I can't say that Excalibur is one of my favorite films, but it is one of the few that takes the whole sword and sorcery genre seriously without being full of itself. There has been criticism that the full armor is totally out of place in what should be Dark Ages Britain, but I disagree. Mythology isn't about historical accuracy, and no knightly epic is realistic without the Pre-Raphaelite touch.
When I first saw it, I remember getting peeved at Lancelot using a chopped off pole arm as a hand weapon. I assumed it was another case of "Let's introduce another weird looking weapon." Somehow, I had forgotten that my Boys Big Book of Chivalry and Smiting the Muhammadeans and French featured the same type of hammer/spear/axe combination in most of the illustrations. Actually got to use a similar looking device once when opening a car door. Same theory really: get into a metal shell with a two handed can opener.
Excalibur was John Boorman's Plan B if a LOTR deal fell through, and he is rightly proud of it, not just for the film, but also for what he did for Irish film and actors. I like it because it offers a glimpse of what might have been. Of all directors, John Boorman offers the best version of what Elfhelm might look like, but in the end Excalibur suffers from "The Titanic is gonna sink" syndrome.
P.S. I once got smarter than you look points from a substitute teacher for spelling her name right. I was filling out a movie rental when she said her first name was Caylee. I dropped the pen when she started to spell it, and as I bent down to pick it up I was able to think
A young married woman wouldn't move to Desolation County by choice.
She is a substitute teacher, therefore doesn't plan on staying long.
No accent means moving a lot as a youth.
Good teeth means her parents were not migrant workers.
Ergo, military brat, military wife.
Starting to spell her name before being asked indicated it is an odd spelling.
Caylee indicates Scotland.
What would parents do in the Hippie Age?
"C-A-D-H-E?" I asked. I got it right! Got extra credit for giving the E a big wedge eyebrow.
It also spawned the expression "to do a pendragon", meaning to have sex in full plate mail.
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