Excalibur (film)

Excalibur
Theatrical release poster by Bob Peak
Directed byJohn Boorman
Written by
Based onLe Morte d'Arthur
by Thomas Malory
Produced byJohn Boorman
Starring
CinematographyAlex Thomson
Edited byJohn Merritt
Music byTrevor Jones
Production
companies
Orion Pictures
Cinema ‘84
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release dates
  • 10 April 1981 (1981-04-10) (United States)
  • 2 July 1981 (1981-07-02) (London)
Running time
141 minutes[1]
Countries
LanguageEnglish
Budget$11 million[6]
Box office$35 million (US/Canada)[7]
A motif from Wagner's Götterdämmerung, which was used prominently in Excalibur as the theme for the sword

Excalibur is a 1981 American-British-Irish epic medieval fantasy film directed, cowritten and produced by John Boorman, that retells the legend of King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table, based loosely on the 15th-century Arthurian romance Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Malory. It stars Nigel Terry as Arthur, Nicol Williamson as Merlin, Nicholas Clay as Lancelot, Cherie Lunghi as Guenevere, Helen Mirren as Morgana, Liam Neeson as Gawain, Gabriel Byrne as Uther and Patrick Stewart as Leondegrance. The film is named after the legendary sword of King Arthur that features prominently in Arthurian literature. The film's soundtrack features the music of Richard Wagner[8] and Carl Orff,[9] along with an original score by Trevor Jones.

Boorman's Excalibur began development as an unproduced adaptation of The Lord of the Rings.[10] The film was shot entirely on location in Ireland and at Ardmore Studios, employing Irish actors and crew. It has been acknowledged for its importance to the Irish filmmaking industry and for helping launch the film and acting careers of a number of Irish and British actors, including Liam Neeson, Patrick Stewart, Gabriel Byrne and Ciarán Hinds.[6][obsolete source]

Reviewers praised Excalibur's visual style. It won the award for Best Artistic Contribution at the 1981 Cannes Film Festival,[11] and received an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography and a BAFTA nomination for Best Costume Design. It grossed $35 million in the United States and Canada on a budget of $11 million.[7]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference bbfc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Excalibur". American Film Institute. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  3. ^ "Excalibur". Lumiere Database. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  4. ^ "Excalibur". Swedish Film Database. Archived from the original on 30 May 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  5. ^ "Excalibur (1981)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 31 May 2017.
  6. ^ a b Doyle, Rónán (27 January 2011). "Boorman honoured as 'Excalibur' hits 30". Film Ireland. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  7. ^ a b "Excalibur". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  8. ^ Extracts from Tristan and Isolde, Parsifal, Der Ring des Nibelungen: Twilight of the Gods
  9. ^ Extract from Carmina Burana
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference suburban was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ "Festival de Cannes: Excalibur". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 17 July 2014.