Excalibur (1981)

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image from mattfind.com

I am a fan of the Arthurian legends and their adaptations to the large and small screen, be them in the style of a Bernard Cornwell-like post-Roman warlord Briton, or Anglo-French "Le Morte d'Arthur" fictional mix-up. This film falls firmly into the latter category, though condensing many characters and events from the epic to allow as much of the story to fit into the film as possible.

I'm assuming most of you are familiar with the basics of the late medieval version of King Arthur and Guinevere's story, with Lancelot having a hard time keeping it in his pants, Merlin being a mysterious old man, and Mordred being the result of... well... you know what. As such, the plot of the film shouldn't come as a surprise. What the film lacks in (what would be superfluous and detrimental) modern day plot twists it makes up for in cinematography. You might note that many actions, costume designs, or events are extremely historically inaccurate, but this film is representing a mythical time/place anyway. Many of the outdoor scenes are quite scenic, and the studio shoots have a high production feel. The film is dark, violent, and oppressive, with various dismemberment, deaths, and worse occurring at regular intervals. It features a rather graphic birthing scene too, so it may not be for the faint hearted. Luckily, most of the characters prone to fighting seem to wear full-plate armour at all times, so some get to survive until the end.

Nicol Williamson as Merlin the Giant Ham

The dialogue is presented in an almost Shakespearean fashion, certainly some scenes feel as if they'd be more at home on a theatre stage. However, some of the characters seem to have trouble maintaining the same accent between scenes. This could be turned into the basis of a drinking game if you so wish.

What really makes the movie a success are a few of the supporting actors. Merlin is played by the late, great, Nicol Williamson, who plays the role as a very large ham. Not a bad ham, this ham reflects who the character is and what he represents incredibly well. He's certainly more personable than Arthur and Lancelot. You may also recognise Patrick Stewart as Leondegrance, dishing out some punishment with a mighty fine axe and generally beating the stuffing out of his fellow knights. This half-film-half-play role suited him greatly. These two characters alone make this film a pleasure to watch.

Patrick "Captain Jean-Luc" Stewart as Leondegrance

This film has seen release on VHS, DVD, HDDVD, and Blu Ray. I would say that there isn't a great visual improvement with the HD re-release, but that is a common issue with many films shot 30+ years ago being translated into this medium. I still recommend getting it in any format you can. Search it out for a big, long, heavy (and slow if you're impatient) action film. At least buy it for the best use of Ord's "O Fortuna" in cinema that I've come across!

Enjoy!