Fuck this Bruckheimer shit, I already hate it.
This is a weird, strange thing of beauty and ugliness.
Also best Merlin ever.
What do you say?
― Masked Gazza, Sunday, 2 May 2004 01:11 (twenty years ago) link
Classic: sex scene in full armor! Camelot's knights had COCK WINDOWS in their armor! How can that be anything but classic? It can't be. Lock the thread.
― Tep (ktepi), Sunday, 2 May 2004 01:13 (twenty years ago) link
― Masked Gazza, Sunday, 2 May 2004 01:16 (twenty years ago) link
(though I guess I'll have to wait till tomorrow at least for that)
― Masked Gazza, Sunday, 2 May 2004 01:33 (twenty years ago) link
It looks nice, though, in the ads. The one thing I'll demerit Excalibur for is that so many of the scenes are so dark -- I don't know if that's just the transfer on the video I have, though, I never saw it in theaters.
― Tep (ktepi), Sunday, 2 May 2004 01:47 (twenty years ago) link
― s1ocki (slutsky), Sunday, 2 May 2004 01:50 (twenty years ago) link
― Tep (ktepi), Sunday, 2 May 2004 01:51 (twenty years ago) link
― s1ocki (slutsky), Sunday, 2 May 2004 01:52 (twenty years ago) link
― Tep (ktepi), Sunday, 2 May 2004 01:53 (twenty years ago) link
― s1ocki (slutsky), Sunday, 2 May 2004 01:54 (twenty years ago) link
― Tep (ktepi), Sunday, 2 May 2004 01:54 (twenty years ago) link
― s1ocki (slutsky), Sunday, 2 May 2004 01:56 (twenty years ago) link
Gurney Halleck! Baliset solo in the extended version!
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 2 May 2004 01:57 (twenty years ago) link
Obviously it's completely unhistorical as long as there's Merlin, knights of the round table, metal armour, all the elements of the myth. So yeah it would suck if they've situated him in 500 BC and placed him in his correct political context and people start assuming it's all accurate. (Which of course it couldn't be, and neither could anything else because WE DON'T REALLY KNOW!) Still there's scope for a good version like this.
― Masked Gazza, Sunday, 2 May 2004 01:59 (twenty years ago) link
Oh man, it's this Disney movie ... it sounds like a sequel to Prince of Thieves, except Richard never returned, the Sheriff isn't dead (and he's Malcolm McDowell), and there's a Prince John. KK plays Robin Hood's daughter, Tiffany Hood or something, and she has to rescue him when he's captured in the midst of a plan to bring King Richard's heir (therefore rightful king, yadda yadda) to England.
― Tep (ktepi), Sunday, 2 May 2004 02:00 (twenty years ago) link
I've yet to see an advert for this Arthur thing. Not even a listing (saw an advance preview listing for Troy already) -got any of the details?
― Super-Kate (kate), Sunday, 2 May 2004 11:36 (twenty years ago) link
Maidens lyke not knaves, maidens lyke armour and horses!
Celtic women be CHOPPING!!! (Saxon heads off)
― Super-Kate (kate), Sunday, 2 May 2004 12:15 (twenty years ago) link
It happened. It was done for a cable channel in the States a couple of years back, should be on DVD.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 2 May 2004 12:18 (twenty years ago) link
Really?
Actually, I remember hearing rumours of this, but you know, no cable, no telly at the time.
Must search for that. I bet it's rubbish, though. Sigh. I'll still hunt it down, though.
(How about the Crystal Caves/Hollow Hills?)
(And don't bring up Bauhaus!)
― Super-Kate (kate), Sunday, 2 May 2004 12:20 (twenty years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 2 May 2004 12:21 (twenty years ago) link
The whole bit about 'the dragon' is just a wee bit too much like 'the force' for my taste, but still....fuckin' classic.
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 2 May 2004 12:51 (twenty years ago) link
― cutty (mcutt), Sunday, 2 May 2004 21:16 (twenty years ago) link
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 2 May 2004 21:17 (twenty years ago) link
― fcussen (Burger), Sunday, 2 May 2004 21:25 (twenty years ago) link
― cutty (mcutt), Sunday, 2 May 2004 21:27 (twenty years ago) link
Actually, it isn't so bad, though it's no Excalibur. Nigel Terry's naive Arthur rules.
― webcrack (music=crack), Monday, 3 May 2004 02:00 (twenty years ago) link
Which obv. would have been considerably more interesting than the trilogy we've ended up with
Just imagine Nicol Williamson as Gandalf
Excalibur is classic. Things I love about it: the use of 'Seigfreid's Rhine Journey', and of the Parsifal prelude just as Percival sheds his armour underwater and then enters the Grail castle, Guinevere dancing at the beginning, the whole Uther Pendragon prelude which shows how Arthur was concieved with the power of the Dragon, the whole 'you and the land are one' theme, which like Merlin and Morgana sets the atmosphere of paganism and christianity existing alongside eachother, a bearded repentant Launcelot at the battle of Camlann which also features nicely bloody fight between father and son, and of course Merlin.
― de, Monday, 3 May 2004 02:26 (twenty years ago) link
― g--ff (gcannon), Monday, 3 May 2004 02:30 (twenty years ago) link
Not necessarily.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 3 May 2004 02:55 (twenty years ago) link
― de, Monday, 3 May 2004 03:03 (twenty years ago) link
― de, Monday, 3 May 2004 03:11 (twenty years ago) link
― Layna Andersen (Layna Andersen), Monday, 3 May 2004 04:26 (twenty years ago) link
― Ricardo (RickyT), Monday, 3 May 2004 10:05 (twenty years ago) link
― Ricardo (RickyT), Monday, 3 May 2004 10:08 (twenty years ago) link
http://c-coy.com/media/reference/excaliber.gif
― forksclovetofu, Tuesday, 19 August 2008 19:09 (fifteen years ago) link
lol i was coming here to post that
― Catsupppppppppppppp dude 茄蕃, Tuesday, 19 August 2008 19:28 (fifteen years ago) link
boing boing, right?
― forksclovetofu, Tuesday, 19 August 2008 19:34 (fifteen years ago) link
merlin amazed me as a kid in this film.
― piscesx, Tuesday, 19 August 2008 20:17 (fifteen years ago) link
wow, funny i have a DVD-R of excalibur just like that (proper spelling obvs)
― cutty, Tuesday, 19 August 2008 20:19 (fifteen years ago) link
Now I want to watch this movie again
― burt_stanton, Tuesday, 19 August 2008 20:22 (fifteen years ago) link
Classic classic classic.
Another of Ebert's sins is giving this movie a bad review because he was confused about the plot. He was a bit foggy that day, I suspect, but I guess when reviewing movies is your job, sometimes you have a grumpy day at work.
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19810101/REVIEWS/101010322/1023
― kenan, Saturday, 13 March 2010 03:40 (fourteen years ago) link
Pauline Kael reviews are rarely online, but she basically offers up this movie her breasts.
― kenan, Saturday, 13 March 2010 03:43 (fourteen years ago) link
I'm upset that the awesome gif above misspells "Excalibur".
― kenan, Saturday, 13 March 2010 03:53 (fourteen years ago) link
Are you the mother and father of the child now Merlin?
― Fartbritz Sootzveti (Steve Shasta), Thursday, 9 September 2010 04:25 (thirteen years ago) link
i can't get throught this, don't know why. looks classic, but hasn't ever grabbed me from 3 or 4 attempts now.
― k¸ (darraghmac), Thursday, 9 September 2010 13:12 (thirteen years ago) link
the Parsifal prelude just as Percival sheds his armour underwater and then enters the Grail castle
this sequence is great, the entire movie gets put on hold for a weird mystical sidebar
o_O facts: arthur's mother played by boorman's daughter
― (e_3) (Edward III), Thursday, 9 September 2010 15:34 (thirteen years ago) link
The original cut of the film was three hours long.
would love to see this
― (e_3) (Edward III), Thursday, 9 September 2010 15:36 (thirteen years ago) link
boorman's output during this period also o_O
Deliverance (1972) Zardoz (1974) Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)Excalibur (1981)
yeah, that's a strange series of films. i like all of them, but only deliverance and excalibur are really successful, even if looked at solely in terms of their own ambitions. excalibur, though, is one of my favorite movies of all time. so ridiculously overripe.
― having taken an actual journalism class (contenderizer), Thursday, 9 September 2010 16:22 (thirteen years ago) link
It's pretty much swords & sandals meets Star Wars.
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Friday, 3 August 2012 00:10 (eleven years ago) link
Man, what the hell was up with Boorman's run of "Zardoz," "Exorcist II" and this? I know I interviewed him some time around "The General." I wish I asked him then.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 3 August 2012 16:29 (eleven years ago) link
I dunno but I wish he had made a lot more movies on that level of batshit.
Sword and the Sorcerer director Albert Pyun made a new fantasy joint recently which is on NF Instant. It looks execrable. Will watch.
Re: Dragonslayer besides the gloom the other thing that's crazy is the uncompromising score they got from Alex North. High modernism has seldom been allowed in fantasy film music.
― Lewis Apparition (Jon Lewis), Friday, 3 August 2012 16:49 (eleven years ago) link
I've never seen Exorcist II--is it worth a watch?
― WARS OF ARMAGEDDON (Karaoke Version) (Sparkle Motion), Friday, 3 August 2012 19:28 (eleven years ago) link
I've only ever seen Hercules on Telemundo
I had to read this three times. I wish "Hercules on Telemundo" was a real movie.
― Marco YOLO (Phil D.), Friday, 3 August 2012 19:34 (eleven years ago) link
not really
― giallo pudding pops (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 3 August 2012 19:42 (eleven years ago) link
Exorcist II is a big fucking mess but it has vision to spare. And one of the best horror scores of all time from Morricone.
― Lewis Apparition (Jon Lewis), Friday, 3 August 2012 19:43 (eleven years ago) link
It's way better than Zardoz which is awesome for about an hour and then should simply be turned off.
― Lewis Apparition (Jon Lewis), Friday, 3 August 2012 19:44 (eleven years ago) link
The idea that any movie could be 'way better than Zardoz' is false.
― WARS OF ARMAGEDDON (Karaoke Version) (Sparkle Motion), Friday, 3 August 2012 20:31 (eleven years ago) link
Well, it's not better than the first half of Zardoz...
― Lewis Apparition (Jon Lewis), Friday, 3 August 2012 21:30 (eleven years ago) link
The Exorcist II trailer is amazing.
― tokyo rosemary, Saturday, 4 August 2012 00:31 (eleven years ago) link
Ok ive only ever seen Exaclibur on tv in the 80s or on an old VHS copy. Wow, it looks incredible. Amazing cinematography. Terrific performance by Merlin, too. The sex/death scene is incredible. All the visual effects in this are composed really well. What a gorgeous movie. I really hate that movies no longer use color like this.
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 4 August 2012 01:22 (eleven years ago) link
You will float on the dragon's breath!
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 4 August 2012 01:24 (eleven years ago) link
Merlin's voice is at points like a good glass of red wine.
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 4 August 2012 02:03 (eleven years ago) link
King Arthur freaking out in Merlin's psychedelic jungle, Merlin telling him to chill out and accidentally shooting lightning, so awesome.
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 4 August 2012 02:17 (eleven years ago) link
Hell yeah Patrick Stewart getting medieval with a huge axe.
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 4 August 2012 02:27 (eleven years ago) link
Merlin whispers into the horses ear.
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 4 August 2012 02:28 (eleven years ago) link
Cool trippy pop art Jesus in the church where Arthur marries.
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 4 August 2012 02:52 (eleven years ago) link
Rad golden dragon statue they have at the castle.
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 4 August 2012 02:57 (eleven years ago) link
Boorman must like round tables. There's one of them in Zardoz as well.
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 4 August 2012 03:02 (eleven years ago) link
lol, envious. wish i could see it again for the first time.
― contenderizer, Saturday, 4 August 2012 03:08 (eleven years ago) link
"There are other worlds. This one is done with me."
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 4 August 2012 03:16 (eleven years ago) link
The last grail night has a real Jodorowsky vibe. The grail search has some homages to The Holy Mountain.
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 4 August 2012 03:44 (eleven years ago) link
last grail knight i mean
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 4 August 2012 03:45 (eleven years ago) link
yeah, the guy who plays percival even looks a little like jojo
― contenderizer, Saturday, 4 August 2012 04:22 (eleven years ago) link
The acting in this movie is so ridiculous. This scene:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipSZn5qcJds
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 4 August 2012 14:24 (eleven years ago) link
Liam, Liam ...
Nah, this movie is everything it should be. OTT behavior in an OTT world is its raison d'etre.
― Loo Reading (Capitaine Jay Vee), Saturday, 4 August 2012 15:35 (eleven years ago) link
Well, that's for sure. Talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 4 August 2012 15:38 (eleven years ago) link
hella headbands in this picture
― Lie Bot (fireland), Saturday, 4 August 2012 18:06 (eleven years ago) link
The sheer amount of sparkliness in this movie is overwhelming. Also note that Liam wears almost the same outfit (with added sparkliness) in the Clash of the Titans remake.
― WARS OF ARMAGEDDON (Karaoke Version) (Sparkle Motion), Thursday, 9 August 2012 07:25 (eleven years ago) link
gets points for being made 7 years after Python
jeez, what an ass on Lancelot
― touch of a love-starved cobra (Dr Morbius), Sunday, 15 February 2015 09:04 (nine years ago) link
some hip NYC dad brought his 9-year-old to this. haha, fuct for life.
― touch of a love-starved cobra (Dr Morbius), Sunday, 15 February 2015 09:07 (nine years ago) link
did not recognize Arthur as Derek Jarman's Caravaggio either
― touch of a love-starved cobra (Dr Morbius), Sunday, 15 February 2015 17:07 (nine years ago) link
I thought the older gaunt & bearded Arthur looked very similar to his Caravaggio. The Lancelot actor died quite young iirc, well in his late 40's.
― xelab, Sunday, 15 February 2015 17:41 (nine years ago) link
The King is dead. Long live The King.
http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/may/03/nigel-terry
― Acid Hose (Capitaine Jay Vee), Monday, 4 May 2015 16:48 (nine years ago) link
Also a great Caravaggio. RIP.
― Acid Hose (Capitaine Jay Vee), Monday, 4 May 2015 16:50 (nine years ago) link
this is the best movie ever made
― intern at pepe le pew research (Simon H.), Tuesday, 27 April 2021 02:54 (three years ago) link
aka Boorman's Wagner mixtape - not watched it in years, but saw it a few hundred times in the 80's. It's ace.
― calzino, Tuesday, 27 April 2021 07:17 (three years ago) link
Those hairstyles are historically inaccurate, crimpers weren't invented till the 1970s
― john p. coltrane in hot pursuit (Matt #2), Tuesday, 27 April 2021 08:24 (three years ago) link
a guy gets so horny he successfully gallops atop a mist and it's like the 50th wildest thing that happens in this movie
― intern at pepe le pew research (Simon H.), Tuesday, 27 April 2021 13:01 (three years ago) link
way funnier than monty python
― intern at pepe le pew research (Simon H.), Tuesday, 27 April 2021 13:05 (three years ago) link
without doubt the coolest Merlin in any King Arthur movie as well
― calzino, Tuesday, 27 April 2021 13:05 (three years ago) link
It's the chrome skullcap that does it.
― but also fuck you (unperson), Tuesday, 27 April 2021 13:35 (three years ago) link
the Merlin actor (Nicol Williamson) was originally meant to do the seemingly cursed role that Ian McKellen eventually took in Apt Pupil. From what I can gather from imdb, first James Mason was approached for it but he shortly after died of a heart attack. Then Richard Burton was considered and died of a cerebral haemorrhage before he was approached. then Nicol Williamson (who was a boozer and smoking 80 a day at one point) is listed for the role on the abandoned Apt Pupil production!
― calzino, Tuesday, 27 April 2021 13:53 (three years ago) link
I presume it was abandoned cos he died that year.
― calzino, Tuesday, 27 April 2021 13:55 (three years ago) link
Might’ve mentioned this years ago upthread but Boorman’s commentary on the og dvd is great. Also, Mirren and Williamson didn’t like each other and that tension was there throughout the filming.
― SQUIRREL MEAT!! (Capitaine Jay Vee), Tuesday, 27 April 2021 15:25 (three years ago) link
need to hear that commentary
― intern at pepe le pew research (Simon H.), Tuesday, 27 April 2021 15:47 (three years ago) link
boorman would be a good candidate for the "people who have figured out how to live" thread
also I assume Ned already knows about this but:
Then there are the ones that got away. The hits (such as Rocky and Alien) he turned down because the scripts left him cold. Or the passion projects he was forced to abandon. Boorman estimates that he spent more time on the films that didn’t get made than on those that did.In the early 70s, for instance, he corresponded with JRR Tolkien about a screen adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, a full 30 years before Peter Jackson brought it safely home. Boorman wanted to shoot the whole saga as a single three-hour picture. “I saw it as this big dystopian story,” he says. “And in this house, upstairs, we papered the walls with each scene. We’d look at it, stare at it and try to get some sense out of it. And I had all sorts of solutions. I was going to cast nine- or 10-year-old boys as the hobbits. Put them in makeup; beards and things. And then dub them with adult voices.”Jesus, I say. It would have been a disaster.“Yeah well,” he chuckles. “It might have been.”
In the early 70s, for instance, he corresponded with JRR Tolkien about a screen adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, a full 30 years before Peter Jackson brought it safely home. Boorman wanted to shoot the whole saga as a single three-hour picture. “I saw it as this big dystopian story,” he says. “And in this house, upstairs, we papered the walls with each scene. We’d look at it, stare at it and try to get some sense out of it. And I had all sorts of solutions. I was going to cast nine- or 10-year-old boys as the hobbits. Put them in makeup; beards and things. And then dub them with adult voices.”
Jesus, I say. It would have been a disaster.
“Yeah well,” he chuckles. “It might have been.”
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/feb/13/john-boorman-you-think-the-holy-grail-is-lost-no-i-have-it-on-my-piano
― intern at pepe le pew research (Simon H.), Tuesday, 27 April 2021 15:51 (three years ago) link
so many hoofbeats
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 20 October 2021 08:51 (two years ago) link