Excalibur (1981)
Director: John Boorman
Starring: Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Nicholas Clay
Synopsis:
The story of King Arthur from his conception to the Battle of Camlann.
Impressions:
Adapting the Arthurian mythos can be tricky, but this is probably the best I've seen when it comes to capturing the magic and wonder. There's a lot of ground that gets covered, but it all flows fairly well. There's a dark aesthetic which is really cool (and served as part of the inspiration for Berserk). I really liked Nicol Williamson as the very quirky Merlin, Helen Mirren as Morgana, and Patrick Stewart as the boisterous Leondegrance. Nigel Perry seems like an odd choice for Arthur, but he does fairly well in the role. You might also like to note Liam Neeson as Gawaine in one of his early performances. The music is pretty good too, particularly the use of "O Fortuna" for the big battle sequences. If you're a fan of 80s fantasy like I am, this is a movie you need to see. Give it a watch.
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