Excalibur [HD DVD] Movie by Warner Brothers Product Tags: dvd warner, excalibur, excalibur hd, excalibur hd dvd, hd dvd	Rating:  Read Reviews (310) Write Comments/Review Price Drop Alert Add to my Wish List Tag This Product

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful: A Human's Tale. 6/18/2005 Well, we all know the plot of this one, but Boorman's sets and creative zeal make this telling of Camelot stand the test of time. It has to be one of the most beautiful and enchanting movies that I've ever seen. My father took me to it when I was a boy and it was the first R rated movie I ever saw--legally that is, we used to sneak in to the Rs after we would buy tickets for the PG ones. The characters of Merlin and Arthur could not be cast any better. Indeed, this particular Arthur is so kind, loyal, and true that it makes the Gueneviere/ Lancelot love affair quite painful. What this Arthur lacks in appearance he makes up for in countenance. As for Lancelot, I did not particularly like this version of him as the knights' locks painfully remind one of Tom Jones. Another incidental, the soundtrack...even more heavenly than the sets. A must see for a boy on the verge of manhood. Thank You. Was this review helpful?
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful: Embraces the Arthurian Myth 6/15/2005 As many reviewers have commented Excalibur stands out as the best movie based on the Arthurian legend. This movie traces the whole arc of the myth from the origin of Excalibur, Merlin, the circumstances of the birth of Arthur to him becoming King, Camelot and the Round Table, the betrayal of Arthur by Lancelot and Guenevere, the downfall of Camelot, Morgana and Mordred, the quest of the Grail, to the final climatic battle scene and the returning of Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake. Director John Boorman and the adaptation of the Thomas Malory tale by Rospo Pallenberg embraces the myth instead of trying to impose modern sensibilities on the story. This is in contrast to the recent Hollywood movies that use mythical tales or history, for example Stone's Alexander, Troy, Kingdom of Heaven, and the recent Arthur movies, Fuqua's Arthur, or Last Knight, which have fallen flat because of the director and/or screen writer instead of treating the subject and tale with respect imposed a modern lens on the story or eliminated the mysticism and spirituality from the tales. There are many fascinating aspects to this movie. I thought how the movie wonderfully portrays a world in flux between pantheistism and Christianity. You have the pagan aspects with Merlin, Morgana, the magical elements of the movie, the allegory of the Dragon, and the linkage between the spiritual state of King Arthur and the prosperity of the kingdom. When Arthur is first King the land is full of life and prosperous but after he falls into despair the land becomes barren with clouded skies, leaveless trees and death is everywhere. After Arthur drinks from the Holy Grail and his soul is replished by the grace of God you see when he rides out with the remnants of his knights the land is becoming alive again with trees flowering under a sunny sky. You also a world changing with the rise of Christianity. You see priests and monks, characters wearing crucifixes, the spartan chapel at Camelot, Guenevere becoming a nun and entering a convent after her adultery, the quest for the Grail, and Lancelot becoming a monk like character in the wilderness. Merlin himself alludes to this changing world talking about the One God replacing the many gods and his age is ending and the age of man beginning. One sees this theme repeated in Tolkein's Lord of the Ring trilogy with the age of the pantheistic magical elves ending being replaced by the age of men. The movie does not shy away from the moral play of the legend. Acts of lust for power and sex end in tragedy for Uther, Lancelot and Guenevere, and even Morgana. One sees how the power of despair overcomes Arthur and almost destroys the soul of Perceval who is able to discover the Grail when he keeps hope and faith alive and only when he is able to release his bonds to the material world. (When watching the scene where he falls into the river, takes off his armor and is only wearing a white undergarment I was thinking this is an analogy of baptism and spiritual renewal.) One sees the power of forgiveness and love and how this act enables Arthur to defeat evil incarnate in Moored. Arthur does not kill Lancelot and Guenevere when he had a chance thus saving Excalibur. This act of mercy plays a key role later in the movie because Guenevere keeps Excalibur and gives it to Arthur when he comes to her to offer her his forgiveness and Lancelot comes back for the final battle to help save the kingdom from evil and he is reconciled with Arthur. The movie does not shy away from realism too. The plated armor the knights wear were not used until the late medieval period although this adds to the mythical world Boorman created one sees the brutish nature of hand to hand combat with knights struggling to fight in the mud and muck. This is not some glamorized form of medieval warfare. From an acting viewpoint Nicol Williamson as Merlin and Helen Mirren as Morgana steal the show. Nicol Williamson fully embraces Merlin in his humor, wisdom, foreboding, manipulating events, and sad realization that the fallen nature of man will always thwart his best efforts. Helen Mirren is diabolical good as Morgana embracing her sexuality, and lust for power and revenge. Nigel Terry as Arthur gives a good performance first as a simple squire confused about what to do when he discovers his true heritage, to a King trying to rule a kingdom with wisdom while trying to be a husband, to his despair and spiritual renewal. As commented before one sees now famous actors in early roles from Gabriel Byrne playing Arthur's father Uther in the opening scenes, to Patrick Stewart as Leondegrance in full armor and yielding a battle axe Grimli from LOTR would be proud of to, to Liam Nesson as the Round Table knight Gawain. The music is another strong point for this movie. In a stroke of genius, John Boorman instead of wanting an original score extensively uses Wagner and Carl Oraff's `Carmina Burana' before it was fashionable. It seems so appropriate since Wagner's music is for operas that explore similar myths to the Arthurian legend or are itself based on the myth, Parsifal. The movie is rated R because of nudity and sexual scenes, and scenes of combat with blood and limbs being chopped off. This movie is the best mythical tale on a screen until the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Thank You. Was this review helpful?
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful: EXCELLENGT!! 6/12/2005 This is a wonderful movie and I can't believe that some people actually hate it! Watch this movie and be ready for an excellent performance! Thank You. Was this review helpful?
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful: A Masterpiece 6/11/2005 My daughter says that watching this movie is like watching a dream. It's diffcult for me to express how truly amazing this movie is. When one considers the legends extend back 1500 years and have been told by the Celts, the Breton poets, and countless wandering bards all over Europe it becomes apparent that there is no one "Arthurian" tale. In 1135 Geoffrey of Monmouth, an Englishman, wrote his version of Arthur in Latin. It was later translated into French and then English. In the 1160s Chretien de Troyes, a Frenchman, wrote his poems about Arthur and his knights. These accounts are significantly different. The version most people are familiar with is Sir Thomas Malory's "Morte D'Arthur" which was written in English. Add in all the other minor versions that were mixed in coming from all over Europe and you get an editor's nightmare when it comes to weaving a single coherent tale that can incorporate most of the main story points. The way John Boorman has done this is quite frankly an extraordinary achievement. Now when you add in the superb acting, magnificent cinematography and the passionate music of Wagner you get an epic that can inspire one to wonder and yearn for a life filled with the quest for something greater than oneself. I reccomend watching this movie. All other movies about Arthur are pale compared to "Excalibur". Some like "True Knight" and the most recent "Arthur" are ludicrous. There are some who don't like this movie. They can't help what they feel. You have to feel sorry for them. Thank You. Was this review helpful?
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful: Forged by a god, foretold by a wizard, found by a man 5/21/2005 A film classic based on Sir Thomas Malory's 1485 book "Le Morte D'Arthur". Everyone has a favorite part. Few remember the whole film. And we notice something more with each viewing. When you first see Excalibur rising from the lake you know you are in fro a great cinema graphic movie. We get our entire favorite King Author stories well spliced together of form one cohesive tale including the search for the Grail. The round table had a unique symbol in the center. Some time is spent trying to recognize our favorite actors when they were young. Who would have guessed that Igrayne (Katrine Boorman) was in the film "Zardos" (1974) also produced by John Boorman. Also trying to identify the music mostly Richard Wagner (from "Parsifal", "Tristan und Isolde" and "G??tterd??mmerung"). After viewing this film it is time to get a different view of the same stories with the film "The Mists of Avalon" (2001) or maybe Merlin (1998). Zardoz Thank You. Was this review helpful?
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