Customer Reviews
Adult, Intelligent & Provocative .. A Dark Arthurian Fantasy.. - By: Adam Jackson, 16 May 2008 
John Boorman's 1981 film is an exercise in how to treat fantasy in an adult & serious manner.
The fantasy elements are subtle - there are no stop motion monsters to be found here - & yet still pervade the movie with a sense of the magical & arcane. This film in no way attempts a realistic approach to the extent of 2004's King Arthur.
Merlin as portrayed here is dark & ambiguous, constantly aware of the end of the time of magic & the old gods. A very eccentic performance by the
excellent Nicol Williamson. Helen Mirren as the evil & seductive sorceress, Morgana gives an eroticallly charged performance that is not easily forgotten!
Nigel Terry as Arthur is a bit wooden BUT his tone & manner suits the film's often sombre approach & he brings a sense of dignity to a mythic role.
The movie is over 2 hours long & indeed feels longer (in a good way!).
Very epic, making a mockery of what was not a huge budget. Everything is beautiful, the costumes, the sets, the armour, the weapons - the wonderful photography. Everything glows with otherworldy greens & reds & the sheen of polished steel, tendrils of mist curl around the edge of every frame....
Visuallly it's a work of art & the score perfectly matches the film, alll orchestral & taken from such great works as Carl Orff's O Fortuna & Richard Wagner's Gotterdammerung. Siegfried's Funeral March (Wagner) accompanies both opening & closing credits & is one of the finest classical pieces ever written.
There is plenty of Dark Age combat culminating in the final battle between Good & Evil. The action is stirring & brutal with the screen awash with blood at times. Limbs are hacked off, axes are wielded, sword & spear impales armour & flesh - until 1995's Braveheart, the battle scenes were easily the most violent ever filmed for this genre. When complimented with the intense music, we reallly are into the realm of the uber-epic.
The battles in 1981 could not be created in the style of The Return Of The King, but what may be lacking in numbers, is compensated for by the violent imagery, the sound of hooves & steel & the sheer cruelty of war.
The final meeting of Arthur & his nemesis, the warlord Mordred (Morgana's dark offspring) is truly horrifying as father & son (yes!)embrace with spear & sword... a very dark & moving denoument..
Speaking of sword, yes, alll the elements are present; Lancelot, Camelot, The Lady In The Lake & of course Excalibur!
The Lady In The Lake scenes are the movie's major fantasy element. Neat SFX!
This is the definitive Arthurian fantasy with it's dark & serious tone, it's battle intensity & the erotic atmosphere (There's quite a bit of sex on show here)
Leave the kids to watch Clash Of The Titans - This is very much for grown ups & although different, in terms of tone, it could be likened to the same year's Conan The Barbarian. It has the darkness & the Nietzchian philosophies.
"Knights, Squires - PREPARE FOR BATTLE!!!!!"
The most authentic - By: J. Greenwood, 22 Mar 2008 I have had this DVD for ages & it remains my favorite. It is authentic with a sense of power, mystic & emotion that most films just miss. The one liners such as "Come father, let us embrace." amplify the emotion.
Superb!
Anál nathrach, orth bháis is bethad, do chél dénmha - By: Rohypnol and Diet Coke, 25 Feb 2008 
Because everything about this film is so over-the-top, it was my favourite movie as a child (yes, my Dad edited out Uther's & Morgana's sex scenes). I bought it on DVD a few years back and, while I found parts of it still arresting (the locations, the music, the camerawork on some shots like the dead Gawain on horseback), it hasn't aged well. Nicol Williamson's camp turn as Merlin would be better suited to pantomime, & Nigel Terry & Cherie Lunghi just aren't a convincing lead couple. An interesting but very flawed film.
You promised me the sword! - By: Mr. K. Williams, 04 Sep 2007 They don't make them like this anymore. Fantastic.
Slightly marred by Helen Mirren, because she makes me think of ITV. King Arthurs dad is played by the guy from "Keeping up appearances" but thats okay because HE DOES IT VERY WELL. Captain Picard also stars.
All in alll - BEST FILM EVER.
Best epic film ever - By: Mr James, 30 Jul 2007 Watched this as I was growing up. Surely the best movie about Arthur & Merlin. The acting was great & direction well done. Everything in this movie is believable. The scene where Oother visits Egraine because Merlin turns him into Egraine's husband using scorcery. The scene was hot. They dont make them like that anymore. Great Battle scenes. Great fun.
