Word: excalibur
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...proceeds to give the broadsword treatment. To the chorus's strains of "hurrah for the pirate king," the song concludes with the king in an epic pose, with his new weapon, holding it above his head in an outstretched arm, completely oblivious to the fact that it is not Excalibur. It is an inspired and unprecedented touch that instantly reveals the winsome befuddlement of a buccanneer who refuses to plunder orphans and yields at once when Queen Victoria's name is involved...
...Since Excalibur cut its swath through box offices this spring, every movie producer with high ideals and $10 million has come up with the same surefire formula: make a hit from a myth. At superficial glance, Clash of the Titans would qualify as the cycle's first ripoff, and a pallid one at that. It proceeds at a pace that must seem stately to tots reared on TV cartoons and the current batch of Saturday matinee-type features. It rarely ascends into exhilaration or slumps into camp. The direction of some actors is pedestrian, if not oafish...
...cult classic, Night of the Living Dead, has earned $55 million worldwide. The audience reaction to Romero's perfervid shockers has always been poised between a scream and a giggle. Now, with Knightriders, Romero has taken a bigger risk: he blends Arthurian legend with modern-day bikers-Excalibur meets Easy Rider-and dares the audience to laugh at the noble exploits of working-class jousters. The Camelot caravan juggles lofty ideals and hand-to-mouth reality as it journeys from one small town to another, exhibiting swordsmanship in battles where fellowship precariously reigns and only feelings get hurt. They...
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...