Director: John Boorman
Starring: Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Gabriel Byrne, Liam
Neeson, Cherie Lunghi, Nicholas Clay.
Plot:
As the title would suggest, the film follows the travels
of the legendary sword Excalibur through Arthurian myth,
from the violent, powerful hands of Uther Pendragon, to
a long-years' rest in the stone to being redrawn by
Uther's son Arthur, who uses it to defeat the evil
invaders and establish the great court of Camelot and
the great Knights of the Round Table. It is there in
Arthur's glory years and in his decline, brought on by
the love affair between his wife Guinevere and best
friend and best knight Sir Lancelot, the Holy Grail
Quest which produces many casualties among the knights,
and the arrival of Mordred, the son Arthur had by his
evil half-sister, the sorceress Morgana. Through it all,
the magician Merlin watches over everything, always
ready to throw in a Charm of Making when it's called
for.
Locations:
Luggala Estate and Lough Tay, in the Wicklow Mountains
near Roundwood, were used for many of the locations
including the final scenes when Perceval throws
Excalibur back into the lake and a hand rises from the
water and catches the sword.
Other locations used are Powerscourt Waterfall near
Enniskerry, for the fight between King Arthur and
Lancelot.
Childers Woods, which are part of Glendalough Estate,
were used for many of the jousting scenes. Wicklow Head
and Ardmore Studios in Bray, and old woodland area near
Oldbridge, Lough Dan were also used.
Info:
John Boorman was originally aiming at making a movie
based on "The Lord of the Rings". However, he did not
acquire the rights, and decided to make this movie
instead.
All the forests shown in this movie are a mile away from
director John Boorman's home in Ireland. Igrayne, The
Lady of the Lake, and young Mordred were all played by
director John Boorman's real-life children: Katrine
Boorman, Telsche Boorman and Charley Boorman.
