Excalibur

An absolute classic film directed by John Boorman who gave us Deliverance. Based on Malory's l'Morte d'Arthur, the story follows the squire Arthur as a boy who would unite Britain against enemies far and wide and ultimately shape his destiny as the Once and Future King. The cast is full of Shakespearean actors like Nicol Williamson, Patrick Stewart, Nigel Terry, Helen Mirram and many others besides. Liam Neeson has one of his first major roles in this. Ignore the naysayers here. It is beautifully made and full of magic, mayhem, as well as a famous score in O Fortuna by Carl Orff. Be warned, it does have scenes of a sexual nature as well as lots of blood and violence. Should be an 18 really but kids are used to much worse nowadays than this (it was made in 1981). For me it wasn't long enough...

Still very watchable after all these years despite a mostly unknown cast, well at least for me. Not in the least bit historically accurate Lee like the modern versions but instead stick's to the Arthurian legend and the Pendragon bloodline. Deep in mystical fantasy with a crazy Merlin wearing a tin foil hat before they'd been heard of, great photography, overall just a great fantasy. Now this is a remake i think people wouldn't object too although I'm sure it would get spoiled by the modern Hollywood treatment. Recommended as a good movie but a must watch for anyone remotely interested in the story and legend of King Arthur and Camelot, it's got the lot.

This film has to be watched with a sense of humour. Yes, the acting is generally poor and the history decidedly ropey. But it's great entertainment as long as you don't take it too seriously. And the performance by Nicol Williamson as Merlin is outstanding. There is no doubt he is the star of the movie and it's worth watching just for his quips, one-liners and looks that say more than any number of words. The scene when he is telling Arthur about "the dragon" touches upon a deeply profound philosophical concept and is just one of his many pithy insights about life scattered throughout this medieval romp. Worth watching. As a film I would give it 3 stars, but Merlin is so good it gets 4.