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Merlin
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Merlin (1998/II) (TV) More at IMDbPro »

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Merlin (1998) -- The legendary wizard tells his story of his war against Queen Mab of the Sidhe and his creation of Camelot.
Merlin (1998) -- When Gaius tells Uther that sorcery created the plague ravaging Camelot, he orders a door-to-door search to find the magical marauder.
Merlin (1998) -- A knight seeks an enchanted shield to win Camelot's annual tournament.
Merlin (1998) -- Watch  a sneak peek of Merlin!  Premiering June 21st, 8/7c
Merlin (1998) -- The stars of Merlin discuss the lure of reliving the legendary tale.

Overview

User Rating:
6.9/10   7,769 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 14% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Steve Barron
Writers (WGA):
David Stevens (teleplay) and
Peter Barnes (teleplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Merlin on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
26 April 1998 (USA) more
Tagline:
The most magical adventure of all time. more
Plot:
The legendary wizard tells his story of his war against Queen Mab of the Sidhe and his creation of Camelot. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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Awards:
Nominated for 4 Golden Globes. Another 7 wins & 15 nominations more
User Comments:
Logical, but not awe inspiring more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Runtime:
182 min | 60 min (3 episodes)
Country:
USA | UK
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby
Filming Locations:
Anglesey, Wales, UK more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Actors Nickolas Grace and Robert Addie, best known for their roles as the Sheriff of Nottingham and Sir Guy of Gisburne in the TV series "Robin of Sherwood" (1984), have a cameo scene together in this miniseries - a nod to fans of the beloved '80s fantasy show. more
Goofs:
Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Merlin defeats Queen Mab by telling the people to forget her, as she is entirely a legend. However, he proceeds to retell the story for years afterward, ensuring that she is remembered and preserving her legend. However, it is also possible that the story old Merlin retells actually doesn't contain Mab character at all - as Frik noticed, Merlin altered the true story when he retold it for children. So, we cannot be sure the story we saw during the movie and the story Merlin retells are the same. more
Quotes:
Vortigern: That is a mistake many of my enemies make. They think before they act. I act before I think. more
Movie Connections:
Featured in The 56th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1999) (TV) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
16 out of 26 people found the following comment useful:-
Logical, but not awe inspiring, 11 October 2000
7/10
Author: Bob-45 from Savannah, GA

MERLIN finally makes some sense of the Arthurian Legend. Certainly the liberties taken here answer many of the questions wrought by other tellings of the tale (EXCALIBUR, in particular). Effects, cinematography and sound are outstanding for a TV production. However, key casting weaknesses seriously undercut the effectiveness of the tale. Sam Neil is simply dull as Merlin. It is hard to believe this is the same actor who did such a memorable job in THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER. Equally weak (in a small but pivotal role) is Jeffrey Sheffield as Lancelot. Where is the charm and inspiring goodness of other Lancelots? Those qualities are necessary to lend tragedy to the events of Camelot.

There ARE indeed outstanding performances on display. Miranda Richardson is simply fantastic in a dual role (Queen Mab, The Lady of the Lake). Her Mab suffers less from evil than arrested adolescence. Her powers allow her to DO evil rather than BE evil. On the other hand, the actor that plays the adult Modred is deliciously evil. Even when his ethical arguements are reasoned, his evil intent slides through, enabling us to root for Arthur. Billie Whitelaw as Auntie Ambrosia is touching and powerful. Best, perhaps of all is Martin Short, as Frick. His wonderful scenes with the equally capable Helen Bonham Carter (as Morgan Le Fay) are the best of the film. Despite the logical development of the story, I do have one small quibble. From the time of the birth of Merlin to the time of the birth of Arthur is at least 21 years. From the time of the Birth of Arthur to the time of the birth of Modred is at least 17 years. Although Modred is reputed to grow astonishingly quickly, he must have been at least 16 years to challenge Arthur. So Merlin and Nimue must have been at least 54 by the time of the battle between Arthur and Modred. Nevertheless, neither Merlin nor his love Nimue have aged since Neil and Isabella Rosselini took over the parts. Hmmm...

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Merlin (1998/II) (TV)
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character conflict...hmm kay_es
Simply one one the best scores benbigwig-1
Puzzled over the words jacob_bloor
Young Nimue thisthespian
Nickolas Grace and Robert Addie alivine
Mordred's dying words Amorina
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Recommendations

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