Excalibur

[yoloswegmaster]

FORGED BY A GOD. FORETOLD BY A WIZARD. FOUND BY A KING.

From John Boorman, the director of Point Blank, Deliverance and Zardoz comes the definitive cinematic telling of the life and enduring legend of King Arthur, from birth to death and beyond.

Behold, the Sword of Power! Excalibur! Forged when the world was young, and bird and beast and flower were one with man and death was but a dream. Given by Merlin to Uther Pendragon to unite the land in peace but wasted on lust. Driven into stone by Uther’s dying hand, there to await the coming of a true King. A journey into the wonders and horrors of the imagination, this is the story of Arthur, the knights of the round table, the golden age of Camelot, the quest for the Holy Grail and of course, the wizard, Merlin.

With an extraordinary cast that includes Helen Mirren, Gabriel Byrne, Nicol Williamson and Liam Neeson, Oscar-nominated cinematography by Alex Thomson (Legend) and a thundering score by Trevor Jones, Excalibur makes its Ultra HD debut in a stunning new 4K restoration. From the blood and mud of the battlefield, to the glowing green of ancient woods and gleaming gold of Camelot, experience Excalibur as you never have before.

3-DISC 4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

Brand new 4K restoration from the original 35mm negative by Arrow Films presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1 for the first time on home video
Contains both the 141-minute Theatrical Cut and the 120-minute TV Version of the film
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Reversible sleeve featuring two original artwork options
Collectors’ perfect-bound booklet containing writing by Charlie Brigden, K.A. Laity, Kimberly Lindbergs, Josh Nelson, Philip Kemp, John Reppion, Icy Sedgwick and Jez Winship
Double-sided fold-out poster featuring two original artwork options
Six postcard-sized reproduction art cards
DISC 1 – FEATURE (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)

4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation of the 141-minute Theatrical Cut
Restored original lossless mono and DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio options
Brand new audio commentary by Brian Hoyle, author of The Cinema of John Boorman
Brand new audio commentary by filmmaker David Kittredge, director of Boorman and the Devil
Archive audio commentary by director John Boorman
DISC 2 – EXTRAS (BLU-RAY)

The Making of Excalibur: Myth into Movie, a never before released 48-minute documentary directed by Neil Jordan during the production of Excalibur
To Be a Knight and Follow a King, a newly filmed interview with director John Boorman and actor Charley Boorman
When Death Was but a Dream, a newly filmed interview with creative associate Neil Jordan
The Charm of Making, a newly filmed interview with production designer Anthony Pratt
Confessions of a Professional “Pain-in-the-ass”, a newly filmed interview with 2nd unit director Peter MacDonald
Anam Cara, a new featurette on the working friendship of John Boorman and co-writer Rospo Pallenberg featuring a newly filmed interview with Pallenberg
Divided Nature, a brand new featurette by film historians Howard S. Berger and Kevin Marr
Trailers
Image galleries
DISC 3 – BONUS (LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE BLU-RAY)

High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation of the 120-minute TV Version of the film, previously unavailable on home video
Original lossless mono audio
Excalibur: Behind the Movie, a 50-minute retrospective documentary in which cast and crew look back on the making of the film

[Finch]

Must be stacked given the higher price. I'm going to lock in my preorder at Orbit as soon as possible (unless Arrow save the iconic poster art for a store exclusive as they did with American Gigolo) because the LE is surely going to sell out fast.

[Finch]

I didn't know there was a TV cut and it's crazy that's it's even shorter than the theatrical which already covers the entire legend at arguably too fast a pace.

[JamesF]

I didn't know there was a TV cut and it's crazy that's it's even shorter than the theatrical which already covers the entire legend at arguably too fast a pace.

We asked Warner about the PG-rated version that also supposedly circulated theatrically and all they had to hand was a standard-def pan-and-scan TV master. We're pretty sure it is the PG version as it corresponds to what's been written about the PG cut in the past (correct runtime, additional voiceover from Merlin at the beginning), but have had to call it the TV cut as that couldn't be totally verified. I recreated it in HD using the new restoration, with one upscaled SD insert in the first scene. (There's no unique footage otherwise.) Aside from censoring the violence (though not by much!) and the sex, whole chunks of the plot are removed in the later stages of the film, including most of the grail quest.

[Markantony]

Mr Flower, could you talk about the audio on this release? Has anything been able to be done to improve the previous lacklustre fidelity in music/effects?

Many thanks

[JamesF]

Mr Flower, could you talk about the audio on this release? Has anything been able to be done to improve the previous lacklustre fidelity in music/effects?

Many thanks

The mono track has been restored from the original elements by Bad Princess Productions, and the 5.1 remix is a new one as well. It's a substantial improvement over the previous audio in my obviously totally biased opinion. (The elements for the abandoned Dolby Stereo mix have deteriorated and could not be salvaged.)

[Markantony]

That’s fabulous, thank you, I’ve been waiting decades for someone to fix the sound!

[beamish14]

Oh my god, you included the Neil Jordan making-of!

[beamish14]

I didn't know there was a TV cut and it's crazy that's it's even shorter than the theatrical which already covers the entire legend at arguably too fast a pace.

We asked Warner about the PG-rated version that also supposedly circulated theatrically and all they had to hand was a standard-def pan-and-scan TV master. We're pretty sure it is the PG version as it corresponds to what's been written about the PG cut in the past (correct runtime, additional voiceover from Merlin at the beginning), but have had to call it the TV cut as that couldn't be totally verified. I recreated it in HD using the new restoration, with one upscaled SD insert in the first scene. (There's no unique footage otherwise.) Aside from censoring the violence (though not by much!) and the sex, whole chunks of the plot are removed in the later stages of the film, including most of the grail quest.

This film and Saturday Night Fever both had PG cuts which got some theatrical screenings. I believe it led to the MPAA forbidding the same film receiving two different-rated cuts with theatrical windows

[colinr0380]

“Listen. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.”

Oops, wrong film!

I guess the 'TV version' sort of makes sense since the whole first section of the film is about Nicol Williamson's 'dirty Merlin' using his powers to allow the King to commit adultery with his rival's wife during the heat of battle (thereby begatting Morgana), which is rather naughty for a fantasy epic! (Though it is weirdly anticipatory of the sex-death prologue to Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula)

Very excited for this, as this may be Boorman's best film of all, though I can only really contribute the 1994 Moviedrome introduction to the thread (when it played as the first in a double bill with the desperately in need of a disc release Nothing Lasts Forever, in which Alex Cox does a bizarre meta-satirical introduction! Apropos of nothing, that same evening you could either watch Excalibur in that double bill, or the television premiere of City Slickers on Channel 4!)

Not to rush Arrow, but I do hope that they may manage to tackle The Emerald Forest at some point as well. And whilst I know that Aung San Suu Kyi is now a controversial figure I would love to revisit Boorman's 1995 film Beyond Rangoon as well, which would provide a great jumping off point for some contextual extra features.

[Finch]

James, the specs don't mention HDR10 and/or Dolby Vision.

[JamesF]

James, the specs don't mention HDR10 and/or Dolby Vision.

Yes, that’s an error being corrected as I type this - Disc 1 does indeed have Dolby Vision.

[beamish14]

“Listen. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.”

Oops, wrong film!

I guess the 'TV version' sort of makes sense since the whole first section of the film is about Nicol Williamson's 'dirty Merlin' using his powers to allow the King to commit adultery with his rival's wife during the heat of battle (thereby begatting Morgana), which is rather naughty for a fantasy epic! (Though it is weirdly anticipatory of the sex-death prologue to Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula)

Very excited for this, as this may be Boorman's best film of all, though I can only really contribute the 1994 Moviedrome introduction to the thread (when it played as the first in a double bill with the desperately in need of a disc release Nothing Lasts Forever, in which Alex Cox does a bizarre meta-satirical introduction! Apropos of nothing, that same evening you could either watch Excalibur in that double bill, or the television premiere of City Slickers on Channel 4!)

Not to rush Arrow, but I do hope that they may manage to tackle The Emerald Forest at some point as well. And whilst I know that Aung San Suu Kyi is now a controversial figure I would love to revisit Boorman's 1995 film Beyond Rangoon as well, which would provide a great jumping off point for some contextual extra features.

I’m completely with you on Nothing Lasts Forever, and I even saw it in 35mm with director Tom Schiller. It would take at least 2 studios (WB and MGM) coordinating over footage to make it happen, though. Such a shame, as it was invited to Cannes in 1984, but MGM pulled it out of spite


More Boorman would be tremendous. Leo the Last, please

[Mr Sausage]

“Listen. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.”

Oops, wrong film! .

And yet that silly film is more period accurate than Boorman or Bresson’s takes, both of which have the early Britons walking around in full plate armour like it’s the Renaissance. But then Terry Jones was an actual mediaevalist. So both Boorman and Bresson made weird anachronistic fantasies, but that’s in keeping with the spirit of things anyway. The Arthurian legends were always being updated to this or that author’s current reality whenever they were retold, culminating in the Victorians turning them into pseudo-historical renaissance-ish fantasies when the era revived them in a pre-Raphelite spirit. Boorman and Bresson’s takes are if anything Victorian!

This is one of my dad’s favourite films, so I saw it a bunch growing up. The weird sex and violence was a shock to a kid who knew King Arthur mostly from Disney!

[LastMinit]

And yet that silly film is more period accurate than Boorman or Bresson’s takes, both of which have the early Britons walking around in full plate armour like it’s the Renaissance. But then Terry Jones was an actual mediaevalist.

Jabberwocky was always my go-to for medieval atmosphere, right up until The Last Duel came out a couple years ago.

[Beloved Aunt]

Brand new audio commentary by Brian Hoyle, author of The Cinema of John Boorman

Can we have this except for Hope and Glory instead? Thanks.

And yet that silly film is more period accurate than Boorman or Bresson’s takes

This period of history, or rather the actual period of history where people wore the clothes + armor they are shown wearing in Boorman's film, is extremely hard to put on film in a satisfying way, because it's kind of hard to wear armor in a not-extremely-awkward fashion if you haven't been wearing it your whole life. Among other reasons anyway. Pauline Kael's long review can basically be summed up as "this movie is cheesy campy trash but it's gr8 because of Boorman's visuals", except...I disagree that Boorman + Alex Thomson cough up any actually worthwhile visuals! At the very least, Point Blank, Deliverance, Exorcist II: The Heretic, and Hope and Glory look a lot better than this, and there's a fair number of Boormans I haven't seen a frame of. So the film doesn't really work for me at all. I don't know why Alex Thomson got a nod from the Academy for this. Boorman is always an adventurous and endearing filmmaker, but this isn't one of his good ones if you ask me.

[Beloved Aunt]

More Boorman would be tremendous

Howzabout The General? Who owns that?

[dwk]

Howzabout The General? Who owns that?

Sony had it in the US. I have no idea if they still do or who has it in the UK.

[jlnight]

The General could be Warners in the UK, but Boorman produced it himself so maybe a label might be able to deal directly with him. It might be my favourite of his films and had a good performance by Gleeson, from memory.

[Maltic]

Brand new audio commentary by Brian Hoyle, author of The Cinema of John Boorman

Can we have this except for Hope and Glory instead? Thanks.

Hoyle should be allowed to do the whole filmography (including Where the Heart Is) and it should all be on UHD.

It's too bad Michel Ciment died, of course, although he didn't do a lot in terms of in-depth extras, that I'm aware of. An interview here and there.

[Beloved Aunt]

Heck, Boorman's getting pretty old. My Hope and Glory dreams are getting further out of reach by the second!

[MichaelB]

The General could be Warners in the UK, but Boorman produced it himself so maybe a label might be able to deal directly with him. It might be my favourite of his films and had a good performance by Gleeson, from memory.

And no video release to my knowledge has reproduced Boorman's preferred version, which is black and white 2.35:1. Bizarrely, the old double-sided DVD that I have features black and white and colour versions, but the only one framed at 2.35:1 is the colour version!

I was lucky enough to catch it on its ultra-brief London release, and I've been hoping to repeat the experience ever since, but everything I've seen since then has been woefully inadequate.

[rapta]

Not to rush Arrow, but I do hope that they may manage to tackle The Emerald Forest at some point as well.

Would actually love this, but ITV may well have the UK rights sadly (not entirely clear why Park Circus lists it as such, I seem to remember the DVD being Optimum/StudioCanal). I'd pre-order such a thing in a heartbeat though.

Do we expect Arrow will be interested in doing either Point Blank or Deliverance at some point? Those are probably my favourite Boorman films if I had to pick two.

[Finch]

Deliverance would absolutely fit in with Arrow but weren't Criterion rumoured to have that one?

[dwk]

Yeah, I'm pretty certain that Criterion has both Point Blank and Deliverance.