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Excalibur (1981)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
10 April 1981 (USA) moreTagline:
No mortal could possess it! No kingdom could command it! morePlot:
A spirited accounting of one of the most obscure periods of the world's history. This reprisal is magical in its execution and gives its audience something to watch. full summary | full synopsisAwards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 9 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(8 articles)
Anthony Head and Colin Morgan Get Medieval with Merlin (From MovieWeb. 4 June 2009, 12:43 PM, PDT)
Gabriel Byrne: The Hollywood Interview
(From The Hollywood Interview. 10 April 2009, 2:49 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Operatic,mythic, retelling of Arthurian legend. moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Nigel Terry | ... | King Arthur | |
| Helen Mirren | ... | Morgana | |
| Nicholas Clay | ... | Lancelot | |
| Cherie Lunghi | ... | Guenevere | |
| Paul Geoffrey | ... | Perceval | |
| Nicol Williamson | ... | Merlin | |
| Robert Addie | ... | Mordred | |
| Gabriel Byrne | ... | Uther Pendragon | |
| Keith Buckley | ... | Uryens | |
| Katrine Boorman | ... | Igrayne | |
| Liam Neeson | ... | Gawain | |
| Corin Redgrave | ... | Cornwall | |
| Niall O'Brien | ... | Kay | |
| Patrick Stewart | ... | Leondegrance | |
| Clive Swift | ... | Sir Hector |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
140 min | USA:119 min (edited version)Language:
EnglishColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
MonoCertification:
Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Iceland:12 | Sweden:15 | Germany:12 (DVD rating) | South Korea:15 (cable rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Ireland:15 | Singapore:M18 | UK:15 | USA:PG (cut) | USA:R | West Germany:12 (f)Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Director John Boorman didn't like how balance was off on Dolby sound mixes at various test screenings, so he changed the mix to mono. moreGoofs:
Continuity: After killing Mordred, the spear in Arthur's chest disappears. moreQuotes:
Mordred: I've come to claim what is mine father.Arthur: Show yourself.
[Mordred takes off his mask]
Arthur: I cannot give you the land. Only my love.
Mordred: That's the one thing of yours I don't want! The quest knights have failed. They're all dead. And YOU... are dead, too. I shall come back and take Camelot by force!
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (1984) moreSoundtrack:
Prelude to Parsifal moreFAQ
Does John Boorman own Percival's horse?Why does Merlin have armor on his head?
Why is the film shot in 1.85?
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At different times in his illustrious career, John Boorman has announced that his intention to make film versions of both The Lord Of The Rings, and Wagners "Ring" cycle.Like Scorsese's plans to do film biographies of Gershwin and Robert Johnson, or Coppola's plans to make versions of Faust and Pinocchio, these grandiose projects have come to nothing. Fortunately, in Excalibur, we have something that comes close..VERY close. Boorman retells the Arthur legend in a way that evokes both the mythic power of Tolkien and the operatic splendor of Wagner.. ( Indeed, the sound track makes frequent use of Wagner.)Some have criticized Boorman for making the story of King Arthur too sexy and violent. Well, in their original , unexpurgated form, the Arthurian legends were just that. Boorman also looks at the Druidic and pagan roots of the arthur story, (" The Land is the King."), and examines the inner conflict between Paganism and Christianity that gave the myth its original power. A great film, and one of my personal favorites. I have not seen Robert Bresson's version of the Arthur myth, Lancelot Du Lac, but I suspect that it may be the only other one by a major film-maker that comes close to the eerie, mythic, glorious heart of Arthurian legend.