And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Excalibur!
I admit I have an interest for fantasy movies in the eighties because they strike me as looking more gritty and grungy than the fantasy movies made in a post-Lord of the Rings world. I will argue that the eighties produced some solid fantasy movies (ie Labyrinth, Conan the Barbarian, Never Ending Story and this) with a unique look that has never since been replicated.
As for the movie itself, this was a decent retelling of the stry of King Arthur and indeed setting a benchmark for future adaptations. Ever since I was a young lad I'd always associated King Arthur with the stories of heroism that made them famous - so it is indeed a surprise to see this adaptation boasting lots of grittiness, blood and sex. No way around it: Excalibur is King Arthur viewed through the lens of eighties Low fantasy and is all the better for it.
Special mention must also go to the use of music with O Fortuna and Siegfried's Funeral March
Plus it's fun to see a young Gabriel Bryne, Patrick Stewart, Liam Neeson and Helen Mirren.
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