Synopsis
A surreal adaptation of Sir Thomas Malory's "Le Morte d'Arthur", chronicling Arthur Pendragon's conception, his rise to the throne, the search by his Knights of the Round Table for the Holy Grail, and ultimately his death.
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Cast
- Nigel TerryKing Arthur
- Helen MirrenMorgana
- Nicholas ClayLancelot
- Cherie LunghiGuenevere
- Paul GeoffreyPerceval
- Nicol WilliamsonMerlin
- Robert AddieMordred
- Gabriel ByrneUther Pendragon
- Keith BuckleyUryens
- Katrine BoormanIgrayne
Recommendations
- 90
Variety
Excalibur is exquisite, a near-perfect blend of action, romance, fantasy and philosophy, finely acted and beautifully filmed by director John Boorman and cinematographer Alex Thomson. - 80
Time
Love Excalibur or hate it, but give Boorman credit for the loopy grandeur of his imagery and imaginings, for the sweet smell of excess, for his heroic gamble that a movie can dare to trip over its pretensions— and still fly. - 63
Chicago Sun-Times
What a wondrous vision Excalibur is! And what a mess. - 60
Chicago Reader
John Boorman's 1981 retelling of the Arthurian legends is a continuation of the thematic thrust and visual plan of his Exorcist II, though the failure of that bold, hallucinatory, and flawed film seems to have put Boorman into partial retreat. - 60
TV Guide Magazine
Excalibur is a grand, clanky, brooding fantasy. - 60
Newsweek
Boorman is both a romantic and a realist, an idealist and a skeptic, and Excalibur is an impressive but uneasy attempt to marry these opposites. [13 April 1981, p.82] - 50
The New York Times
Mr. Boorman takes these myths very seriously, but he has used them with a pretentiousness that obscures his vision. - 50
Time Out London
For all its audacity, a misguided folly.
