Excalibur
John Boorman’s “Excalibur” works because it gets to the heart of the Arthurian legend, and modernizes it with a gritty, realistic aesthetic that makes everything feel real. That also means its going to have moments of genuine absurdity, but Boorman makes that work to its advantage, giving us some levity to what would, otherwise, have been a bore. Do people consider it one of the best fantasy films, though? You can see, in its bones, Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings,” but you can also see why maybe the genre was not quite ready for success outside of the Ray Harryhausen movies like “Clash of the Titans,” which came out later in the same year.
I watched “Excalibur” early on in my moviewatching education in the mid-late ’90s, but I didn’t really remember it. The film has an interesting structure that frames familiar elements in the narrative in a different way to come to its thematic points. For Boorman and his co-writer, Rospo Pallenberg, the story revolves around the power and responsibility one must balance when entrusted with a supernatural weapon like Excalibur, and utilizing magic in general. The opening, with Uther Pendragon (Gabriel Byrne) asking for power, but not using responsibility in wielding it, sets up the entire film both narratively and thematically. He comes to Merlin (Nicol Williamson) with dreams of glory attained by violent means, and it bites him in the ass when his lust for Igrayne (Katrine Boorman), his rival’s wife, comes due after she gives birth to his son, Arthur. His demise was inevitable, but Merlin’s actions have unexpected consequences that will reveal themselves later in the film.
I don’t remember all of the different variations of the Arthurian legend I’ve watched over the years- Hell, my favorite one is “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”- but this is an interesting take on Arthur himself, played by Nigel Terry. He does, indeed, start as a squire who, through Merlin’s magical abilities when Uther put the sword in the stone, is able to pull the sword, and become king. He does created an army of knights loyal to him, the one whom he cherishes most being Lancelot (Nicholas Clay), and he does marry Guenevere (Cherie Lunghi), and the iconic love triangle occurs. But this feels very different than any other version we’ve seen, because the love triangle between Arthur and Lancelot for Guenevere’s affections is not about a battle for her heart, but in Arthur losing sight of what it means to hold a kingdom together. Merlin warns him that the split will likely happen, but it’s up to Arthur to figure out why, partially because his half-sister, Morgana (Helen Mirren), has taken Merlin’s power by this point for vengeance over what he did to her family all those years ago. Actions have consequences, and that is something crystal clear in this film. All the while, Excalibur is at the center, a reflection of Arthur’s responsibilities as king, and- when it is let go because of emotional pain- a reflection of the country’s downhill slide when grief overtakes him. It’s a rich an compelling morality play, and Boorman drives headlong into it for 140 rousing minutes.
A lesser director would have focused on the action and adventure of this story- and many have- but I was surprised how little action is, especially considering how iconic the film’s use of Orff’s “Carmina Burana” is in these sequences. Much of the film’s music is written by Trevor Jones, and it’s a rousing early work from the composer, but when the Orff piece hits our ears, the movie kicks into another level, and we’re transported into the action. That’s what great fantasy, and great music, does, and “Excalibur” was an excellent example of both before they really found their footing together.
