Arthur the King (1985) (TV)

User Rating:

4.1/10   

Director:

Clive Donner

Writers:

David Wyles (writer)
John Smith (narration)

Genre:

Adventure | Fantasy | Mystery | Romance

Plot:

Classic tale of King Arthur and how his wife is kidnapped by his evil sister. Lancelot is sent out to...

Plot Keywords:

Love | King | Lancelot | King Arthur | Magic

Cast

Malcolm McDowell	...	King Arthur
Candice Bergen	...	Morgan Le Fay
Edward Woodward	...	Merlin
Dyan Cannon	...	Katherine
Joseph Blatchley	...	Mordred
Rupert Everett	...	Lancelot
Rosalyn Landor	...	Guinevere
Liam Neeson	...	Grak
Patrick Ryecart	...	Gawain
Philip Sayer	...	Agravain
Ann Thornton	...	Lady Ragnell
Lucy Gutteridge	...	Niniane
Denis Lill	...	King Pellinore
John Quarmby	...	Sir Kai
Michael Gough	...	Archbishop
Milance Avramovic	...	Gorgo
Teri Tordai	...	Enchanted Queen
Mary Stavin	...	Princess
Carole Ashby	...	Princess
Alison Worth	...	Princess
Peter Blythe	...	Guide
Pat Starr	...	Woman Passenger
Marie Elise	...	1st Court Lady
Maryam d'Abo	...	2nd Court Lady
Tina Robinson Hansen	...	3rd Court lady (as Tina Robinson)
Pia Constance-Churcher	...	Barge Lady
Linda Fontana	...	Barge Lady
Christine Hunt	...	Barge Lady
Cia Ford	...	Barge Lady
Miro Pfeiffer	...	Undead Knight
Vlado Spindler	...	Boatman
Mise Martinovic	...	Niniane's Father
Domagoj Vukusic	...	Ragnar (as Tom Vukusic)

Directed by
Clive Donner

Writing credits
David Wyles		(writer)
John Smith		(narration)

Produced by
Martin Poll	....	producer
Kathryn Stellmack	....	co-associate producer
David White	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Charles Gross

Cinematography by
Dennis C. Lewiston		(as Denis Lewiston)

Film Editing by
Peter Tanner

Casting by
Rose Tobias Shaw

Production Design by
Francisco Chianese

Art Direction by
Dusan Jericevic

Costume Design by
Phyllis Dalton		(as Phyliss Dalton)

Production Management
Emil Bolanac	....	production manager
Donko Buljan	....	production supervisor
John C. Chulay	....	production supervisor (as John Chulay)
Paolo Fabbri	....	production manager
Milan Stanisic	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Mladen Cernjak	....	assistant director
Ray Corbett	....	first assistant director

Sound Department
Gordon Daniel	....	sound editor
Doug Grindstaff	....	sound editor
David Hildyard	....	sound recordist
Gilbert D. Marchant	....	sound editor (as Gil Marchant)
Gary Shepherd	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Branko Repalust	....	armourer

Stunts
Petar Buntic	....	stunt coordinator
Rok Cvetkov	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Branko Knez	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Viktor Penezic	....	assistant camera

Other crew
Jack Barry	....	weapons
Sherrie Bradshaw	....	assistant production accountant
Nikki Clapp	....	continuity
Maureen Holmes	....	production accountant
Roy Parkinson	....	production coordinator
Nada Pinter	....	production secretary
Olga Pogostin	....	associate to producer

Production Companies

• Comworld Productions
• Jadran Film

Distributors

• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1985) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• VTI Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Vestron Video International (1986) (Belgium) (video)
• Vestron Video (video)

Other Companies

• Goldwyn Sound Facility  re-recording

Also Known As:

Merlin & the Sword (USA) (video title)
Merlin and the Sword (Philippines: English title) (theatrical title)

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA | Yugoslavia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Comworld Productions

Trivia:

Rod Stewart was a possible for Grak.

Movie Connections:

Version of Knights of the Round Table (1953)

The absolute pits

Unbelievable. This movie is without a doubt one of the poorest excuses for wasting celluloid I have ever seen. I like the whole King Arthur/Knights of the Round Table genre, so I was prepared to give it a little latitude when I started watching it and saw in what direction it was going (downhill), but this movie's stupefying ineptness is mind-boggling. Candace Bergen in a red Bozo the Clown wig, cackling maniacally as she spouts gibberish that is supposed to be magic spells, Liam Neeson playing a Pictish barbarian talking like an Indian in a 1930s western ("Me have many babies with this woman! Me go now!"), poorly staged "battles" that looked more like a crowd of drunks lurching into each other, cheesy special effects, and some of the most brainless dialogue this side of "Plan 9 from Outer Space" combine to make this movie a laugh riot. The "acting" is at a junior-high school level, the photography is washed out, it appears to have been edited with a chainsaw--and they are just its =good= qualities. All in all, an experience to remember--if you can stay awake (I couldn't; I missed the last 20 minutes because this thing put me to sleep...).