Excalibur

For those who know me, it must look obvious the choice of this movie to start a recount of my favorite movies.

In a previous post I mentioned that my first contact with the Arturian myth it was Disney's The Sword in the Stone. I guess that I should have also mentioned Hal Foster's Prince Valiant comic strip, where Arthur plays an important part in the story even when he's not seen very often. But it was with Excalibur that I truly felt in love with the whole concept. The Knights of the Round Table and its legendary leader, King Arthur, armed with the mythical sword Excalibur have been close to my heart ever since.

The film it's a 1981 British production from aclaimed producer/director John Boorman and presents a cast of british actors little known outside the UK, except for then-beginners Gabriel Byrne, Liam Neeson, Helen Mirren and Patrick Stewart.

It tells the story of Arthur from his very conception, when King Uther gets Merlin to help him seduce Ygrain, the wife of his enemy. Merlin agrees to help him but warns him about what he'll put into motion. From that encountern Arthur is born, but has no idea of his heritage. When Uther is mortally wounded in a battle, he runs into the woods in order to keep Excalibur, his sword, from falling into enemy hands. With his last breath he sheathes the sword into a stone, where, thanks to Merlin, it will stay until the true heir to Uther's kingdom come to claim it.

And then we go into a recount of the popular legend. Arthur pulls out the sword and with Merlin's help gets the support of several noblemen. Under his reign England becomes united against its enemies. Camelot and Arthur's Knights rise and, eventually, when the mistakes that single Arthur as human get back to haunt him, everything comes apart, leading Arthur to a fight to the death with his own son, himself spawned from an adulterous and incestous relationship.

The production it's breathtaking, the acting very good and the story a perennial classic. It is a shame to see how bad have resulted the more recent efforts to adapt this story to the screen, like First Knight (where not even Sean Connery's pressence as Arthur is enough to keep the movie afloat) or King Arthur, with its pretentiousness at being "the real history behind the legend" becoming a self-mockery with more factual mistakes and plot holes than any B-movie

Excalibur it's a great movie, worthy of being part of any film collection.