Monday at the Movies - May 15, 2017

Welcome to another installment of “Monday at the Movies.” There’s a new King Arthur film at the box office this week... this is not a review of that movie.

Excalibur (1981) – Amid the dismal reviews for Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, I went back to the well for an ostensibly definitive film of the Arthur legend which I’d managed to miss, even amid an Arthurian phase in my adolescence. Although there are moments that, oddly enough, recall a straight-faced Monty Python and the Holy Grail, John Boorman’s Excalibur is otherwise iconic and epic, sweeping in a way that sometimes makes the film seem episodic because of its steadfast refusal to identify a singular protagonist. Is it Merlin (Nicol Williamson, delightfully quirky as the aging wizard), the magician who shepherds England to prominence even as his time is passing? Is it Arthur (Nigel Terry), the squire who has greatness thrust upon him? Or is it the sword, whose absences and presences account for the failures and triumphs of Camelot? Boorman isn’t choosy, which allows the legend to spread out and take on a proper epic fantasy form. In just over two hours, Excalibur squeezes in the sword in the stone, the assembly of the Round Table, the grail quest, Lancelot’s affair with Guinevere, and the final battle with Mordred – a far-reaching and ambitious effort that aims to do more in one movie than most trilogies accomplish. Keep your eyes open, since Excalibur stars a number of soon-to-be major stars in supporting roles: Helen Mirren turns up as the sultry Morgana, the mother of Arthur’s adversary Mordred, while Patrick Stewart, Liam Neeson, and Ciarán Hinds pop in as knights of the round table. Excalibur has a visual style that sets a standard for mystical medieval fare and an admirable amount of ambition befitting its subject matter.

That does it for this week’s edition of “Monday at the Movies.” We’ll see you next week!