg Patrick Stewart. First film for Gabriel Byrne, Liam Neeson and Ciarán Hinds.

Could I point out: even when knights wore armor in battle they didn't wear it while hanging around or sitting at table. It makes both the fantasy and realistic aspects of the story look ridiculous.

Like most Arthurian treatments they claim this to be an adaptation of Le Morte D'Arthur. I seriously doubt it. All I remember of Malory is hundreds of pages of repetitious jousting formulae, ably lampooned by Mark Twain in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court:



Quite a lot of Wagner in the soundtrack. The main theme is Siegfried's funeral march. I think this was the first time I heard Orff's Carmina Burana, which became more popular thereafter.

Brief nudity and passion and some gore and hacked off limbs. Filmed in Ireland.

Available on Blu-ray. Boorman provides a light commentary track with anecdotes about the production. He has the sword Excalibur at home and the Holy Grail on his mantlepiece; not many people can say that.

I feel it's probably my favorite film rendition of the Arthurian legend (with exception to CAMELOT). It's probably the most satisfying, in terms of how Boorman decides to resolve things left out from other adaptations book and film (Arthur reconciling with Guenevere before the big fight; Lancelot the cavalry; Merlin settling the score with Morgana). I could understand a lacking of characterization and development perhaps due to Boorman covering too much. Still, I liked some pieces of characterization: Uryens joining Team Arthur (not to mention dying for it), Arthur initially picking up Daddy's bad habits until he breaks it after breaking Excalibur, Lancelot looking back at Percival's "Arthur needs you!", Percival's "I can't give up hope" moment, and the imprisoned Merlin's "Arthur..." If there was one relationship I felt really worked, it was Arthur and Merlin, which might be helped by the performances of Nicol Williamson and Nigel Terry. Helen Mirren also took presence (not to mention looking good. Nicholas Clay looked good too...)
But it's the visuals and music that excels. All the Lady of the Lake scenes (especially the end, with Excalibur plunging down), Arthur's charge, with the land sharing in his rejuvenation. Although it wasn't the first time I heard Carmina Burana (that was the trailer for HAMLET (1990)), I'll certainly think of this film when its played. I also loved the chant at Arthur and Guenevere's wedding.
Wearing the armor might be ridiculous but I think it was realistic of Uther to bang Igraine with it on, considering the LUST! factor (it allowed him to ride on top of water) and how long it would take to get the armor off. Can't resist MST3K-ing the rape scene, imagining Boorman's direction: "Honey, make those breasts bounce! Now moan harder! That's my girl!"
I could be mistaken, but I believe the late Nigel Terry possessed Merlin's helmet.