EXCALIBUR - DVD review

For nearly fifteen hundred years the Arthur legends kept people enthralled, their appeal diminishing only in the latter part of the twentieth century when super heroes with trench coats full of gadgetry replaced knights in shining armor. But in 1981, director John Boorman ("Point Blank," "Deliverance") revived the myths, the pageantry, the derring-do, and the magic that had worked so well for ages. He couldn't have done it better. "Excalibur" is both romantic and brutal, lyrically beautiful and grittily realistic. It's appearance on DVD was long overdue.

No one is sure if Arthur really existed as he is described in song and story. But it's pretty clear someone did. Arthurian scholar Geoffrey Ashe argues convincingly that the fifth-century British king Riothamus was the prototype for the character. Whatever, for the next five hundred years Arthur's legend was celebrated in the oral tradition. Then by the twelfth and thirteenth centuries came the histories of Geoffrey of Monmouth and the poetry of Chretien de Troyes, Gottfried von Strassburg, Wolfram von Eschenbach and others that really got the ball rolling. By the late fifteenth century Sir Thomas Mallory collected and wrote up the most famous narrative of Arthur's exploits, "Le Morte d'Arthur," 1485, and it is upon this account that director Boorman based his film.

It is remarkable that Boorman and writer Rospo Pallenberg were able so successfully to condense most of the familiar tales into a mere two hours and twenty minutes of screen time. The great love triangle of Tristan, Isolde, and King Mark and the sequences with Sir Gareth and Sir Galahad are noticeably absent. Almost everything else is properly in place. It begins, of course, with Arthur's birth at Tintagel, continues with his rearing by the necromancer Merlin, and relates his ascension to the throne by the pulling out of the sword from the stone. Next, we see his uniting of the British kingdoms under one rule, his marriage to Guinevere, and the subsequent betrayal by his wife and his best friend, Lancelot.

Then, by the second half of the film comes the Grail Quest, the collapse of the Round Table, the treachery of Morgana and Mordred, and the final battle and death of Arthur. Any one of these episodes could be, and has been, the subject of an individual film. To have covered them all is quite an accomplishment. Boorman even manages to resolve some internal discrepancies among the many conflicting versions of the legend. Like where did Arthur really obtain the sword Excalibur? Was it the blade he drew from the stone, as some tales imply? Or was it the gift he received from one of the Ladies of the Lake, as other accounts would have it? The movie cleverly has it both ways.

Among the many elements that make the movie work is the cast. Nigel Terry plays Arthur from youth through older adulthood. While he is slightly more convincing as the naive youngster than the world-weary old king, his performance is steady. Cherie Lunghi as Guinevere is beautiful and effective in both her youthful buoyancy and later maturity. Nicholas Clay is Lancelot, in a part that calls upon him to do little more than look properly handsome and heroic. He succeeds.

The real scene stealers, however, are Nicol Williamson as the canny Merlin and Helen Mirren as his nemesis, Morgana. John Boorman tells us in his narration that the two actors did not like each other at the time of the filming, in fact, didn't even want to appear together; but Boorman thought the friction might actually intensify their roles. It seems to have worked.

The supporting ensemble is no less effective and features some prominent names: Gabriel Byrne as Uther, Liam Neeson as Gawain, Patrick Stewart as Leondegrance, and Paul Geoffrey as Percival.

The movie was filmed entirely in the Republic of Ireland, and the location shooting is green and lush and luxuriant. Greatly adding to the grandness of the action are musical excerpts from Richard Wagner's Preludes to "Tristan and Isolde" and "Parsifal" and Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana."

Video:
After first seeing "Excalibur" in a theater in 1981, I remember looking forward to owning it on tape. It was a long time in coming, and when it did arrive it was disappointing. The VHS version was in pan-and-scan, blurred and grainy, with monaural sound that was loud and brash. The DVD, by contrast, restores the film to something near its original widescreen dimensions in a 1.69:1 ratio. The colors are more neutral than before, skin tones less dark and purplish in appearance, although, overall, the hues are still somewhat softly focused. Some graininess is still noticeable occasionally, too, especially in brightly lit sky.

Audio:
The audio is now presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround, opening up the front speakers, widening the dynamics, and sometimes making good use of the rear signal. In any case, like the picture quality it can also be a little soft and diffuse. Voices are well imaged but a bit bright and harsh to sound entirely natural. Some small degree of background noise is present in the quietest passages.

Extras:
English and French are the spoken languages offered as well as the subtitle choices. There is a brief cast and crew listing, but this time Warner Brothers, usually helpful in this area, provide an actual biography for only the director. The forty-five scene selections are generous. The accompanying theatrical trailer is pretty well worn compared to the film itself. That leaves John Boorman's commentary track as the main bonus attraction. Boorman has made all too few films, and the ones he has given us are uniquely personal. His inside look at filmmaking is worth one's attention.

The film's 140-minute length is accommodated on one side of a dual-layered disc. I trust the days of turning over a disc are behind us.

Parting Thoughts:
I know that many moviegoers today would rather see a futuristic, sci-fi, special effects extravaganza than an old-fashioned Romantic adventure, but I hope our imaginations haven't been dulled so much by computer graphics that they cannot appreciate the excitement of chivalry, courtly love, prancing horses, and flashing steel.

In the story we are told that "Some day a king will come, and the sword will rise again." In "Excalibur" John Boorman proves that the Arthur legends can still capture and hold our attention. The DVD should enable the romance and adventure of Arthur and his knights to flourish for some time to come.