The story? The cast? What makes this film the most dramatic and memorable of all the Arthurian re-tellings, even though it is three and a half decades old, and was done at a time when CGI was in its infancy? Mainly (with one exception, explained below) its Boorman, clearly one of the greatest and most passionate directors of his era, his films pop off the screen into the cortex of the viewer. Each scene is framed with passion. The early part of the story where magic is used to fool the wife of the elder Pendragon into believing that her husband has returned "early" is possibly one of the spookiest and yet most engaging scenes of its kind. It haunts you for years after. And the second factor to consider is Nicol Williamson, himself one of the most charismatic and intense actors of his era. His Merlin is equally iconic, unforgettable, driven, and the portrait of a man trapped within his own destiny. Even his accent (an odd mix I cannot clearly define) makes each sentence he utters that much more profound. An astonishing film, equal parts myth, action, fantasy, romance and also a strange creepy horror which no film since has captured or emulated.
Review of Excalibur
