Excalibur [Blu-ray]

Director: John Boorman John Boorman

Overview

A vivid, literate interpretation of the Arthurian legend, an enduring tale of love, friendship and betrayal, complete with rousing classical music by Wagner and Carl Orff, told by an expressionistic film-maker who here creates a grim, realistic world in which magic holds sway.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/08/2011
UPC:	0883929167982
Original Release:	1981
Rating:	R
Source:	Warner Home Video
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:21:00
Sales rank:	1,772

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Nigel Terry	King Arthur
Cherie Lunghi	Guenevere
Nicholas Clay	Lancelot
Nicol Williamson	Merlin
Patrick Stewart	Leondegrance
Helen Mirren	Morgana
Gabriel Byrne	Uther,Young Morgana
Paul Geoffrey	Perceval
Robert Addie	Mordred
Liam Neeson	Gawain
Corin Redgrave	Cornwall
Keith Buckley	Uryens
Katrine Boorman	Igrayne,Boy Mordred,Actor
Niall O'Brien	Kay
Clive Swift	Sir Hector
Ciarin Hinds	Lot,Lot
Liam O'Callaghan	Sadok
Michael Muldoon	Astamor
Mannix Flynn	Mordred's Lieutenant,Mordred's Lieutenant
Garrett Keogh	Mador
Emmet Bergin	Ulfus
Barbara Bryne	Young Morgana
Brid Brennan	Lady in Waiting
Kay McLaren	Aged Morgana
Eammon Kelly	Abbot,Abbot
Trevor Jones	Composer

Technical Credits

John Boorman

Rospo Pallenberg

Thomas Malory

John Boorman	Director,Executive Producer,Producer,Screenwriter
Peter Hutchinson	Special Effects
Alan Whibley	Special Effects
Rospo Pallenberg	Screenwriter
Edgar F. Gross	Executive Producer
Thomas Malory	Screenwriter
Gerry Johnston	Special Effects
Mary Selway	Casting
Michael E. Doyle	Special Effects
Roberta A. Eisenstein	Executive Producer
Doug Turner	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

One of the most ambitious, lavish productions of the Arthurian legend (as set forth in Sir Thomas Malory's La Morte d'Arthur), Excalibur largely fulfills its lofty pretenses. This is not a child's fairy tale, and director John Boorman fashions a violent, sexual world of swords, sorcerers, and seducers. Excalibur is a visual marvel, garnering Alex Thomson a well-deserved Oscar nomination for his cinematography (only the widescreen version of the film does his work justice). Boorman filmed in the lush hills of Ireland, and the movie is suffused with a misty, poetic feel that suits the tone of the material. The principals are generally stellar, and a variety of future leading men can be glimpsed in the supporting cast, including Gabriel Byrne, Patrick Stewart, and Liam Neeson. This is a big movie in every sense, and sometimes Boorman's desire to include everything in the film overwhelms him: the quest for the Holy Grail, for example, may strike some as confusing. Excalibur has detractors as enthusiastic as its fans, which can be said of any work as ambitious as this grandiose spectacle of a film.