Excalibur

director John Boorman's passionate adaptation of
Sir Thomas Malory's LE MORTE D'ARTHUR stars Nigel
Terry as the faithful King Arthur. Necromancer
Merlin (Nicol Williamson) offers the magic sword
Excalibur to the warlike Uther Pendragon (Gabriel
Byrne) in exchange for a promise that he'll make
peace with his enemy, the duke of Cornwall (Corin
Redgrave). He agrees but breaks his word after
catching sight of Cornwall's wife, Igraine
(Katrine Boorman).
With the magician's help he makes love to the
woman in the guise of her husband. She bears a
child, Arthur, who is taken by Merlin as payment
for his assistance and left in the care of Ector
(Clive Swift). Years pass, and the boy, now a
humble squire, pulls Excalibur from the stone in
which Uther had sunk ita task no other could
accomplish.
With Merlin's counsel, he marries the stunning
Guenevere (Cherie Lunghi), finds a champion in Sir
Lancelot (Nicholas Clay), subdues the skirmishing
knights, and builds the Round Table to unite them.
Yet his half-sister, Morgana (Helen Mirren), lurks
in the shadows, preparing to poison her brother's
reign.
Perhaps the best film made in this genre,
EXCALIBUR benefits from an extraordinary cast,
including appearances by Byrne, Patrick Stewart,
and Liam Neeson early in their celluloid careers.
Counterpointing ethereally filtered sex scenes
against scenes of graphic blood-and-guts
swordplay, Boorman's sumptuous production
galvanizes the familiar mythology, as he charts
the transition from an age of magic to one of
reason.