King Arthur

So there's a new King Arthur movie coming out. That makes it like, what, the 37th movie about the subject already? Still, I'm sure I'll be there opening week. I do so love that sort of thing.

The casting looks good and I think it has potential, but one thing really bothers me: it's advertised as being the "real" story of King Arthur. I hope they're not being serious about that, because it's preposterous. The character might not have even been real, and if there was such an Arthur, chances are he wasn't a king, but a noble or warlord of some sort. And what's with Guinevere the Warrior Princess? Maybe they just mean that it's "more realistic" in feel, costume, look, etc.

What period have they set it in? I believe what little evidence there is indicates that someone like Arthur may have been around at the end of the Roman period in Britain, after the legions withdrew.

The preview said it was "1600 yrs ago," which is about right and goes with what you're saying, along with the timeline set by other films and fiction writers. It's only the most romanticised versions of the tale that set it later in the middle ages.

I'm guessing that maybe getting some of the things right like timeline, costume, etc is, in their mind, enough of a reason to call it the "real" story- as in, had it happened, it would have looked like this.

I read somewhere, or heard on the telly that it's set during the end of the Roman period.

yeah, it's going with the idea that he was a Celto-romanic briton, shortly after the Roman's left Britain. If the legends are based on a real individual, then conventional wisdom would have him being a chieftain, or war-leader at that time.

What makes it funny, is its Jerry Bruckheimer producing it, and for all that a lot of his movies are entertaining, realism and he don't seem to be close bedfellows. I remember watching Gone in 60 seconds, and spotting the "Bruckheimer Bits"...when a perfectly good car chase would suddenly have flying gas-tanks and exlposions for no good reason.

I'm fully expecting Arthur to hit someone with his sword, and for him to go up in flames!

But I think Clive Owen's a good actor, and hopefully this will do well enough that they'll make him the next Bond.

VB

Don't even get me started on Suckheimer's latest. The worst part is, I'm afraid I might go see that disaster. Sort of like how people stop to look at bad car accidents on the highway. The historical King Arthur, my arse. Is that why they're wearing plate mail, swinging bastard swords, and using trebuchets IN THE FIFTH Frickin CENTURY?! God, if that man was any more retarded he'd be climbing water towers.

See, I told you not to get me started.

Were they wearing plate armor? I didn't see that.
I'll have to pay attention the next time I see the trailor.

Don't knock Bruckheimer. There's more to him than Armageddon and Bad Boys. You guys are making the common mistake of linking him with Bay a bit too much. Yes, they made crap together, but those were the "artistic visions" of Bay. Producers don't decide those details. And Bruckheimer never claimed to be an artistic visionary and has no problems with populist entertainment, and can you blame him? But that doesn't exclude him from being involved with some excellent work as well.

A selected discography of Jerry Bruckhiemer as producer:

film:
Vernoica Guerin (haven't seen it, but it's a serious film about... well, something or other, and it has Cate Blanchette, which gives any movie artistic cred)
Black Hawk Down (best war flick of the past 10 yrs, and yes, I include Saving Private Ryan)
Prates of the Carribean (cheesy but quite popular even with people who hate Armageddon)
Remember the Titans (haven't seen it- something about football with Denzel I think)
Enemy of the State
Con Air (great freakin' movie)
The Rock (cool flick)
Dangerous Minds (tried to be serious)
Crimson Tide (every guy loves this movie)
The Ref (I don't care what anyone says, this was funny. Dennis "fuck Cancer!" Leary and Kevin Spacey before he got anoying)
Flashdance (every chick likes this movie)
Beverley Hills Cop I & II (Murphy when he was funny and relevant in like the only funny cop-buddy movies ever)
Top Gun (classic)
American Gigilo (also classic)


television:
C.S.I. and its spinoffs
(a top draw every week and considered one of the most intelligent and mature shows on air)

Remember the Titans is superb. Race relations on the football team in the first integrated high school in Virginia. Denzel stars as the first black football coach at said school.

Keira Knightly's costume looks somewhat fantastical but she is more or less blue, which comes from woad, which is what the ancient Britons painted themselves with before going into battle.

I haven't seen the trailer. If there are trebuchets (as opposed to acceptable catapults) then I will have a problem... but as it stands I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

I didn't notice any plate mail...most of the armour looked roman-esque.

Bruckheimer did "The Ref"? Wow, I love that movie.

I saw the trailer for "King Arthur" with my sister, who perked up at the sight of Ioan Gruffud (Horatio Hornblower, and the lead lawyer of "Century City") as Lancelot. I'll probably ignore the "this is the true tale of Arthur" BS and enjoy what looks to be an awesome swords and battles movie.

but one thing really bothers me: it's advertised as being the "real" story of King Arthur. I hope they're not being serious about that, because it's preposterous. The character might not have even been real

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I think it is a fascinating subject to discuss , In Manchester (where I live) there is a place called Alderley Edge , And legend is that Arthur Pendragon was buried there .... .

On a side subject , Didn`t the great Peter O`Toole play King Arthur ?

I think a lot of archeaologists believe Arthur was a real person. Maybe not so much as in the legend, but as they say, many legends have their beginnings in facts.

Current scholarship says much the same thing as Franklin does in "A Late Delivery From Avalon" -- that Arthur certainly could have been based on a real person. There's some evidence that the Saxons were temporarily halted, and that's what Arthur is reputed to have done. Impossible to say for sure one way or another -- but Arthur's existence is certainly not out of the question.

But as to Manchester... if Arthur had actually sat at all the places called Arthur's Seat, or built all the various Camelots, or been buried at all the places called Arthur's Tomb, he'd have had no time to do anything else in his life, and he'd be buried in 200 separate pieces.

I couldn't recall Peter O'Toole ever playing Arthur, and couldn't find that he did on the IMDb. Could you perhaps be confusing him with Nigel Terry in John Boorman's excellent 1981 film, Excalibur? Or, perhaps Richard Harris in the 1967 musical, Camelot?

I couldn't recall Peter O'Toole ever playing Arthur, and couldn't find that he did on the IMDb. Could you perhaps be confusing him with Nigel Terry in John Boorman's excellent 1981 film, Excalibur? Or, perhaps Richard Harris in the 1967 musical, Camelot?

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Or meshing movies together, since Nigel Terry played the role of John in The Lion in Winter in which O'Toole played King Henry II.

in The Lion in Winter in which O'Toole played King Henry II.

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A historical figure which O'Toole also played in Beckett.

The new Arthur movie will need to be very good if it's going to out-do Boorman's 'Excalibur' - now that is what I call an Arthurian epic. It's interesting to note that Boorman began that film by working on an aborted Lord Of The Rings, which over time mutated into the Arthur movie... or so I've heard.

In any event, it will need to be quite bad if it's any worse than First Knight, for instance...

Boorman's Excalibur is remarkable for packing so much story in without really feeling rushed. As you reflect on the movie you realize just how fast you moved, but during the story it's easy to forget.

Even still, it had a few flaws; if there are any special effects in the new movie they will almost certainly be worlds better.

First Knight wouldn't have been so bad if they had kept the Arthur angle out of it.

First Knight wouldn't have been so bad if they had kept the Arthur angle out of it.

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I think it would have been best if they'd kept the "Richard Gere" angle out of it.

VB