Adventure

Fantasy

Excalibur

Orion Pictures

Cinema 84

United Kingdom

United States of America

English

Nigel Terry

Nicol Williamson

Helen Mirren

Nicholas Clay

Paul Geoffrey

Cherie Lunghi

Robert Addie

Gabriel Byrne

Keith Buckley

Katrine Boorman

Corin Redgrave

Liam Neeson

Niall O'Brien

Patrick Stewart

Clive Swift

Ciarán Hinds

Liam O'Callaghan

Michael Muldoon

Charley Boorman

Brid Brennan

Garrett Keogh

Emmet Bergin

Eamon Kelly

Gerard Mannix Flynn

Barbara Byrne

Kay Maclaren

Joelle Hélary

Conor Lambert

Prudence Wright Holmes

Paul Markey

Robert A. Eisenstein

John Boorman

Trevor Jones

Donn Cambern

Thomas Malory

John Merritt

Rospo Pallenberg

Alex Thomson

Edgar F. Gross

Michael Dryhurst

Mary Selway

Barry Blackmore

Wally Veevers

Ted Morley

Anna Dryhurst

Anne McFadyen

Robert Dwyer-Joyce

John Lawlor

David Murphy

Jack Phelan

Andrew Montgomery

Peter MacDonald

Anne Dunne

Basil Newall

Tim Hutchinson

Bryan Graves

Anthony Pratt

Bob Ringwood

Martin O'Malley

Graham Churchyard

Gilbert White

Terry English

Peter Hutchinson

***Eccentric depiction of the medieval myths surrounding King Arthur*** 

In the late 400s Merlin the sorcerer of Britain takes advantage of the lust of King Uther (Gabriel Byrne) for a Duke’s wife, Ingrayne (Katrine Boorman), to grant him a boy who becomes King Arthur of Camelot (Nigel Terry) when he pulls Excalibur from the stone, a magical sword. Arthur marries Guenevere (Cherie Lunghi), but when Lancelot (Nicholas Clay) joins the Knights of the Round Table the two experience a profound affinity for each other. Meanwhile, Arthur’s half-sister, Morgana (Helen Mirren) is intent on incestuous deception to produce a son, Mordred.

The script to this acclaimed 1981 film by John Boorman was adapted from Sir Thomas Malory's “Le Morte d'Arthur” (“The Death of Arthur”), published in 1485. The Arthurian folklores are used as an allegory of the succession of birth, life, decline, and renewal. The resulting film is reminiscent of works of mythography and is therefore episodic in nature. For instance, the sequence where the concept of the Round Table is established comes and goes in an awkward way. Another example is at the 95-minute mark where the story switches to the Knights’ search for the Holy Grail, which focuses on a heretofore unknown knight.

Needless to say, the story’s not consistently compelling because the movie’s too segmented. The middle part detailing the romance between Guenevere and Lancelot, and the ramifications thereof, is the best part as far as that goes. The first half hour is a little convoluted, story-wise, and I suggest using the subtitles to discern accented dialogue and to keep track of the odd names. The search for the Holy Grail in the last 45 minutes breaks the film’s momentum because it feels tacked on.

Nevertheless, if you can roll with the hammy acting, the melodrama and the episodic framework, there are a lot of positives to enjoy. Some good examples include: the beautiful sylvan locations, the fairy tale-like castles & sets, the imaginative costumes (e.g. the armor), the lovely ladies and the lush colors. Also, the soundtrack/score, which greatly utilizes “O Fortuna” by Carl Orff and a few pieces by Richard Wagner, is notable. Meanwhile, watch out for a young Liam Neeson as the knight Gawain.  

The big flaw here is that the story lacks steady thrust. For that, check out the more reality-oriented “First Knight” (1995) and “King Arthur” (2004).      

The film runs 2 hours, 20 minutes and was shot entirely in Ireland.

GRADE: B-/C+

A fun “retro dark fantasy” movie with applaudable historical accuracy, peak 80s visuals, with some campy moments.
A gem of the 80s that holds up well today

Original Trailer

Excalibur (1981) - The quest of Perceval

Excalibur (1981), 35mm film trailer, open matte transfer, various hard mattes.

Excalibur (1981) - Merlin's thoughts on love

Excalibur: The Story of Perceval | Epic Soul Factory - Everdream (Music Video)

Excalibur • O Fortuna/Carmina Burana • Carl Orff

Excalibur (1981) - The Final Battle Scene (10/10) | Movieclips

Excalibur (1981) - Murdering Morgana Scene (9/10) | Movieclips

Excalibur (1981) - The Holy Grail Scene (8/10) | Movieclips

Excalibur (1981) - Merlin and Morgana Scene (7/10) | Movieclips

Excalibur (1981) - Where Hides Evil? Scene (6/10) | Movieclips

Excalibur (1981) - Wedding Knight Scene (5/10) | Movieclips

Excalibur (1981) - The Knights of the Round Table Scene (4/10) | Movieclips

Excalibur (1981) - The Lady of the Lake Scene (3/10) | Movieclips

Excalibur (1981) - King Arthur vs. Lancelot Scene (2/10) | Movieclips

Excalibur (1981) - Arthur's Knighthood Scene (1/10) | Movieclips

Excalibur | Soundtrack Suite (Trevor Jones, Richard Wagner & Carl Orff)

Excalibur (HQ) - King Arthur & Guinevere Leodegrance's Wedding Scene

Black Angel (1980 short film)

Trailer 1

Trevor Jones   Excalibur OST   Camelot

Trevor Jones - Excalibur OST - Wedding Chant Kyrie Eleison

Excalibur-The death of Uther Pendragon (1981)

Trevor Jones - Igrayne's Dance

Trevor Jones - A Challenge To Honour

Excalibur, The Land of Dreams

I Will Love You Always  Lancelot & Guinevere

Best Movies

Excalibur

Cast & Crew

Videos

Cast

Nigel Terry

Nicol Williamson

Helen Mirren

Nicholas Clay

Paul Geoffrey

Cherie Lunghi

Robert Addie

Gabriel Byrne

Keith Buckley

Katrine Boorman

Box office

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