Where to watch Excalibur
4 Stars
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.
John Boorman’s Excalibur has been told in such a high-pitched, almost hysterical, way that the term ‘operatic’ comes to mind. This is a bold, lush, and confused, yet glorious, oddity of a film. The visual splendor of the costume designs, locations, and the cast’s collective faces is enough to keep your attention. Add to the mix a soundtrack that is alternately majestic and overbearing, and Excalibur occasionally flirts with becoming a parody of itself. However, each time this threat is near, director Boorman course-corrects and delivers another compelling reason to re-engage with the film.
The excessiveness of the storytelling in Excalibur is similar to Zack Snyder’s current cinematic style. Narrative cohesiveness, deep character building, and historical accuracy are not things that Boorman and his co-writers have concerned themselves with. The filmmaker and his creative team deliver an “experience” that casts an ethereal spell while viewing the movie, and then leaves the viewer slightly off-kilter and bewildered when it’s over, but glad for having been exposed to its madness for two-plus hours.
Directed by: John Boorman
Written by: Thomas Malory, Rospo Pallenberg, John Boorman
Starring: Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Nicholas Clay