Review of Excalibur (1981) by Tero H — 17 Oct 2012
Dreamlike film with visions of medieval knights and ladies, the movie Excalibur tells the story of King Arthur, Merlin, Lancelot, the Grail and the knights of the Round table. Slow paced, but told in an interesting way so it is not boring. It seemed to me more like a theatre play, than a 'modern' movie. Actors like Patrick Stewart, Liam Neeson, Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren and Nicol Williamson make the story of King Arthur interesting.
The music is spectacular when it is there. Often it seemed that there was no music, but when it was there it served a purpose.
Merlin's character was peculiar: combination of religion and magic, just like the movie, which was of course very much like the book 'Morte d'Arthur' by James Malory that the film was based upon. The movie had a flare of melodrama about it but certainly its knightly visions of grandeur are the best ones I've seen yet. Also the best movie about Arthur and the knights of the Round Table and the first Arthur movie I have seen, although there are other very well done movies about the subject as well, although none like this that are so close to Malory's original story. May not get better with more viewing, if one is not interested in the subject of the movie, but is certainly worth checking out for any fans of medieval stories.
This review of Excalibur (1981) was written by Tero H on 17 Oct 2012.
Excalibur has generally received positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
