This is one of the 10 Fantastic Movies You Must See in Your Lifetime: 43 years after its release, we’ve rarely done it better!

Uther Pendragon receives the mythical sword Excalibur from the wizard Merlin. When Uther died, the sword remained frozen in a granite stele. Only the young Arthur, the illegitimate son of Uther, manages to brandish the sword Excalibur and with this gesture becomes the king of England. A few years later he married Guinevere and united the Knights of the Round Table. But his half-sister, the evil Morgana, manages to have a child with Arthur, which forces him to sacrifice…

The fantasy genre is pretty littered with lame and largely forgotten works, most of them born in the opportunistic wake of Conan the Barbarian’s huge success. Fortunately, some, significantly earlier, were able to leave an indelible mark.

Not without some irony, it was precisely because he failed to produce an adaptation of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings that the great John Boorman ended up directing Excalibur. According to the famous work Le Morte d’Arthur Written in 1485 by Thomas Malory, Burman brings the Arthurian myths wonderfully to life in an epic that is magical and dreamlike. But also cruel and very violent, where fate is cut with an axe; Filled with scenes that have become iconic, such as Arthur’s ride to the final battle Carmina Burana by Carl Orff.

Some of the scenes and special effects are now kitsch, but are perfectly highlighted by the work of cinematographer Alex Thomson, who will be nominated for an Oscar for his work; Literally the only quote from the movie.

It’s also an opportunity to admire the fabulous cast: Helen Mirren, Patrick Stewart, Liam Neeson and Gabriel Byrne, as yet unknown; And of course the wonderful Nicole Williamson as Merlin. The latter will have, unfortunately, a very uneven cinematic career after this film, not exceeding the height of his talent, which he expresses more on stage.

There are an industry-leading number of adaptations and variations of the King Arthur legend on the small and big screen. In fact, very few manage to rise to the level of John Boorman’s masterpiece, which remains a genre benchmark 43 years after its release.