The only good King Arthur movie

[@DamienWalter]

That 80s scifi movie you watched on VHS when you were 12? Much, much darker than you remember kzbin.info/www/bejne/kKjIpZudi9ipma8si=WClmNsOm1ri_ZaRg

[@hal900x]

No, it's about as dark as I remember. Very. But then, I saw it in the theater. I wasn't supposed to be in there, mind you. I was 15. As a lover of fantasy, D&D, etc...I was blown away.

[@slartibartfast7921]

Hahaha. I was 8, and it was a copy of a copy of a copy… was very bad. Great movie though.

[@Fantredath]

"It's not a question of how he Grips it! It's a simple question of weight ratios!"

[@cobrakhan1284]

Thank god, someone who understands the greatness of Excalibur.

[@JCIce007]

Putting Arthur himself in the Fisher King role was an inspired choice. It not only saves time, it gives the holy grail more relevance to the narrative.

[@DocSanders]

I never considered it THE best. I don't think like that. I simply ignore the plethora of crap out there. Third graders can do what they want.

[@bottlethrower1544]

Easily in my Top 3

[@TheSighphiguy]

leaps and bounds the best! but laugh all you want... ...I like the Clive Owen version(King Arthur) AND the Connery/Gere/Cross version(First Knight). both were great FUN!

[@ThursoBerwick]

Flawed film, but its qualities are so great. The scenes with the grail and the Lady of the Lake are pulled off sensationally. In other people's hands they would have been awful.

[@DeAlpineBro]

"Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government." Dennis, Monty Python's "Holy Grail".

[@synanthony]

But it’s a badass sword.

[@maildotmjk]

I believe you mean watery tarts

[@bbb462cid]

@@maildotmjk But he's right, you know.... _You can’t expect to wield supreme executive power just ’cause some watery tart threw a sword at you_

[@bbb462cid]

Come see the violence inherent inn the System!

[@BarryHart-xo1oy]

Unfortunately,Dennis’ comment makes a lot of sense.

[@ULTRAOutdoorsman]

I said, "it's Excalibur" and then I clicked on the video.

[@chriscasperson5927]

I looked at the thumbnail, saw that it was Helen Mirren, and said, "Goddam right!"

[@zimriel]

we all did although shout-out to The Sword In The Stone. I assume it loses points for Disney not having the stones... enough to film the rest of TH White's vision.

[@throwback19841]

@@zimriel it is a different beast entirely, but it is a good King Arthur movie

[@jma00a1]

excalibur really the bar for any to follow.

[@jimslancio]

So did I.

[@vee-bee-a]

A dream, to some... *A NIGHTMARE, TO OTHERS!*

[@AniwayasSong]

Merlin absolutely *ROCKS* in this movie! I'm also a huge fan of his "For it is the doom of Man, that he forgets!" Absolutely bad-ass!

[@throwback19841]

@@AniwayasSong Excalibur... forged when the world was young and bird and beast and flower were one with Man and death was but a dream...

[@AniwayasSong]

@@throwback19841 ^5! :-)

[@RedTBasco]

🤣

[@TexasNight]

What's _THIS !?_ I never saw _THIS!_

[@jamesconorobrien5449]

"Excalibur is the only good King Arthur movie ever..." Is true, for Boorman, like Wagner, transformed it into a grand opera.

[@RoonMian]

The Kid Who Would Be King (2019)

[@Albtraum_TDDC]

@@RoonMian nice kids movie

[@deaddocreallydeaddoc5244]

The lay of Excalibur was a spinoff of the myth cycle that Wagner used for The Ring of the Niebelugen. The film also imitated Wagner's vehicle of depicting the f"all of the gods" in its own way. The great thing about the Arthurian legend and "Excalibur" is that it steals back for Christian usurpation by asserting that the old ways and the sword will return. Of course, Tolkien's works figure into this as well. Nicol Williamson was a close friend of Tolkien, doing a recorded reading of The Hobbit at one time. He also paraphrases Tolkien at the point when as Merlin, he speaks of the "age of men and their ways."

[@ThursoBerwick]

​@@deaddocreallydeaddoc5244It's derived originally from Celtic mythology, not Germanic. Very different sensibility. But the Germans did later adopt these stories, and they form the basis of Wagner's "Parsifal' and "Tristan und Isolde" rather than his Ring cycle.

[@frankgesuele6298]

👑⚔⚔👑

[@venalleader2909]

the scene where Arthur hands over Excalibur to his enemy so that he can be properly knighted might literally be the most epic scene in all of medieval cinema

[@joebombero1]

Keep it Eurience!

[@Rekaert]

"In the name of God, St Michael and St George, I give you the right to bear arms and the power to mete justice!" = chills.

[@djdksf1]

This film was everything to me as a kid. I must've watched it 20 or more times. As I got older and started grasping the Arthurian lineage in all its variety, it only became more and more impressive. How can something so earnest on the surface be so layered underneath? It's simply masterful storytelling.

[@TenchiBushi]

Excalibur is the best King Arthur movie ever

[@sgt_slobber.7628]

BAR NONE!!!!!;);)

[@user-dave56]

It's Holy Grail for me. "Excalibur" was a workmanlike piece though. Nichol Williamson was superb. But en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlin_(miniseries) was the best. IMHO Miranda Richardson as Mab better than superb.

[@technofilejr3401]

1:19 Don’t forget Gabriel Byrne, Ciaran Hinds and Sir Patrick Stewart

[@CorbCorbin]

Liam Neeson too.

[@davidhooper259]

Sir Patrick Stewart really hammed up in this movie. Is great and Star Trek but wow wow he was a shitty actor before that.

[@DavidGarcia-kw4sf]

A very good cast indeed.

[@Albtraum_TDDC]

@@davidhooper259 LOL your opinion is so wrong it's funny.

[@anthonyjackson280]

@@davidhooper259 you have obviously not seen PS as Sejanus in 'I Claudius'

[@4g0tten4]

My favorite scene in Excalibur was when young Arthur stops fighting his adversary after his objection that he was not yet a knight, and hands over the sword, and while the knight thought for a moment to use the sword against the boy, he proceeds to give Arthur his knightood and submits to him as king and blesses him for his bravery. I do not recall reading this in Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur, but this is a great addition to the Arthur myth.

[@skeletordanzig4999]

to the couage in your veins, so strong it is, it's source Must be Uther Pendragon!

[@marktracy1721]

​@@skeletordanzig4999Definitely

[@MrAndyBearJr]

@@skeletordanzig4999 I doubt you no more!! I am your humble knight.

[@uncletiggermclaren7592]

If I remember my Mallory aright, the Archbishop of Canterbury has the knights and nobles of the Islands ( not just the four, of course, but of all of them, White, Orkney, Mann, etc ) gather in "That greatest Cathedral there in London" which was the authors way of avoiding naming what had not been built yet, and when the People accept the miracles make Arthur King, it is just written without comment "And he ( the Bishop ) had the "best man there" knight Arthur" implied is that it is with the sword from the stone. Which is then made a votive offering to the cathedral and left on the altar.

[@jemwand2530]

There was a book I read, many years ago, which told the story from the perspective of Morgana, I can't remember the title but it was a damn good read... I think it could have been this one...Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon

[@DWNicolo]

It’s basically every single part of the King Arthur mythos crammed into one movie in a good way.

[@TsukiumisGuy]

Thats exactly right, and a lot of critics missed that.

[@Thurgosh_OG]

@@TsukiumisGuy I don't listen to or read critics remarks on films. They are a waste of time.

[@ThursoBerwick]

I can think of quite a few other aspects of the King Arthur mythos not in this film, but Boorman does capture the essence of this story somehow.

[@BarryHart-xo1oy]

Quite true.

[@pancakesnotwaffles3971]

Even including a nod to Tennyson! My heart ❤️

[@WorldofElsuon]

EXCALIBUR by JOhn Boorman is a masterpiece. No other adaptation of the Arthurian Romances even comes close. It stands alone.

[@stlawstlaw7585]

Absolutely. Cinematic art.

[@markdodson6453]

I clicked on this expecting a typical, shallow KZbin excerpt from some half-baked listicle -- but instead got a beautiful, thoughtful meditation on myth, humanity, masculinity, and mortality. A fantastic and rewarding surprise.

[@torq21]

Suddenly, I think I might actually watch this video.

[@keithmurray8278]

I spent a semester at university reading the Arthurian histories listed in the video (+more modern fiction) and the message of the class was basically what DW summarizes in the video: Arthur is a vehicle for national mythos applicable to so many peoples/cultures/nations that even if he wasn't a traceable historical figure his real significance is his importance to the people who told and continue to retell his story in their own way. Great watch!

[@DougHoward-rc9qw]

"Ahnahl nathrak uthvahd bethud dolchel neenveh." It's so strange I ended up memorizing the Charm of Making simply by watching this epic movie so many times. Truly an historic work of cinematic art.

[@LenaAlmgren]

I did too. I thought it was awesome they used that charm in “Ready player one” to put up and take down the shield.

[@kmcq692]

I’m proud to have thrilled to hearing the spell in that dystopian gamers movie from a couple years ago. My personal favorite Easter Egg.

[@kmcq692]

@@LenaAlmgren ha! 13 seconds apart!!

[@LenaAlmgren]

@ it is one of my favorite movies

[@LenaAlmgren]

@@DougHoward-rc9qwbring on the fog

[@joshuatordoff8041]

The coolest things about the movie, a little detail, was every time Merlin would appear, two ravens would appear before him. Giving that Odin/Wodan connection. Even now decades later, every time I see a crow, I look for another, thought and memory. Just an AWESOME movie all around.

[@NylonStrap]

I've seen this movie a dozen times and I have never noticed this. Thanks for the heads up.

[@peterandjunko]

“Come Father, let us embrace at last”. The most bad ass quote from this epic film and an appropriate end to this excellent video essay.

[@DamienWalter]

It's an amazing scene.

[@PhilipMReeder]

I have to admit it, when Ureyans is overcome with Arthur's goodness, and knights him with Excalibur, it makes me want to weep. I think at its core all men think of ourselves as a potential hero. Imperfect, lost at times, but always seeking something - better. When Arthur has broken Excalibur because of his impatience and jealousy of Lancelot's skill, then admits to himself "I am nothing" we find as Merlin states later what is most important - "Truth". Most importantly for each person, within ourselves.

[@ThursoBerwick]

I love that bit. You can see he is fighting it.

[@mvunit3]

@ThursoBerwick He's Shaking trying to control it and he can't, and Excalibur "singing out"! Man I freakin' LOVE Excalibur :D.

[@questerperipatetic4861]

"Guards! Knights! Squires! Prepare for battle!!!"

[@Valkanna.Nublet]

I don't know if this is a controversial statement, but I don't think Excalibur would be half as good without the exceptional Nicol Williamson as Merlin. Arthur ended up feeling like a side character in his own film.

[@chev39rsh]

definitely the best Merlin, not to mention best sound track revising Richard Wagner made it epic.

[@DisorderedArray]

My mythos is that the real Merlin turned up and played Nicol Williams.

[@arthurhanks401]

The thing is, Arthur is a side character for most of his own story! If you read Mallory, Arthur spends most of his time on his throne, presumably doing kingly things, while his knights are running around and having all the fun.

[@shawnn7502]

One of the greatest roles ever put to film. Just his voice gives me the chills.

[@anarchistangler]

Yeah and Lancelot stole the limelight too.

[@mikestanmore2614]

Yes. O Fortuna always draws to mind the image of Arthur's ride, healing the land as he rode through. "Excalibur may be the only film made after its' own parody", this made me smile, I always thought I was in the minority when I thought so!

[@lsu1992]

Getting apple blossoms stuck in his teeth.😂

[@robotic2000k]

A cinematic masterpiece and an almost perfect rendition of the Arthurian Legend.

[@berendharmsen]

Excalibur is for 'movies with knights' what Apocalypse Now is for 'Vietnam movies': masterpieces that transcend their genre and are something much more than any other movie they get compared with. And Merlin clearly steals the show.

[@splankhoon]

"For it is the doom of man that they forget." Many, many quotable lines from Merlin in that film. "Remember, there's always something smarter than yourself." Wonderful film.

[@DaveMiller2]

Cleverer than yourself.

[@oldhab7890]

The king without a sword. The land without a king. What a devastating result of betrayal.

[@Kmack840]

It was the perfect storm: 8th grade, getting into D&D, and reading Lord of the Rings. Then BAM, Excaliber drops in! I saw this movie at my best friend's house (whose parents had just installed cable tv) spring 1982 When it debuted on cable on HBO. I was blown away. I remember going home from that sleep over, and trying to describe that movie to my dad. I was overcome with excitement... A defining movie as a kid. THANK YOU for putting this together!!!!!

[@bbb462cid]

The boobs didn't hurt

[@OuterGalaxyLounge]

I saw it the day it premiered in 1981. I was utterly ecstatic over it.

[@andrewstrongman305]

Excalibur is a masterpiece that has become the definitive Arthurian story. For anyone interested in the armour, it was modelled on actual armour from the late 14th Century/early 15th Century. Although the story is set centuries earlier, the choice was deliberate. Although aluminium is used instead of steel, it's the first film to ever use 'real' plate armour. Adam Savage commissioned his own 'King Arthur' armour from Terry English, and made a series showing it's fabrication. It's well worth a watch!

[@tinderbox218]

Millennials and reactors seem not to have rediscovered this film yet. I've been waiting.

[@BarryHart-xo1oy]

I hope to God they do rediscover it-this movie deserves a contemporary revival.

[@petehjr1]

A Dream to Some! A Nightmare to OTHERS! (best line ever)

[@N_Loco_Parenthesis]

Explorers, in the further reaches of experience. Demons to some, angels to others.

[@CantankerousDave]

Merlin was a Cenobite?

[@alanconway94]

For it is the doom of men that they forget.

[@davidyatesyy]

I am old now but many years ago I saw this film in an "art theater" and it affected me so much that I immediately went home and buffed and shined all of my pots and pans! Perhaps I missed the point but my kitchen looked great.

[@DamienWalter]

KSAS - Knight In Shining Armour Syndrome

[@TheGreyRider-p5z]

Probably gay.

[@cquilty673]

There's the idea that comes through with every aspect of Arthurian legend I explore; men ARE ridiculous. But men are indispensable when you have trouble at your door. Thank you for seeing through the drama and saying it out loud. Even the greatest of men are and always will be imperfect.

[@Dubyel]

John F. Kennedy never saw the 1967 movie Camelot. He died in November 1963. What Jackie did say in a December 1963 interview with Life magazine was that JFK liked listening to records before bed and that the lines he loved to hear came at the very end of the song he loved most, "Don't let it be forgot, that once there was a spot, for one brief shining moment that was known as Camelot." She said, "There'll be great presidents again...but there'll never be another Camelot again." That quote is credited with starting the Kennedy administration being referred to as Camelot.

[@somercet1]

Correct. And Jackie never said whether they'd seen the musical. But Jack was Alan Lerner's Harvard classmate.

[@SeeFoodDie]

Merlin was the first guy to drop cryptic prophecies like they were tweets.

[@BeastMasterNeil]

You don't think Holy Grail is a good movie?! I fart in your general direction.

[@mtnimt4724]

Listen. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.

[@arthurhanks401]

I think you are right. While I quite like Excalibur, Holy Grail has had the most enduring cultural impact. It's also funnier.

[@raincoast_bear]

I think, like Excalibur, MP&tHG captures some of the surrealness of Arthurian narrative, which the more grounded, historical-styled Arthur movies obviously don't.

[@arthurhanks401]

@@raincoast_bear astute

[@IanM-id8or]

I'm not sure that the police turned up and arrested everyone in the original story. Let's face it, that was a big *cop out* ;-)

[@seanb.6793]

❤ Incredible Movie! Thank you for bringing a little more attention to it.

[@georgesdelatour]

The one other "good" Arthurian film is Terry Gilliam's The Fisher King.

[@DamienWalter]

True.

[@daveclare8968]

To be fair, Gilliam has directed two excellent Arthurian films.

[@OuterGalaxyLounge]

Good catch.

[@blondegirlsezthis8798]

Just a flesh wound!

[@bbb462cid]

I do not like the Fisher King. I saw it and recognized it for greatness and was impressed greatly by Williams' acting as well as the fairly brilliant way the film was handled but the film made me feel awful and helpless...and I understand that was the goal but I won't watch it again.

[@bottlethrower1544]

Anáil nathrach, ortha bháis is beatha, do chéal déanaimh!

[@RolandoRatas]

It has not been bested in decades, when I watched it as a kid in the 1980s it was almost like our The Lord Of The Rings back then. So many of the actors have died that appeared in this movie, the actors who played King Arthur, Sir Lancelot, Merlin, Mordred, Perceval, Uryens (great scene actually) ; etc. it's great though that they are immortalized in this great movie.

[@DamienWalter]

Boorman was originally slated to direct LotR, so this and Zardoz grow out if his thinking on that

[@JCIce007]

As a kid, I loved this movie (in its TV-edited form) just for the knights and clanging swords. In my teens and early 20s, I though it was cheesy and absurd, only to be enjoyed ironically. Now I'm 40 and I love it again as a distilation of Aethruian myths into an dreamlike epic.

[@EerieV23]

I understand this journey.

[@cane6074]

I always love the dreamlike and surreal quality of the movie, as well as the tug in cheek humor that's so subtly hidden within the story despite its overall serious tone. What's interesting is that the world that the story takes in is quite likely is a dreamworld because Merlin says so to Arthur at the end of the movie "Back to were you are now, in a land of dreams". As well as explains the strangeness of the world itself were the movie takes place in.

[@SuperSonicBaroque]

There has to be humor! But I don’t think it’s tongue in cheek; that would be if Boorman was winking at the audience, which he’s not.

[@cane6074]

@@SuperSonicBaroque Its not laugh out loud type of humor, its a sarcastic and dry type of humor that in the subtext of the situation in the form of how absurd or silly the proceedings are(very British in style). Such as when Arthur gives sword to his challenger and he's about to strike him down and then dubs him the king in the middle of battle that he was waging against him a minute ago. Damien himself say the movie is a few feet away from a Monty Python skeet, but stops short do how it handles the material in tone and style. The tone is serious overall and, but tongue and cheek humor is springled through out the film despite all that. It makes fun of kingship and knighthood, but treats them as worthwhile things in the end.

[@Marveryn]

@@cane6074 what is this what is this? i have not foreseen this

[@cane6074]

@@Marveryn Good one!

[@JForrestFisher--76]

What Hollywood really loves about King Arthur. It's an established IP that's in the public domain. Same with Dracula, Robin Hood, etc.

[@Dosbomber]

Don't tell Hollyweird about King Arthur... they've already destroyed so many great cultural icons with their idiotic "stunning and brave" narrative. They'll ret-con Arthur cheating with Lancelot instead of Guinevere.

[@ThursoBerwick]

Sherlock Holmes is another one.

[@DaveMiller2]

Excellent film. I own it.

[@JezebelIsHongry]

Anál nathrach, orth’ bháis’s bethad, do chél dénmha

[@asahelsmith9490]

Oh, my. I thought it was Latin! 😂 It is Welch!

[@N_Loco_Parenthesis]

@@asahelsmith9490 Irish.

[@questerperipatetic4861]

I've loved this movie since its release and have had that line memorized for near 45 years now. And I never knew what it meant. I feel like an idiot.

[@JaneEasterbrook-bn3ux]

​@@N_Loco_ParenthesisDidn't Arthur kill a giant pig and an ogre in Ireland in some legends?

[@ThursoBerwick]

​@@asahelsmith9490Not quite, it's old Irish with some old Brythonic thrown in. As a Gaelic speaker I could understand much of ot.

[@thomaswakefield6889]

You forgot to mention that Patric Stewart also played in this movie

[@anthonysaunders345]

I studied this movie twice, once in high school, and once in film class in university. There are those that point out plate mail was not a thing in post-Roman Britain, and stone castles wouldn't be built for hundreds of years until Norman Britain, but they're missing the point. Excalibur is heavily stylized, symbolic and rife with mythos, and they are all making a statement. I won't get into film theory here because it would take more time than the movie is long, but it is a brilliant adaption of the lore.

[@bbb462cid]

When Legend surpasses Truth, print the Legend

[@anthonysaunders345]

@bbb462cid legends are more fun, anyway. 🙂

[@roberthiltz2741]

Thank you for showing such appreciation for one of the most important films of my youth. The music, color and atmosphere set the stage for my cinema loving life since I saw it as a child. Well done sir

[@LarrysLibrary]

That theme music for Excalibur is haunting and unforgettable. Powerful!

[@paulwilson3057]

Wagner at his best

[@mroctober3657]

The Old Spice commercial.

[@questerperipatetic4861]

Tristan und Isolde

[@paulwilson3057]

@questerperipatetic4861 listened to that soooo much as a young man. 🫶

[@stevecowder4774]

I remember seeing this at a theater, right after it was first released. To this day, I’d never seen another King Arthur movie that was better. This one is just magically special with its drama and scenery. Not to mention a really good cast.

[@boogerie]

Umm actually the film adaptation of "Camelot" was produced & released years after JFK's death. Jackie was referring to the original Broadway musical with Richard Burton as Arthur

[@JaneEasterbrook-bn3ux]

A great Welsh actor as a Welsh king!!

[@williamblakehall5566]

An extraordinary movie can be a license for actors to say extraordinary lines. I remember Excalibur best for its lines.

[@markkeogh2190]

On a slight tangent - The green knight - is very good. Similar trippy vibes to Excalibur. And also made in Ireland.

[@DamienWalter]

Yes, I liked it.

[@garrenosborne9623]

Yep I got some major synchronicities around watching it + hairs on neck standing to attention in parts attesting to its symbolic potency.for me, examining it helped resolve a life dilemma, as all good stories do. I dare say people have had transcendental experiences watching pythons Holy Grail, a profound insight is not profound at all humour can get in its way. The atoms of story - symbols are so powerful {& dangerous...which makes them powerful} that even if some fk wit mixes them like Beaker from the muppets guy riches style, if you walk into the cave your still come out different. Not all symbol mixes are equal though, some become epic... thanks for appreciating Boorman's

[@JCIce007]

The Geen Knight is like the Grail quest sequence from Excalubur expsnded into a whole movie. For me, that was too much trippiness for too long a time, though it is a beautiful-looking movie.

[@bobdhitman]

I highly recommend it. I don’t recommend after consuming an ungodly amount of thc.

[@xhagast]

Loved it.

[@gmansard641]

One thing about the "Holy Grail" is that Graham Chapman played Arthur almost completely straight. You could transplant his performance directly into "Excalibur" with little modification. Look at the scene where he's arguing with Dennis the Anarcho-Syndicalist peasant. Both characters are almost completely serious, the comedy derives from the clash between 20th century ideology and a mythologized seventh century. Part of the "Holy Grail's" genius is that you need to know the original legends to appreciate it. The Python troop were quite a scholarly bunch, they knew their history and legends.

[@Choalith_Ikanthe]

It literally took me years to have it suddenly connect that the Rabbit was a perfect reference to Caith Palug. The Monty Python troop were always so bloody clever.

[@Asankeket]

A story about mythic truths indeed. And the beauty of such mythic truths is that you can feel them even if you're unable, for the time being, to put them into words. I watched Excalibur when it came out, and no other adaptation since has ever come close to its impact. Especially Merlin will always be the Merlin in Excalibur for me.

[@zahiramalakh6352]

I can't even tell you how many times I've watched Excalibur. It's a masterpiece.

[@sandman4876]

One reason you didn't mind paying $1100 in 1983 money for a VCR Rewind and watch again, not enough appreciation give to the VCR, breaking of the chain

[@jasonp.1195]

Very impressive overview of the Arthurian history mythos and its depiction across history and cinema. Yes, Excalibur is a fantastic movie, but this video covered so much more than that. Very well done Mr. Walter.

[@reidsoundz9905]

I’ve had girlfriends who refused to watch Excalibur w me because I literally recite every line through the whole movie. Been one of my all time favorites since I was 4 y.o.

[@themercer4972]

It is a great film, and I too know the lines well. But if you want someone to enjoy it, dont do that.

[@ken7165]

Wow I love the movie but that would be really annoying. Stop doing that.

[@questerperipatetic4861]

Ha. When I have trouble falling asleep I replay the movie in my mind, scene by scene, line by line, like mental comfort food until I nod off.

[@SWVA2TX]

Yes! Excalibur is the only movie to capture the power and magic of the myth. I've been an Arthurian enthusiast since reading Roger Lancelyn Green's retelling of the legends as a young teen. I saw Excalibur in its 1981 theatrical run at age 16. I was enthralled by the spectacle, which also sparked a love for Wagner that I realized later in life. I've been repeatedly disappointed by Hollywood's ham-fisted attempts to recreate the legends, though I do love Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Disney's The Sword in the Stone. But Excalibur is the pinnacle which I don't expect Hollywood to ever again reach. They don't understand, nor do they respect, this great literary cycle. Thank you for recognizing this beautiful and powerful movie. On a side note, I was once a history teacher, and I sometimes screened Excalibur for my World History students if I had the time. One student particularly loved it and asked me for reading recommendations to learn more about the legend. She visited me at school a few years later, informing me that my showing her Excalibur led to her majoring in English literature with an eye to becoming a professor in that field. One of my proudest moments!

[@tonys6538]

Yes, this movie was the perfect telling of Mallory’s book, the cast, cinematography and the great Wagner based score will never be equaled. I saw this film in the cinema the first week it was out I was 19 at the time, it made a lasting impression on me. It is still one of my all time favorite films.

[@Aikidragon_Prime]

This came out a few years after I started playing D&D. Yes, I consider this the best (serious) telling of the King Arthur story, to this day.

[@numb3r5ev3n]

This is one of those movies that I somehow missed growing up in the 80s, that I finally broke down and watched after nearly all my friends urged me to see it immediately. It instantly became my favorite King Arthur film. It's also one that I frequently leave on in the background as I do chores, etc.

[@johnwatson3948]

This is some really good commentary. We were in film school in 1981 and became fans of Excalibur, seeing it in the theater more than once. Paradoxically one of the great things in the movie is the realistic dirty and distressed look seen earlier in Holy Grail - this is one of the failings of the other shiny and perfect Arthur movies. The use of the Wagner music was also brilliant.

[@xlerb2286]

Merlin (Nichol Williamson) totally made that movie. It would have been an ok but nothing special movie without him. Trivia tidbit: The green glow of the Trollhunter's armor in the Netflix Trollhunter series, as well as the general style of the armor itself, was inspired by Excalibur.

[@nodatastored684]

And strangely, not on streaming, after two years of asking

[@JaneEasterbrook-bn3ux]

Thank God I have the dvd!

[@issadad]

Could not agree more! We see Tennyson: "an arm rose up from out the bosom of the lake, clothed in white samite, mystic, wonderful..." What more could you want?

[@cyclonasaurusrex1525]

I went through KA phase in my 20s. Read everything. Watched a ton of movies. You are 100% correct

[@alienlovearts]

Have always felt the same. One can watch Excalibur an infinite number of times and it still holds up. Nicol Williamson’s portrayal of Merlin is bold and indelible. Thank you for celebrating this sparkling gem of a film.

[@HalJalikakik]

Inarguable premise. Great cast (even Charlie Boorman was good 😂), excellent screenplay, and the score is rousing. I hope they never try to remake this.

[@OakandIV]

I wouldn’t say the pythons were trying to destroy the myth. One of the secrets of good satire is that you can only successfully deconstruct a genre or story that you have deep and usually affectionate knowledge of. Otherwise, the deconstruction rings hollow. In many ways, Monty Python & The Holy Grail is one of the best Arthurian movies. It’s a bawdy tale mocking the nobles and the mighty to the laughter of the plebs, even as they drink to the King’s health. I love Excalibur, and fully agree that it is the best Arthurian film. I don’t think we will ever see its equal.

[@mrpocock]

There is an excellent Cambrian Chronicles episode on Author. I think Excalibur was the first proper fantasy film for grownups that i remember watching.

[@HammerdownProtocol]

Excalibur brings the mythic out of Malory's story. You're right. Nothing else comes remotely close to topping this masterpiece.

[@FlintStone-c3s]

I really loved Excalibur movie, so over the top glossy it was surreal yet enchanting, maybe it was the epic sound track.

[@planetdisco4821]

Saw it when it came out at the cinemas. The hero’s journey personified! Magnificent

[@PaulVanderKlay]

Oh, I can't agree more. And it came out at just the right time in my life. My nerdy group of high school friends were at the peak of our DnD fascination when the movie came out and were just old enough to get into an R-Rated movie. You are so right with this one. :))))

[@thescarletandgrey2505]

My favorite scene was when Arthur fights Lancelot, loses at first, downtrodden now that his sword is broken. Then with Excalibur restored he defeats Lancelot. Such a good film visually

[@GlennFleetwood]

He breaks Excalibur defeating Lancelot...

[@blueconcretezebra]

Arthur, the once and future king who sleeps until his time comes again. That time has come, Arthur return and free us from the terrible, venal, corrupt politicians!

[@Stoffstoffer]

ya he will come back.... get brought up to speed on the modern world and will lock himself in his room with porn

[@blacksquirrel4008]

Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government

[@blueconcretezebra]

@@blacksquirrel4008 It might be better than the system that landed us with what passes for government today though. But of course you are correct.

[@JaneEasterbrook-bn3ux]

​@@blacksquirrel4008Can't be worse than this labour government!

[@ThursoBerwick]

Arthur is among other things, a type of Jesus and also a representation of the bear ("arth" in Welsh) which hibernates during the winter.

[@maxiegrobner9018]

Never received the acclaim it so richly deserves much like Time Bandits.

[@randicus1030]

I saw this movie first when I was 13. I thought it was cool then. I'm 57 now and I still LOVE this movie. Hellen Mirren was a smoke show in her day. 😍

[@jeffreywillstewart]

" Annal nathroak eyuths bevuse dothea' yenve!" I watched this so many times I know Morgan as spell. Maybe that's why my life turned out so well. Hmmmmm.

[@PirateJacques79]

4:27 - Apart from 'X-Men', which came out a year after 'Mystery Men'.

[@DamienWalter]

Nice, yes.

[@dansemacabre6515]

100% agree with your title! Boorman is the *ONLY* filmmaker to ever actually study the Fisher King & Grail Romance source material

[@JaneEasterbrook-bn3ux]

Oh, so that's why I like it! I have Welsh relatives and ancestors!

[@kennichols3992]

I loved the shout-out for Knight Riders. That movie received so little attention but was oddly quite good.

[@spacetoast2491]

I agree, I been a fan of this movie since the 80s. When I played Dungeons & Dragons, I was dipping into this world. When I thought of armor, I thought of this armor. Excellent movie.

[@kennethlivingston9108]

I loved this movie so much that I bought the Blu-Ray TWICE! (2nd. time by accident!)

[@EerieV23]

I am about to check my collection, before I buy it on Blu-ray. I have done this before!

[@PaulHFleming]

Arthur: " Can you make her love me?" Merlin (extremely upset) " I did that for your Father. It took me nine Moons to recover - NEVER again!!!"

[@renaissancepoet]

I was 17 years old when I saw Excaliber in the theater. You are right. It is absolutely the only good King Arthur movie!

[@schrodingersjet1043]

I had not heard that Jack and Jackie Kennedy liked the MOVIE Camelot, I had heard they liked the PLAY Camelot.

[@KenjiMapes]

I watched this when it was playing on cable as a kid & fell in love with the actress playing Morgan Le Fey. Didn’t realize it until years later that the actress playing Morgan was a young Helen Mirren. Helen was a total babe then & is a total cougar babe now. She was an actual girl boss - a crazy vengeful girl boss but a girl boss nonetheless in Excalibur.

[@pmsteamrailroading]

When you see the part where Uther and Igrayne are “ doing it” Igrayne is played by the director’s daughter. Something I find a little strange. She said being so close to the fire in the background was the worst part.

[@rocketb00t]

I know it's terrible, but the Guy Ritchie King Arthur is SO . MUCH . FUN. I've been in mourning for years that we'll never a sequel, which would have undoubtably cast Michael Cain as Merlin.

[@vaulthecreator]

Not terrible in the slightest. I too love Guy Ritchies offering, it is a fun watch (snd that soundtrack 🥰) that doesn't take itself too seriuosly nor smack of pretentiousness. Don't get me wrong I adore Excaliber but on occasion it really feels like it's got a stick firmly up it's arse.

[@jemwand2530]

the Laddy of the Lack, looked remarkably like Twiggy of the 80's, admittedly a bit more waterlogged. A truly moistened bint.

[@henrikg1388]

The musical score is carried by Wagner more than Orff. Besides, I think that the movie "Merlin", starring Sam Neill, deserves an honorable mention. 😎

[@TexRenner]

Excalibur was third on a triple feature at our local drive-in theater. I was a big fan of sword-and-sorcery flicks, which were popular at the time, so my wife and I had taken our one-year-old son for a night out. The early portion of the film is so dark it was unwatchable at an outdoor movie, but now that I've watched this favorable review, I may watch it indoors on our wall-sized TV.

[@chriscasperson5927]

@TexRenner yeah, Excalibur_ should only be watched where you can control the lights. It's one of the movie that moves on with technical evolution. I have a copy of this movie in every format, including Betamax.

[@marshalsea000]

Spot on, also recommend a look at Robin and Marian with Connery, Hepburn, Shaw, and Nicols again.

[@George-h3q6h]

Another movie that leaves Excalibur behind in the dust.

[@graemewilson7975]

Just because some watery bint gives you a sword dosent make you a king.... Excalibur derived from Malory , which had a earlier cinematic cousin briefly alluded to the sword in the stone (Disney when they competent) which was adapted from thWhites sword in the stone-a friendly version of boormans epic. Dismissed by many on its initial release as a ponderous pompous overlong and overblown movie EXCALIBUR has had the good fortune of repeat viewings on telly (at least in the 80/90s ) and a brilliant cast. Nicol Williamson defined Merlin with his quirky cadences and wonderful skull hat. Patrick Stewart, Gabriel Byrne, Helen mirren , corin Redgrave and a cast of up and coming actors all playing commendably straight faced and both the photographery and boormans use of classical music (o'fortuna is perhaps the odd man as it little more than a nazi wank piece) Absolutely stunning now as in 81

[@Nukemode]

Definitely agree with the title of this video. Excalibur is the only good King Arthur Movie.

[@walterreeves3679]

Sorry for being pedantic but Jackie was talking about the Broadway Musical being JFK's favorite, not the movie. That film wasn't made until 1967, some 4 years after he was assassinated.

[@catfancier270]

Love Excalibur!🥰

[@robertmyers5269]

Green!!! I love how the setting of your essay is a callback to the cinematography.

[@lsu1992]

It's a great movie, period.

[@BarryHart-xo1oy]

That moss-covered elephant sculpture Mr. Walter is standing next to is quite impressive.

[@DamienWalter]

It certainly is.