Excalibur
Director: John Boorman
Genre: Sword and sorcery, Costume drama, Fantasy, Adventure, Action/Adventure, Sword and sorcery films, Fantasy Adventure, Mythological Fantasy, Drama
Year: 1981
Country: United Kingdom, United States of America
Language: English Language
Starring: Nigel Terry, Nicol Williamson, Helen Mirren, Gabriel Byrne, Patrick Stewart, Liam Neeson, Cherie Lunghi, Nicholas Clay, Robert Addie, Katrine Boorman, Paul Geoffrey, Keith Buckley, Charley Boorman
Excalibur is a 1981 dramatic dark fantasy film directed, produced and co-written by John Boorman that retells the legend of King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table. Adapted from the 15th century Arthurian romance, Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Malory, Excalibur features the music of Richard Wagner and Carl Orff, along with an original score by Trevor Jones. It stars Nigel Terry as Arthur, Nicol Williamson as Merlin, Nicholas Clay as Lancelot, Helen Mirren as Morgana, Liam Neeson as Gawain, Corin Redgrave as Cornwall, and (the then relatively unknown) Patrick Stewart as Leondegrance. The film is named for the legendary sword of King Arthur that features prominently in Arthurian literature.
Shot entirely on location in Ireland and employing Irish actors and crew, the film has been acknowledged for its importance to the Irish filmmaking industry and for helping launch the film careers of Neeson, as well as Gabriel Byrne, Neil Jordan and Ciarán Hinds.
Excalibur achieved moderate box office success while receiving mixed reviews. Although film critics Roger Ebert and Vincent Canby criticized the film's plot and characters, they, along with other reviewers, praised it visually.
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Internet Movie Database