Excalibur (1981)

Merlin the magician helps Arthur Pendragon unite the Britons around the Round Table of Camelot, even as dark forces conspire to tear it apart.

Director:

John Boorman

Writers:

Thomas Malory (book), Rospo Pallenberg (adaptation)

Stars:

Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Nicholas Clay

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nigel Terry	...	King Arthur
Helen Mirren	...	Morgana
Nicholas Clay	...	Lancelot
Cherie Lunghi	...	Guenevere
Paul Geoffrey	...	Perceval
Nicol Williamson	...	Merlin
Robert Addie	...	Mordred
Gabriel Byrne	...	Uther Pendragon
Keith Buckley	...	Uryens
Katrine Boorman	...	Igrayne
Liam Neeson	...	Gawain
Corin Redgrave	...	Cornwall
Niall O'Brien	...	Kay
Patrick Stewart	...	Leondegrance
Clive Swift	...	Ector

Storyline

The myth of King Arthur (Nigel Terry) brought once again to the screen. Uthur Pendragon (Gabriel Byrne) is given the mystical sword Excalibur by the wizard Merlin. At his death, Uthur buries the sword into a stone, and the next man that can pull it out will be King of England. Several years later, Arthur, Uthur's bastard son, draws Excalibur and becomes King. Guided by Merlin, Arthur marries Guenevere (Cherie Lunghi) and gathers the Knights of the Round Table. Arthur's evil half-sister Morgana (Dame Helen Mirren) sires a son with him, who may prove to be his downfall.

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Plot Keywords:

knight | knights of the round table | holy grail | arthurian legend | rape by deception | 

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Taglines:

Forged by a god. Foretold by a wizard. Found by a King.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

The initial fight scene had to be filmed three times. It was filmed at night, and all of the film came out underexposed the first two times, due to a fault in the exposure meter. The cameraman had a nervous breakdown over the issue and quit.

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Goofs

Full plate metal armor was not invented until about the year 1350, and not used in Europe until much later than that. Numerous such anachronisms (use of stirrups, weaponry) can be excused as being faithful to Sir Thomas Malory's book, which followed 15th-century conventions of making historical characters behave in a contemporary way.

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Quotes

Uther: Merlin! Where are you? Call your dragon to weave a mist to hide us!

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Alternate Versions

The movie was originally put into theatrical release in 1981 as an R-rated film in the USA. Later there was an announcement of a PG rated version, but it was not widely released. The original R-rated cut is 140 minutes. Most home video versions are the R-rated version, but TV and movie channels show the PG cut, making the movie 119 minutes. The R-rated version features about 21 more minutes of graphic sex and violence.

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Connections

Referenced in Particka: Episode #7.1 (2014)

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Soundtracks

Siegfried's Funeral Music
from "Die Götterdämmerung"
by Richard Wagner
Specially recorded by London Philharmonic Orchestra (as The London Philharmonic Orchestra)
Conducted by Norman Del Mar

User Reviews

A Great Film

I am an Arthurian buff and a film fan (aspiring to be a novelist and a screenwriter). EXCALIBUR is a great, great film that holds up very well after more than 20 years. It is an expert distillation of the essential Arthurian legend (this from someone who has read and re-read Malory's original work, Le Morte D'Arthur, on which the movie was based, as well as Tennyson, White, Steinbeck, and many of the other modern fictional treatments, as well as a lot of the secondary literature on the history and meaning of the Arthur myth). The film is wonderful on many, many levels, from Boorman's masterful direction and writing (along with Pallenberg, his screenwriter), to the cinematography, the armor and costumes, the sets and production design, and the acting (with a great cast too numerous to mention). The film has violence, sex, myth, drama, intrigue, heroics, pathos, and aspirations to art, all in the best senses of those terms. The film probably works best if you already have some sort of sense of the Arthur legends, but I would recommend it to anyone. Also, listen to Boorman's director's commentary on the DVD. Perhaps the best and most lucid DVD commentary that I have heard on video; interesting and sharp comments throughout the entire film, and well worth replaying if you aspire to filmmaking in any way, or just want to hear a smart filmmaker talk about his work. I have tried to write Arthurian stories and an Arthurian script, but all have so far paled in comparison to Boorman and Pallenberg's work. Long live Boorman and long live EXCALIBUR!

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 April 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Knights

Filming Locations:

Rock of Cashel, County Tipperary, Ireland

Box Office

Budget:

$11,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,519,706, 12 April 1981

Gross USA:

$34,967,437

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$34,971,136

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinema '84, Orion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

140 min 119 min (edited)

Sound Mix:

Mono Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1