UNCUT - Excalibur (1981)

I found that I had the DVD. Just blew the afternoon watching it with you guys. It was worth it. Had no idea Patric Stuart and Liam Neason was in this. Didn't know who they were when I first saw the movie. Remembered Helen Mirin it was my first time seeing her. Saw her again three years later playing a Russian astronaut in the movie 2010.

The actor playing Uther Pendragon is Gabriel Byrne (The Usual Suspects, End of Days, Hereditary).

The Broadway musical “Camelot” did a much more focused version of the King Arthur legend. No Uther, no Holy Grail, basically just the Round Table and the love triangle, with a bit of Merlin at the beginning. That said, I can’t really recommend the 1967 film version of the musical because I think it gets the tone all wrong. But there is a 1982 version of Camelot (actually a live performance at the Winter Garden theater filmed for HBO), which I think captures the comic/tragic spirit of the play much better.

This movie had a PG rated version also in circulation, which of course removed a lot of the blood and nudity.

This is the only adaptation of the Arthur stories (“The Matter of Britain”) that I watch repeatedly. Not only are its visuals and practical effects beautiful, but I love how gritty and outright weird it’s willing to be. The performances are in many ways kind of strange, and this is enhanced by the fact that they’re all dubbed. And I like the sort of off kilter feeling it gives me. And Nicol Williamson as Merlin is just one of my favorite performances of any kind in any movie or TV show. The choices he makes are so quirky and strange they always make me smile with delight. That’s not to say that I think this is a perfect movie—I’m not even sure that it’s even a good movie—but I love it. I also like how it tries to do the entire epic breadth of Mallory’s “Le Morte d’Arthur” (“The Death of Arthur”), instead of a more modern approach of focusing on a single character or story arc (like “The Green Knight”). It gives you a feeling of what it’s actually like reading Arthurian mythology. Sort of jumping around, an incident here, a character there, failure to be consistent in details from one chapter to another. I also like how it makes no concession to being family friendly, and shows you how a lot of these characters did some really awful things, adultery, invest, rape by deception, etc. (although it avoids showing some of the most terrible things that Merlin did). The feel of the movie is also in a lot of ways in tune with Monty Python and the Holy Grail. That might have a lot to do with the similar technologies and production choices—grainy film, lots of scenes in mud holes.

For a new take, Merlin would be a great show to react to. It's kid friendly, no blood, sex or language, but they do a good job taking the Smallville formula and applying it to Arthur.

Dogs and cats were domesticated thousands of years ago, long before written history.

Such an epic movie! If it was made today it’d probably be filled with Marvel humor and bad casting

I've heard very good things about this one. Can't be to get off of work...

Cool, I'll be checking this out.

We went to see this opening day, the Kent Theater on Brooklyn. Matinee was $1. Height of summer, packed theater, no air conditioning. I was drenching my shirt under the water fountain trying to get any sort of relief

I love this movie. Stylized, gory, grand, and packed with great performances IMO. I remember seeing this in theaters when I was, oh, 10 or 11 years old. Funny story - my mom took me and my brother (who must have been 8 or 9) to see it because, you know, King Arthur! She did NOT expect that it would be like this. And to top it off, during the scene when Lancelot and Guinevere are making love in the forest, he yells out "Look ma! They're humping!" so loud everyone in the theater heard it! I never let him live that down. Great reaction guys!

No one mentioned Colm Meany as Kyran

I just looked up various cast members and discovered that Katrine Boorman, who played Igrayne, is the daughter of John Boorman, the director of the film. I never knew that.

Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government! (Someone had to say it)

So the movie is an adaptation of Sir Thomas Malory’s “Le Morte d’Arthur” which was an attempt to organize the many, many stories about King Arthur and his knights into a single unified narrative. It’s a LONG story. Imagine trying to adapt the MCU’s Infinity saga, including all short films, Agents of SHEILD, Agent Carter, the Inhumans and the Netflix shows into a two hour film. That’s basically what this film’s trying to do with King Arthur. I enjoy the film but I prefer Arthurian films that focus an a a single story instead of trying to tell them all. “The Green Knight” and “Camelot” are my personal favourites.

I like this movie. It was a hit with us nerdy teen-age boys back in the early 80's. And if you were a Dungeon & Dragons player, you ate it up like candy & Conan. But you both make good points - it jumps around too much and it's hard to get in vested in any of the characters, although most of the performances and the cinematography are good.

Helen Mirren is, low-key, hot in this flick.

The ending of King Arthur being carried off to Avalon in death is the actual ending of the original story, with the promise that one day, the King would return with Excalibur to heal the land. While the legend is difficult to translate into a modern movie, I give them props for incorporating so much of the story that you are given a picture into the full epic and not a "modern retelling" that loses the roots of the legend.

Is Lancelots self imposed exile really any more ridiculous than Bruce Wayne giving up the cape because his (not) girlfriend got killed?

I could be wrong, but I think Merlin is Bellouq from Raiders?

Great request. Excalibur is in my top 5 favourite movies of all time and if I would have been a Bridge Crew member, I would have suggested this one too.

If you haven't seen it, check out "First Knight" with Sean Connery, for an alternative, more grounded, take on the story. It's dumb but fun.

Ah... the absence of Sir Robin breaks my heart... "Bravely bold Sir Robin, rode forth from Camelot... he was not afraid to die, brave-brave Sir Robin! He was not afraid at all to be killed in nasty ways... brave, brave-brave, brave Sir Robin..."

This takes me back to Saturday afternoons hiring VHS tapes. Helen Mirren was always memorable for me in it. So many soon to be big actors from The British Isles in it.

That was great!! I haven't seen this movie since the late 80's renting from a Blockbuster.

Probably butchered that spelling LOL!

Anxious for the boys reaction to "Leon Igrayne" The Duke of Camelot." How long will it take for them to see 👀??

Medieval Times. Cool place.

The name plates beneath each of you reminds me of the way everything- even the most obvious things - in the Bat Cave was labeled.

For a bit we had a startup sound on our computer "Knights! Squires! Prepare for Battle!"

This is such a visually beautiful film!! Love that it was chosen. Thanks Matt N!!

One of my favorite movies... but at work. Watch tonight.

I don't have the time now, but I'm looking forward to this!!! Definitely the best Arthurial movie. Really, nothing comes even close.