EXCALIBUR: For People Who Love Shiny Things

EXCALIBUR Limited Edition (Blu-ray)

1981 / 141 min

Arrow Video 

Review by Mr. Paws😺

In addition to its gorgeous aesthetic, Excalibur was sort of unique for the time. Here was a big budget, live action fantasy film aimed squarely at adults, boasting copious amounts of nudity, sex and brutal violence (that scene of a crow plucking out a dead knight’s eyeball still gets to me). For the most part, only Heavy Metal magazine and the occasional album cover offered such gratuitous gifts on a regular basis. The film transcended its genre, attracting an audience who normally wouldn’t be caught dead watching one of these things. Hell, even my parents went to see it, which is really saying something because Dad always hated this shit. 

Not to let an opportunity go to waste, Excalibur was later re-released in an edited PG-rated version to grab the kiddie crowd. Studios did that sometimes, most memorably when Paramount took the splicer to Saturday Night Fever. But at least the music and dancing was left intact, which was that movie’s main appeal in the first place. But a de-fanged Excalibur? Why bother? I only bring it up because this Blu-ray release from Arrow includes the original and edited-for-TV versions of the film. I don’t know if the latter is the same as the PG cut, but I wasn’t ready to sit through it to find out. Still, it’s here for the curious. 

Aside from Deliverance, Excalibur arguably remains director John Boorman’s most fondly remembered film, a sprawling, visually stunning epic that walks that fine line between high art and high camp. From a narrative standpoint, it’s all over the place, but this was never something you watched for the plot. Excalibur has always been a movie of moments (of which it has plenty), its lulls compensated by striking cinematography and production design. Best to settle in and immerse yourself in the imagery, violence, music and the perverse pleasure of beautiful people doing terrible things…

A shiny kingdom is a happy kingdom.

…and Excalibur is chock full of beautiful people, some who’d later become big stars, such as Gabriel Byrne, Helen Mirren, Patrick Stewart and Liam Neeson. The performances are generally exaggerated and over-the-top, most of the cast delivering overtly grandiose dialogue and delivered with such seriousness that the result is sometimes unintentionally funny (Nigel Terry as King Arthur & Nicholas Clay as Lancelot still make me chuckle). The big exception is Nicol Williamson as Merlin, the lone actor who appears to be having fun in his role and steals every scene he’s in. He’s also the closest thing the film has to (intentional) comic relief.

Still, the actors and characters ultimately take a backseat to the real stars: Boorman’s flamboyant direction and Alex Thompson’s Oscar-nominated cinematography. These days, I suppose Excalibur might seem a little quaint compared to Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films, but remains a unique visual experience that’s been very nicely restored in all its shiny, colorful, soft-focus glory for this 3-disc release. It also comes with two audio options, the original mono and DTS-HD 5.1. In addition to two cuts of the film, there’s an entire disc of new and archival bonus features. Arthur and his knights never looked so good.

EXTRA KIBBLES

NOTE: Free Kittens Movie Guide was provided with a promo disc for review purposes. Physical supplemental material included with the final product (booklets, artwork, inserts, etc) were not available for review.

TV VERSION - An interesting curio, and maybe worth watching once for a few chuckles.

THE MAKING OF EXCALIBUR: MYTH INTO MOVIE - Neil Jordan’s on-set documentary, which I seem to remember airing on HBO back in the day.

EXCALIBUR: BEHIND THE MOVIE is another, more recent documentary featuring numerous cast/crew interviews.

NEW INTERVIEWS - Individual interviews with director/co-writer John Boorman, John’s son & actor Charley Boorman, Neil Jordan, production designer Anthony Platt, co-writer Rospo Pallenberg and 2nd unit director Peter MacDonald (MacDonald’s interview is the longest and most entertaining).

DIVIDED NATURE - An appreciation by Howard S. Berger and Kevin Marr.

3 AUDIO COMMENTARIES - 1) By Boorman biographer Brian Hoyle; 2) By filmmaker David Kittredge; 3) By director John Boorman.

2 TRAILERS

5 IMAGE GALLERIES