Excalibur
Excalibur is a 1981 epic medieval fantasy film directed, co-written and produced by John Boorman, that retells the legend of King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table, based loosely on the 15th-century Arthurian romance Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Malory. It stars Nigel Terry as Arthur, Nicol Williamson as Merlin, Nicholas Clay as Lancelot, Cherie Lunghi as Guenevere, Helen Mirren as Morgana, Liam Neeson as Gawain, Gabriel Byrne as Uther and Patrick Stewart as Leondegrance. The film is named after the legendary sword of King Arthur that features prominently in Arthurian literature. The film's soundtrack features the music of Richard Wagner and Carl Orff, along with an original score by Trevor Jones.
Plot
In the Dark Ages, the sorcerer Merlin retrieves the magical sword Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake for Uther Pendragon. Merlin also agrees to help Uther seduce Igrayne, the Duke of Cornwall's wife, in exchange for “what issues from your lust". With Merlin's magic, Uther tricks Igrayne into sleeping with him while Cornwall dies in battle. Her daughter Morgana, however, sees through Uther's illusion. Nine months later, Igrayne gives birth to Arthur, and Merlin comes for the boy. Furious, Uther chases after Merlin, but is ambushed by Cornwall's surviving men. Before dying, Uther thrusts Excalibur into a large stone. Merlin declares that he who pulls the sword from the stone shall be king.
More details
| author | John Boorman Rospo Pallenberg |
|---|---|
| contentLocation | England |
| director | John Boorman |
| editor | Donn Cambern John Merritt |
| events | Arthurian romance incest |
| genre | adventure fantasy romance |
| keywords | ambush arthur avalon build camelot dark ages excalibur fight guinevere holy grail igraine igrayne king arthur lady of the lake lancelot lightning merlin mordred morgan le fay morgana perceval percival round table sail search sleep speak survive the king uther pendragon wound |
| musicBy | Trevor Jones |
| nomination | Academy Award for Best Cinematography |
| producer | John Boorman |
| productionCompany | Orion Pictures |
| publisher | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| theme | coming-of-age epic |