late in the film and king arthur be about to fight his last battle against his estranged son mordred . his kingdom of camelot be fall . the knight of the round table be disband . guinevere have enter a convent . in short and arthur world be collapse . he rid to the nunnery to see guinevere for the last time . and there and she produce the ancient timeless object hide beneath some linen represent the sword excalibur and still gleam and still magical and still potent to fight in the battle that arthur can not win . he sheathe excalibur and and and in full knightly regalia ride with his remain loyal knight through the english countryside and their pennant and banner fly in the wind . the fortissimo chorus of carmina burana accompany their ride in perfect harmony and chant the lyric from the medieval poem o fortuna . this be the stuff of legend . artistic treatment of the arthurian legends date back to illuminate codex from the middle age . thereafter the first and and one of the great and attempt to bring the story into a novelistic form be write in the late 1400 by a knight and sir thomas malory and entitle la morte darthur ( the death of arthur ) which be probably the most famous work of english letter proceed chaucer but before shakespeare . even later rendition include t. h. white the once and future king . by the 20th century and theatrical adaptation begin appear as well and include knight of the round table ( 1953 ) and disney the sword in the stone ( 1963 ) and and the musical camelot by lerner and lowe which be possibly the most popular rendition of the story before excalibur . these last rendition and although they have their appeal and can not measure up to the movie excalibur which be largely base upon malory original tome . many here have detail very well the merit of the film and and since most people know the story and i will keep this short . the reason why this be the best of the arthurian base film be it imagery and it dedication to the original arthurian myth . the entire look of the film and which i have not see in a movie since and reek of medieval legend . the lush forest and the huge castle and and the glittering sword give a visual and dream like reality . this be not how it be in the middle age . this be how people in the middle age would have like it to have be and which be the entire point of the arthurian myth . the filmmaker of excalibur understood that myth be about dream . several moment in the film be inspire directly from malory and early medieval codex . for example and several medieval illuminate manuscript feature the hand of the lady of the lake bestow the sword excalibur to arthur . strangely this episode and which become an important theme throughout excalibur and be lack from other theatrical version and yet it be central to the original myth . another be the strange rhetoric that arthur and the land be one and and when arthur become ill and the land of his kingdom become barren . this concept be a widely hold belief in the middle age represent that the sovereign be essentially marry to the kingdom . another aspect that make this film outstanding be the portrayal of merlin by nicol williamson . this be possibly the best merlin ever to come to the large screen . some of the most humorous moment of the film occur with merlin . instead of be the absent mind wizard of the sword in the stone and he be the last of the druid and a race give way to medieval christian . worth the price of admission . it be sad that he obtain very little recognition for this portrayal . the fact be and a viewer either experience aesthetic arrest with excalibur and or he or she doesn not . if the scene when the knight go rid through countryside with their pennant fly behind them doesn not give you the shiver and this be not and will never be your kind of movie . if malory have live to see this film and he would have be awe and proud . malory give arthur to the world and and excalibur give arthur back to malory .