Excalibur (movie)

Excalibur is a 1981 film which retells the legend of King Arthur. It grossed USD$34,967,437 and was the 18th most successful film of that year.

Adaptation of the legends

The film is based on Malory's Morte d'Arthur. However, in order to recast the Arthurian legends as a myth of the cycle of birth, life and decay, the text was stripped of decorative or insignificant details — and also stripped of Malory's Christian piety. The resulting film is best seen through the lens of mythographic works such as Sir James Frazer's The Golden Bough and Jessie Weston's From Ritual to Romance. "The film has to do with mythical truth, not historical truth," Boorman remarked to a journalist during filming.

Related Topics:
Malory - Morte d'Arthur - Mythographic - James Frazer - The Golden Bough - Jessie Weston - From Ritual to Romance

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