OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS!!!!!! John Boorman you absolute madman!!! I actually had no idea what this movie was about before I watched it other than the fact that it’s about knights. I know now that the title is a dead giveaway but I had no clue Excalibur was King Arthur’s sword. Neither did I know Monty Python and the Holy Grail was a parody of Arthur until I saw this movie. I feel so dumb man. I obviously had heard of Arthur and Lancelot and Camelot and the sword in the stone and the knights of the round table and whatnot, but that’s about where my knowledge of Arthurian legend ends. Anyway, enough exposing my idiocy. Excalibur is a fantastic film and helped me understand the story of King Arthur a lot better. It’s an age old story that chronicles man’s desire for sex, power, and violence. We are immediately immersed in the fantastical medieval world of knights and castles and kings with a battle sequence which is then followed by a truce. However, peace never lasts long and of course war sprouts back up again due to a man’s desire for a woman. All three major desires are all showcased within the first 20 minutes or so. This movie might be a little clunky but I think that adds to the overall atmosphere of it. You’ve got so many characters and locations and layers of the iconic Arthurian legend to go over that the overwhelming nature of the entire movie makes everything feel so grand. From the shiny ass suits of armor that the knights wear to the greenish hue that radiates from Arthur’s sword and from the mighty castles complete with massive halls fit for a feast to the gorgeous cinematography that captures all kinds of beautiful colors, landscapes, and shadows, this is one of the most stunning films I have ever seen. The production design, the costumes, the final sequence that includes a beautiful shot of a red sun rising on the horizon as Arthur and his son fight to the death, the numerous jousting scenes, the moment Arthur pulls the sword from the stone, the dreamy almost psychedelic visuals that accompany every scene in which a knight is looking for the holy grail, I mean I could go on and on and on. This is also a very horny movie and it’s interesting to see how quickly an innocent man like Arthur can turn into somebody like his father. Before pulling the sword from the stone, Arthur wasn’t even a knight, he was but a noble squire. He was then thrust into being king and that power soon corrupted him. He began to lust over women, even asking Merlin to aid him in conquering the love of the woman he desires like how Merlin helped Arthur’s father succeed in his goal. The kingdom flourishes at first, but quickly falls into ruin. Jealousy, rage, violence, adultery, it all comes crashing down. Lancelot’s role in the kingdom’s downfall is most important since he’s supposed to be the greatest knight at the round table, yet it’s his controversial love for the queen that causes the collapse to begin. I really love this movie and adore all of the medieval and fantasy elements. I really liked seeing Liam Neeson and Patrick Stewart in this, but I think my favorite character was Merlin!! I’m sure there are many movies about Arthur out there, but this is probably the best one. Either this or Monty Python and the Holy Grail. You can never go wrong with Monty Python.
OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS!!!!!! John Boorman you absolute madman!!! I actually had no idea what this movie was about before I watched it other than the fact that it’s about knights. I know now that the title is a dead giveaway but I had no clue Excalibur was King Arthur’s sword. Neither did I know Monty Python and the Holy Grail was a parody of Arthur until I saw this movie. I feel so dumb man. I obviously had heard of Arthur and Lancelot and Camelot and the sword in the stone and the knights of the round table and whatnot, but that’s about where my knowledge of Arthurian legend ends. Anyway, enough exposing my idiocy. Excalibur is a fantastic film and helped me understand the story of King Arthur a lot better. It’s an age old story that chronicles man’s desire for sex, power, and violence. We are immediately immersed in the fantastical medieval world of knights and castles and kings with a battle sequence which is then followed by a truce. However, peace never lasts long and of course war sprouts back up again due to a man’s desire for a woman. All three major desires are all showcased within the first 20 minutes or so. This movie might be a little clunky but I think that adds to the overall atmosphere of it. You’ve got so many characters and locations and layers of the iconic Arthurian legend to go over that the overwhelming nature of the entire movie makes everything feel so grand. From the shiny ass suits of armor that the knights wear to the greenish hue that radiates from Arthur’s sword and from the mighty castles complete with massive halls fit for a feast to the gorgeous cinematography that captures all kinds of beautiful colors, landscapes, and shadows, this is one of the most stunning films I have ever seen. The production design, the costumes, the final sequence that includes a beautiful shot of a red sun rising on the horizon as Arthur and his son fight to the death, the numerous jousting scenes, the moment Arthur pulls the sword from the stone, the dreamy almost psychedelic visuals that accompany every scene in which a knight is looking for the holy grail, I mean I could go on and on and on. This is also a very horny movie and it’s interesting to see how quickly an innocent man like Arthur can turn into somebody like his father. Before pulling the sword from the stone, Arthur wasn’t even a knight, he was but a noble squire. He was then thrust into being king and that power soon corrupted him. He began to lust over women, even asking Merlin to aid him in conquering the love of the woman he desires like how Merlin helped Arthur’s father succeed in his goal. The kingdom flourishes at first, but quickly falls into ruin. Jealousy, rage, violence, adultery, it all comes crashing down. Lancelot’s role in the kingdom’s downfall is most important since he’s supposed to be the greatest knight at the round table, yet it’s his controversial love for the queen that causes the collapse to begin. I really love this movie and adore all of the medieval and fantasy elements. I really liked seeing Liam Neeson and Patrick Stewart in this, but I think my favorite character was Merlin!! I’m sure there are many movies about Arthur out there, but this is probably the best one. Either this or Monty Python and the Holy Grail. You can never go wrong with Monty Python.
