Director: John Boorman Starring: Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Gabriel Byrne, Liam Neeson, Cherie Lunghi, Nicholas Clay. Plot: As the title would suggest, the film follows the travels of the legendary sword Excalibur through Arthurian myth, from the violent, powerful hands of Uther Pendragon, to a long-years’ rest in the stone to being redrawn by Uther’s son Arthur, who uses it to defeat the evil invaders and establish the great court of Camelot and the great Knights of the Round Table. It is there in Arthur’s glory years and in his decline, brought on by the love affair between his wife Guinevere and best friend and best knight Sir Lancelot, the Holy Grail Quest which produces many casualties among the knights, and the arrival of Mordred, the son Arthur had by his evil half-sister, the sorceress Morgana. Through it all, the magician Merlin watches over everything, always ready to throw in a Charm of Making when it’s called for. Locations: Luggala Estate and Lough Tay, in the Wicklow Mountains near Roundwood, were used for many of the locations including the final scenes when Perceval throws Excalibur back into the lake and a hand rises from the water and catches the sword. Other locations used are Powerscourt Waterfall near Enniskerry, for the fight between King Arthur and Lancelot. Childers Woods, which are part of Glendalough Estate, were used for many of the jousting scenes. Wicklow Head and Ardmore Studios in Bray, and old woodland area near Oldbridge, Lough Dan were also used. Info: John Boorman was originally aiming at making a movie based on “The Lord of the Rings”. However, he did not acquire the rights, and decided to make this movie instead. All the forests shown in this movie are a mile away from director John Boorman’s home in Ireland. Igrayne, The Lady of the Lake, and young Mordred were all played by director John Boorman’s real-life children: Katrine Boorman, Telsche Boorman and Charley Boorman. View Excalbur in a larger map
