Alexander Luthor

 

  











  

 
















Indeed, the merit of Boorman in this movie, which makes it almost unique among the many titles that exist on King Arthur's legend, is to have told this story coming back to its most distant origins, which have their roots in the ancient Celtic world and in its mythology, abandoning and ignoring completely all the subsequent influences belonging to another age; influences that instead are prominent in the text of Malory.

the concept of the "Dragon"; the fact that in the movie it is the betrayal of Lancelot and mainly the betrayal of Guinevere, to cause the weakening of King Arthur, and so the decadence of the Kingdom; for to renew the Kingdom it is so necessary to find the lost Grail, and the Secret of the Grail itself. As someone says, certainly there are been times in which King Arthur repented for having drawn the sword from the stone, but he never renounced his quest.


-the story of Uther Pendragon;
-Arthur becoming King, and his conquests;
-the story of Lancelot and Guinevere;
-the decadence of the Kingdom and the quest for the Grail;
-Mordred and the death of King Arthur;


It is night, and a great and fierce battle is fought, by torchlight: it is the war between Uther Pendragon and the Duke of Cornwall: the last battle of Uther to unify all the lands under his dominion.
Soon it appears Merlin, the sorcerer, dressed with his dark black mantle, and with his dragon-staff. He gazes at the great slaughter, and calls Uther, who rides on the field of battle. Uther cries to Merlin, saying "I am the strongest. I am the Chosen-One!", continuing to kill men in great number with his mighty battle-axe. The King asks to Merlin the Sword of Power, Excalibur, promised to him by Merlin himself, the sacred symbol of the unity of kingship. Merlin answers to Uther saying "And you shall have it, but to heal, not to hack". Merlin ask to Uther a truce, but Uther refuses, saying "Talk.Talk is for lovers; I need the sword to be King".



Then Merlin goes to the mysterious Lady of the Lake, who entrusts the sacred sword to him: it is a very magic moment of the movie, and a very beautiful and deep music accompanies this moment, while the sword come out from the waters, in the hand of the Lady of the Lake.
In the next scene, Uther, on the back of his black horse, shows the Sacred Sword to his last enemy, the Duke of Cornwall, the war being not yet finished, and all warriors are very amazed at the sight of the Sword of Power. Then Merlin says to all of them: "Behold the Sword of Power. Excalibur. Forged when the world was young ... and birds and beasts and flowers were one with men...".
Then, instructed by Merlin, Uther says to all: "One Land. One King. That is my peace, Cornwall". The Duke yields to the sword and so also to Uther, and the latter says to the Duke: "The land from here to the sea shall be yours, if you enforce the King's will". The Duke accepts the peace of Uther, and invites the King to his castle, for to feast together their alliance and their recovered unity.
At the manor-house, both the King and the Duke make a blood-pact between them, for to seal once again their friendship. But here, among musics and dances, Uther sees Igrayne, the Duke's wife, and he is spellbound by her beauty. The Duke, full of pride for his wife, says to Uther, haughtily : "You may be King, but no queen of yours could even match her". The enchantment of Uther grows even more, while Igrayne dances as ordained by the Duke.
The Duke sees the desire of Uther, and, enraged, makes and end to the truce. So the war starts again, and the siege of the Duke's castle begins.
Meanwhile, Uther is in search of Merlin, who is enraged for the lust of the King, that has broken the peace, awaited for so long times. But he, nor his warriors, cannot find the sorcerer; instead it is Merlin himself who comes to Uther, during the siege, saying to him: "I have walked my way since the beginning of Time. Sometimes I give, sometimes I take. It is mine to know which and when". Uther asks the help of Merlin, who, full of rage, says to him: "Years to build and moments to ruin, an all for lust". But Uther is deep enchanted by Igrayne, and Merlin agrees to use the magic powers for the king's purpose to seduce her, yet saying: "You will swear by your true kingship: what issues from your lust shall be mine".
Uther accepts, and he swears it by Excalibur, and Merlin uses his powers. During the spell, Merlin speaks to the King about the Dragon, saying: "I have awoken the Dragon. Can't you see, all around you, the Dragon's breath?".
Meanwhile, the warriors of Uther withdraw, and the Duke pursues them. Merlin transforms Uther into the semblance of the Duke, and so, riding on the mist ("the Dragon's breath") upon the cliff and the sea, and accompanied by a magic and mysterious music, the King goes to the castle, to Igrayne, who thinks her husband has returned. In reality the Duke dies during the assault. No one recognizes Uther, apart the young Morgana, the daughter of the Duke and Igrayne. This scene ends with the meaningful words of Merlin: "The future has taken root in the present. It is done".
Igrayne gives birth to Arthur, the war is ended, and Uther goes to her for to see his child. When he sees him, he says: "All I know is how to butcher men. From now on, I shall learn to love them. I am weary of battle. I shall stay by his side ... and his mother's".
But two crows appear, and then Merlin comes, for to take the child.
The sorcerer says: "It's not for you, Uther...hearth and home, wife and child".
And Uther answers: "To kill and be King, is that all?", and Merlin: "Perhaps not even that, Uther. No one trusts you for what you have done. You're not the chosen-one. Give me the child, I will protect him".
So Merlin takes the child with him, and later Uther pursues him, but the King is ambushed by the remaining warriors of the Duke. Uther dies, but before he thrusts Excalibur into a great stone. Merlin, with the child in his arms, sees all, saying: "he who draws the sword from the stone, he shall be King. Arthur, you are the one". 
 

Then begins the second part of the story.
The scene opens with a jousting tournament of warriors, the bests of whom will tries to draw Excalibur from the stone. And at this tournament comes Sir Ector, together with his son Kay and Arthur, who was brought to him by Merlin when he was a child.
During the contest, Arthur, searching a sword for Kay, his weapon being stolen, sees Excalibur, and he draws it from the stone. All the knights then gathered around him, amazed for his act, and then also Merlin appears, who reveals to him and to all the knights Arthur's birth.
Some of the warriors accept the rule of Arthur and his right to be King, as child of Uther; but many others do not believe in Merlin, and do not recognize Arthur as King, being he furthermore a young man without experience of war.

So the knights part, and a new war begins between the followers of Arthur and the others. Arthur, confused about his own destiny, goes to Merlin, who speaks to him about the Kingship and the Dragon.
Arthur then, counselled by Merlin, guides the war against those who do not recognize him as King: Arthur and his followers counter-assault the siege of Leondegrance's castle and finally he wins the war. Furthermore all the knights accept Arthur as King, also Uryens, who was his greatest opponent, and who, recognizing Arthur's value and right, says, in a moving and touching scene: "I am your humble knight ... and I swear allegiance to the courage in your veins ... so strong it is ... its source must be Uther Pendragon. I doubt you no more".
Then a great feast is celebrated by all, and Arthur falls in love for Guenevere, the daughter of Leondegrance, in spite of the warnings of Merlin: "I see Guenevere, and a beloved friend who will betray you".


Few years later, Arthur encounters Lancelot, a brilliant knight, and after a combat, he swears his fidelity to the King, becoming his best warriors, his champion.
But for to win over Lancelot, Arthur uses the power of Excalibur, and the magic sword is broken; Merlin shocked says: "You have broken what could not be broken. Hope is broken"; and Arthur, shameful, answers: "My proud broke it. My rage broke it. I used Excalibur for to win. I have lost for all time the ancient sword of my Fathers ...whose power was meant to unite all men ... not to serve the vanity of a single man. I am nothing".
Arthur throws the sword in the lake, but the Lady of the Lake suddenly appears, and she gives to him the restored Excalibur.




The next scene shows Arthur and all his knights gathered on a hill: after a series of battles in all the four quarters, they have unified all the land.
And Arthur says: "The wars are over. One land one King. Now the peace rules".
Then appears Merlin, and all the knights and Arthur encircle him, under the red flag of the Dragon. And Merlin, at the centre of that circle, says to all of them: "Look upon this moment. Savor it. Rejoice with great gladness. Remember it, always ... for you are joined by it. You are one under the stars. Remember it well then, this night ... this great victory ... For it is the doom of men that they forget"; and King Arthur says: " Merlin, your wisdom has forged this ring".
Then Arthur decides to build the castle of Camelot, to create a Round Table, and to marry Guenevere, saying, not knowing the future: "And the land will have an heir to wield Excalibur".



Then starts the third part of the movie, dedicated to the love of Lancelot and Guenevere, the wife of King Arthur: it is the betrayal against Arthur, by his champion and by his wife.

Speaking with Merlin in his castle, Arthur asks his help: "I need you now, more than ever", but the sorcerer answers: "This is the moment you must face at last, to be King, and alone".
Arthur after finds the two asleep together in the forest, and he thrusts Excalibur between the couple. Lancelot awakens, and at the sight of the sword of power, he flees in shame, crying desperately: "the King without a sword, the Land without a King!".
Meanwhile Merlin, before to leave this world, leads Morgana in a cave, where there are "the coils of the Dragon".
But when Arthur abandons Excalibur, Merlin is wounded, and Morgana, having grabbed from the sorcerer the "Charm of Making", traps him in a huge crystal.
Then Morgana, with her new magic powers, seduces Arthur taking the form of Guenevere: from Morgana and Arthur Mordred is born.




So it begins the decadence of the Kingdom and the weakening of King Arthur himself: the famines rule the land.
Arthur says to his knights that for to renew the Kingdom, the Holy Grail must be founded: "We must find what was lost ... Search the land, the labyrinths of the forests, to the edge of within".

The knights start the quest, many years pass, and many warriors die on the search.
At last, after many difficulties, Parsifal founds the Grail and its secret, afterwards he brought it to King Arthur, who drinks it: he is so healed and renewed.







After the finding of the Grail, there is the last melancholy part of the movie: the war between Arthur and his child Mordred.
Arthur goes to Guenevere, who have hidden Excalibur, and after, he starts the gloomy conflict.
Merlin, still trapped in the crystal, speaks to the sad King: "You brought me back. Your love brought me back. Back to where you are now... in the land of dreams". Then Merlin goes to Morgana, and he deprives her of the magic powers.

Then there is the epilogue of the movie: Mordred and King Arthur kill each other in the war. The dying Arthur then commands Parsifal to throw the Sword of Power into a pool of calm water, saying: "One day a King will come ... and the sword will rise again". Parsifal throws Excalibur into the pool, and the Lady of the Lake takes it.






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