Excalibur : Widescreen Edition

Greatest movie ever!!!

Love the music and the storyline is pretty accurate. Not your mothers Camelot.

I'm old enough to have seen this when it first came out, decades ago, and I have to say it is still just as powerful today. Masterful casting, great acting, a nice, spooky overlay to the Arthurian legends. We watch it over and over.

A blast from the past.

I remember seeing this as well as I remember seeing the first Star Wars show as a kid.Now, 40(?) years later it's more enjoyable seeing all the old actors & actresses when they were "young" and just getting started...or landing their "break out" roles.

There are better movies out there, but few are as awesome as John Boorman's "Excalibur". Growing up a fan of Arthurian legend, I remember watching this for the first time and and being a little put off by its 1980s bombasticity. At first, Nicol Williamson's performance as Merlin seemed strange and Nigel Terry as Arthur didn't feel quite right for a film's hero. But getting deeper into its story of Pagan magic, gleaming armor, epic chivalry, and trippy visuals, it was easy to be absorbed by it all. I was captivated by its sheer epicness, it's timeless story, and I was in awe by the time the credits rolled. Since then, the movie has only gotten better. Nicol Williamson, perhaps one of the most underrated actors in history delivers a monumental performance as Merlin. It only took growing up for me to realize that. It'd be so easy for an actor today like Ben Kingsley or Liam Neeson to come in and sleepwalk through the role of Merlin, or even ham it up for a paycheck. Nicol Williamson does something else. He brings it. His performance is remarkably varied. It's both big and subtle. He can play funny, threatening, and warm all at once, and it's thrilling to watch. Nigel Terry is also wonderful as Arthur. His work early in the film seems strange because it's not how we usually think of King Arthur. But by the film's end, he fully embodies the nobility, age, and weariness of this great character. Terry convincingly portrays the growth of Arthur from a 15-year-old boy to a 50 year old man. Other lead performers include Cherie Lunghi as Guenevere, Nicholas Clay as Lancelot, and of course Helen Mirren as the villainous Morgana. The rest of the cast is rounded out by a veritable who's who of future acting greats - Liam Neeson, Patrick Stewart, Ciarin Hinds, Gabirel Byrne and more, all in what were their first big movie roles. The movie features a brilliant soundtrack of powerful classics music by Wagner and Orff. Is there anything more awesome than 50 knights in full armor riding into battle scored to Carl Orff's "O Fortuna" from "Carmina Burana"? Not really. Did I mention the movie is also rated R? Any remake made today would most certainly neuter the film's sex and violence to secure a PG-13 rating. I have no doubt that this film will endure as the definitive King Arthur movie.The Blu-ray features a very good transfer. It doesn't look like it was made yesterday, but nor should it. The film was often shot with filters to achieve a diffuse, dreamy look and the video transfer accurately reflects this. So don't expect razor sharp images. Otherwise, it's clean and film-like. There's a touch of controversy regarding the film's framing. Some sources claim it was shot at 1.66:1. I'm unsure what ratio is was exhibited at in the UK. I would've thought 1.85:1 was the norm by 1981. Regardless, it screened at 1.85:1 in US theaters and has been framed at 1.85:1 (or more accurately 1.78:1) since at least DVD. If the filmmakers had an issue with this, I imagine they would have spoken up by now. Regardless, it looks good. I have no problems with the Blu-ray's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, but I admit I'm not as discerning when it comes to audio.As for extras, this disc includes a very good but old commentary by Director John Boorman. His comments are insightful and it makes for a good listen. Also included is the film's theatrical trailer in SD. That Warner Home Video has not given this film the special edition treatment yet is a cause for great shame. Such a landmark film deserves more. Recently, there was some movement on a fan-funded documentary which interviewed Boorman and members of the film's cast. Hopefully Warner will pick it up and release a proper special edition. Is that too much to ask for?

I bought this DVD for my son's graduation. It was the perfect gift for 18 years of school. He doesn't need anything else but to. Rewatch, this time and time again. that life's a struggle when you get older but you need to fight back even Dear old lady cheats on you and your son wants to kill you, Thank god for merlin and his comic relief

Have had this movie for a long time, just wanted the blu ray upgradeExcellent

Disk was fine.Movie was great

Ce film est un véritable chef-d’œuvre, autant l’esthétisme que la musique. A posséder absolument.

Blijft een klassieker met goede soundtrack, ook het commentaar van Boorman is op zich wel interessant.Beeld ziet er goed uit , audio alleen 5.1 surround -puntje voor het ontbreken originele mix.en natuurlijke ondanks beloofde Nl ondertitel -punt voor afwezigheid daarvan op deze Italiaanse Blu-ray.Engels SDH doet het ook wel

Que decir de este clásico,la mejor película basada en la leyenda de Excalibur.Su banda sonora le va como un guante y le pone un dramatismo y epicidad a las escenas como pocas películas han conseguido.

Always loved this movie and bought it on video then dvd and now blu-ray. Pity it was not remastered like a lot ofMovies but still a great movie