Excalibur – 1981 | 140 mins | Drama, Adventure | Colour

Plot Synopsis

John Boorman’s visually stylish and gory adaptation of Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur is generally an overlong and incoherent romp through the entire Arthurian legend. The overly ambitious Excalibur is frequently bizarre, lumbering and hampered by bad dialogue, but there are also occasionally inspired moments, fantastic costumes, sex appeal and great battle scenes amongst the rustic Irish locations. The cast comprises of morally ambiguous characterisations; Nigel Terry is excellent as a naive, altruistic Arthur;Nicol Williamson camps it up amusingly as an eccentric Merlin; Cherie Lunghiand Helen Mirren are suitably steamy; and there are screen debuts from Liamc Neeson and Gabriel Byrne.

Uther Pendragon (Gabriel Byrne) demands possession of the sword Excalibur to rule the country as king, but Merlin (Nicol Williamson)advises it should be to heal not tear apart the fractious land. Lust overcomes the king and he is subsequently mortally injured in battle, and with his dying breath buries Excalibur into a rock. Whosoever should draw it from the stone is decreed to be king. On Easter day many years later, Arthur (Nigel Terry), a boyborn to be king, ascends to the throne after withdrawing Excalibur from the stone.

Arthur immediately sets about healing a divided land by forming a fellowship to oversee the kingdom from Camelot; the Knights of the Round Table. Peace reigns throughout the land, but soon Arthur is stricken by the same weakness as his father, lust, his marriage to the faithless Guinevere soon divides the knights as they suspect the kings champion, Lancelot (Nicholas Clay), of treachery. Betrayed by the burning passions of Guinevere and the immoral machinations of his sister Morgana (Helen Mirren), Arthur and the knights set out on a quest for the Holy Grail, and a climactic battle with the wicked Mordred (Robert Addie).