Directed by:
John BoormanScreenplay:
John BoormanCinematography:
Alex ThomsonComposer:
Trevor JonesCast:
Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Nicholas Clay, Cherie Lunghi, Nicol Williamson, Robert Addie, Gabriel Byrne, Liam Neeson, Corin Redgrave, Katrine Boorman (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
Necromancer Merlin (Nicol Williamson) offers the magic sword Excalibur to the warlike Uther Pendragon (Gabriel Byrne) in exchange for a promise that he'll make peace with his enemy, the duke of Cornwall (Corin Redgrave). He agrees but breaks his word after catching sight of Cornwall's wife, Igraine (Katrine Boorman). With the magician's help he makes love to the woman in the guise of her husband. She bears a child, Arthur, who is taken by Merlin as payment for his assistance and left in the care of Ector (Clive Swift). Years pass, and the boy, now a humble squire, pulls Excalibur from the stone in which Uther had sunk it--a task no other could accomplish. With Merlin's counsel, he marries the stunning Guenevere (Cherie Lunghi), finds a champion in Sir Lancelot (Nicholas Clay), subdues the skirmishing knights, and builds the Round Table to unite them. Yet his half-sister, Morgana (Helen Mirren), lurks in the shadows, preparing to poison her brother's reign. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
Nigel Terry
UK
Best movies:
Blue (1993)
Excalibur (1981)
The Lion in Winter (1968)
Helen Mirren
UK
Best movies:
The Audience (2013) (theatrical recording)
Shakespeare Live! From the RSC (2016) (theatrical recording)
Prime Suspect (1991) (TV movie)
Nicholas Clay
UK
Best movies:
Excalibur (1981)
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1983) (TV movie)
Evil Under the Sun (1982)
Cherie Lunghi
UK
Best movies:
The Mission (1986)
Much Ado About Nothing (1984) (TV movie)
Hornblower: The Duchess and the Devil (1999) (TV movie)
Robert Addie
UK
Best movies:
Robin Hood and the Sorcerer (1983) (TV movie)
Excalibur (1981)
Merlin (1998) (TV movie)
Gabriel Byrne
Ireland
Best movies:
The Usual Suspects (1995)
Enemy of the State (1998)
Dead Man (1995)
Liam Neeson
UK
Best movies:
Schindler's List (1993)
Batman Begins (2005)
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Corin Redgrave
UK
Best movies:
In the Name of the Father (1993)
Excalibur (1981)
Shackleton (2002) (TV movie)
Katrine Boorman
UK
Best movies:
Excalibur (1981)
Camille Claudel (1988)
Hope and Glory (1987)
Patrick Stewart
UK
Best movies:
Hamlet (2009) (TV movie)
Logan (2017)
The Hollow Crown (2012) (series)
Ciarán Hinds
UK
Best movies:
Hamlet (2015) (theatrical recording)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
Road to Perdition (2002)
Brid Brennan
UK
Best movies:
Excalibur (1981)
My Sailor, My Love (2022)
Felicia's Journey (1999)
Charley Boorman
UK
Best movies:
Excalibur (1981)
Deliverance (1972)
Hope and Glory (1987)
Paul Geoffrey
UK
Best movies:
Excalibur (1981)
Agatha Christie: Poirot (1989) (series)
Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)
Clive Swift
UK
Best movies:
Excalibur (1981)
Frenzy (1972)
Young Toscanini (1988)
Prudence Wright Holmes
USA
Best movies:
Excalibur (1981)
Sister Act (1992)
First Reformed (2017)
Keith Buckley
UK
Best movies:
Excalibur (1981)
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
The Eagle Has Landed (1976)
Conor Lambert
Best movies:
My Left Foot (1989)
Excalibur (1981)
Intermission (2003)
Garrett Keogh
Best movies:
Excalibur (1981)
Angela's Ashes (1999)
Evelyn (2002)