Word: boorman
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Excalibur. Or: "Camelot Goes to Woodstock." Writer-Director John Boorman recasts the Arthurian legends as a fable for our time and all time, with the most voluptuous evocation of pastoral imagery since Days of Heaven...
...Still, Boorman provides some dazzling images: Uther riding across a sea of dragon's breath: a bizarre scene that crosscuts an act of adultery with the gruesome death of the betrayed husband: Perceval, hanging, nearly dead, as his Other Self reaches for the Holy Grail. Alex Thompson's garish cinematography gives every scene a fantastical fiery glow and Anthony Praff's production design is, by inappropriate turns, marvelous and ridiculous. For instance, most of his medieval castles have a finely detailed primordial look, but his contrast to these palaces, the new and civilized Camelot, is a high-tech Xanadu full...
...outset. Boorman creates just the right mood of mystery and high adventure. After the opening credits tell us that we're in The Dark Ages ("The Land was divided and with a King.") we're thrust into a bloody battle between small armies of knights on horseback. Their armor splattered with blood and mud, they fight against the background of a bright orange sky, the bloodshot sun hanging low. The strange atmosphere of unreality intensifies with the entrance of Merlin (Nicol Williamson) who emerges from the mist covered in black robes, his head adorned with a glistening silver skull...
UNFORTUNATELY, AFTER THE FIRST SEQUENCE--the tale of Uther's winning Excalibur and the conception of Arthur--the film slows down and Boorman's pacing remains erratic for the next two hours. Boorman gives us almost the entire legend: young Arthur's gaining Excalibur: Merlin's education of the young king: Arthur's courting of Guenevere: the establishment of Camelot: the love triangle of Arthur. Guenevere, and Lancelot: the search for the Holy Grail: the power struggle between Arthur and his half-brother/son (through incest) Mordred. Alas, the film stumbles between episodes, failing to connect the careful pattern...
...While Boorman does not make Excalibur the extravagant tour-de-force it might have been, he does manage a fine depiction of an ageless tale without excessive tribute to the contemporary schlock impulse. If the times demand adventure stories, they should all aspire to the plain intelligence of Excalibur...