Excalibur (1981)

☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Excalibur (1981) – J. Boorman

Often beautiful, sometimes muddled, anecdotal version of the Arthurian legend from director John Boorman – it is hard not to think of Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) which seems to be relentlessly spoofing this movie (except for the fact that it came first!).  But if you are willing to accept its fantasy world, there are a lot of charms to be found in Excalibur (named for Arthur’s sword – delivered by the lady of the lake to his father Uther who then jammed it into a stone only to be pulled by the true King, Arthur).  Boorman and his team transport us back to Medieval times fairly well – the film is brutish, violent, dirty, bloody and sometimes like a Renaissance Fair.  Gaudy (or mysterious) green lighting fills many scenes.  Most of the principals were (and remain) unknowns (including Arthur, Guenevere, and Lancelot) but a number of later famous actors appear in smaller parts (Helen Mirren, Liam Neeson, Patrick Stewart, Gabriel Byrne) and Shakespearean actor Nicol Williamson delivers a peculiar performance as Merlin (who is the main driver of the plot).  Of course, all of the famous episodes are here:  Arthur pulls the sword from the stone, he must fight Lancelot, he assembles his knights at a Round Table, Lancelot and Guenevere cheat on him, he sends his knights on a quest for the Holy Grail (which Perceval finds), and so on.  At times, things go over the top – but not as much as Boorman’s earlier Zardoz (1974) which is a shame.  Still for armor-clanking zeal, you can’t go past Excalibur – it might be good in a double feature with the Monty Python version (or perhaps in a triple feature with Bresson’s more serious thought-provoking Lancelot du Lac, 1974). I have yet to see the latest entry from Guy Ritchie in 2017 – should I?