The legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table receives its most impressive screen treatment in Excalibur, from visionary director John Boorman (Deliverance, Hope and Glory). All the elements of Sir Thomas Malory's classic Le Morte Darthur are here: Arthur (Nigel Terry) removing the sword Excalibur from the stone; the Round Table's noble birth and tragic decline; the heroic attempts to recover the Holy Grail; and the shifting balance of power between wily wizard Merlin (Nicol Williamson) and evil sorceress Morgana (Helen Mirren). With Patrick Stewart, Gabriel Byrne and Liam Neeson in notable early screen roles, Excalibur serves up, The New Yorker's Pauline Kael wrote, "one lush, enraptured scene after another."
The myth of King Arthur brought once again to the screen. Uthur Pendragon is given the mystical sword Excalibur by the wizard Merlin. At his death, Uthur buries the sword into a stone, and the next man that can pull it out will be King of England. Several years later, Arthur, Uthur's bastard son, draws Excalibur and becomes King. Guided by Merlin, Arthur marries Guenevere and gathers the Knights of the Round Table. Arthur's evil half-sister Morgana sires a son with him, who may prove to be his downfall.
The legends continue with Carmina Burana, part of BSO’s Fate's Power concert repertoire!
BSO concert-goers receive a $1 ticket discount by entering the promo code BSOPickford on the payment screen at Pickford’s online checkout or by using it in person at the box office. Discounts are also offered to anyone with a ticket stub from our recent February 1st concert.
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Boorman's Excalibur began development as an unproduced adaptation of The Lord of the Rings. The film was shot entirely on location in Ireland
Excalibur won the award for Best Artistic Contribution at the 1981 Cannes Film Festival, and received an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography and a BAFTA nomination for Best Costume Design.
During filming, Liam Neeson and Helen Mirren became romantically involved, and lived together for several years thereafter.
Classical music excerpts by Richard Wagner ("Siegfried's Funeral March", "Prelude to Parsifal", "Prelude to Tristan and Isolde") and Carl Orff ("O Fortuna") feature prominently in the film. The original underscore was written by Trevor Jones, the South African composer's first score for a major feature film. The score was performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
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