5世紀末、戦乱が続く英国。湖の精から王者の聖剣エクスカリバーを授かったユーサーだが人妻イグレーンに横恋慕し、魔法使いマーリンの魔力を借りて彼女を一晩わがものにする。だがその代償として、やがて生まれた息子アーサーをマーリンにさらわれ、落胆した末に命果てる。やがて青年に成長したアーサーは、生前ユーサーが岩に突き立てて以来、誰も抜けなかったエクスカリバーを軽々と引き抜き、英雄となる自分の運命に目覚める。
製作費: $11,000,000 (17億円)
興行収入: $35,000,000 (53億円)
推定収支: $24,000,000 (36億円)
※製作費・興行収入はTMDBのデータを参照しています。収支は(興行収入 - 製作費)で算出したFindKey独自の推定値であり、広告宣伝費や諸経費は含まれません (1ドル=150円換算)。
監督: ジョン・ブアマン
脚本: トマス・マロリー / ジョン・ブアマン / Rospo Pallenberg
音楽: トレヴァー・ジョーンズ
制作: Edgar F. Gross / Robert A. Eisenstein / ジョン・ブアマン
撮影監督: アレックス・トムソン
制作会社: Orion Pictures / Cinema 84
***Eccentric depiction of the medieval myths surrounding King Arthur*** In the late 400s Merlin the sorcerer of Britain takes advantage of the lust of King Uther (Gabriel Byrne) for a Duke’s wife, Ingrayne (Katrine Boorman), to grant him a boy who becomes King Arthur of Camelot (Nigel Terry) when he pulls Excalibur from the stone, a magical sword. Arthur marries Guenevere (Cherie Lunghi), but when Lancelot (Nicholas Clay) joins the Knights of the Round Table the two experience a profound affinity for each other. Meanwhile, Arthur’s half-sister, Morgana (Helen Mirren) is intent on incestuous deception to produce a son, Mordred. The script to this acclaimed 1981 film by John Boorman was adapted from Sir Thomas Malory's “Le Morte d'Arthur” (“The Death of Arthur”), published in 1485. The Arthurian folklores are used as an allegory of the succession of birth, life, decline, and renewal. The resulting film is reminiscent of works of mythography and is therefore episodic in nature. For instance, the sequence where the concept of the Round Table is established comes and goes in an awkward way. Another example is at the 95-minute mark where the story switches to the Knights’ search for the Holy Grail, which focuses on a heretofore unknown knight. Needless to say, the story’s not consistently compelling because the movie’s too segmented. The middle part detailing the romance between Guenevere and Lancelot, and the ramifications thereof, is the best part as far as that goes. The first half hour is a little convoluted, story-wise, and I suggest using the subtitles to discern accented dialogue and to keep track of the odd names. The search for the Holy Grail in the last 45 minutes breaks the film’s momentum because it feels tacked on. Nevertheless, if you can roll with the hammy acting, the melodrama and the episodic framework, there are a lot of positives to enjoy. Some good examples include: the beautiful sylvan locations, the fairy tale-like castles & sets, the imaginative costumes (e.g. the armor), the lovely ladies and the lush colors. Also, the soundtrack/score, which greatly utilizes “O Fortuna” by Carl Orff and a few pieces by Richard Wagner, is notable. Meanwhile, watch out for a young Liam Neeson as the knight Gawain. The big flaw here is that the story lacks steady thrust. For that, check out the more reality-oriented “First Knight” (1995) and “King Arthur” (2004). The film runs 2 hours, 20 minutes and was shot entirely in Ireland. GRADE: B-/C+
A fun “retro dark fantasy” movie with applaudable historical accuracy, peak 80s visuals, with some campy moments. A gem of the 80s that holds up well today
