along with ken russell and john boorman can be see a a key figure in the modern british cinema . his interest in myth and dream and landscape and memory may be compare with that of resnais and leone and and roeg . boorman excalibur be characterize by his use of jealousy and adultery and sex and sorcery . it be also characterize by fire and fog and shadow and moonlight and create an air of mystery that be essential element in the arthurian legend . boorman excalibur be a mythical presentation lead the viewer to travel with the flow of the legend . it be a magical story with wonderful exotic set and and interesting camera work in the lush green scenery of ireland . ( the cinematography win an academy award nomination ) . boorman excalibur be both fantasy and philosophy . love seem to be a destructive force and lyrically beautiful and bravely realistic . the film bring to life the fateful story of a solitary hero and his ascension to the throne and the love triangle of camelot and the quest for the holy grail and the decline and eventual fall of arthur and camelot . along for the ride be his indispensable knight of the round table and particularly sir lancelot . the character in boorman excalibur be extremely well develop . arthur be see a a naive squire and who develop into an idealistic king . arthur try to use might for the establishment of right and and accord to his own law and he put reason over love . a prominent figure in the film be merlin . he live backwards and which make him a dream to some and a nightmare to others . he define the cave of the dragon a a place where all thing meet their opposite represent the future and the past and desire and regret and knowledge and oblivion . but when morgana pronounces love and one would expect merlin to answer hate and but he just say represent o yes . morgana know that uther and merlin be responsible for the death of her father . she dedicate her life to revenge . her scene with merlin be full of fire and poison . when she steal the charm of make from merlin and morgana get strong . we fear her line when she affirm represent i can ease your loneliness . lancelot look at himself a a sinful person who have betray a friend . he stay lonely in the forest and haunt by sorrow and pain . he dream of a fight with himself . and when he wake up naked and he see his own sword stick in his side . the film endures and inspires because it embody mankind deep yearning . among the many element that make the movie work be the cast represent nigel terry and the rightful king who and accidentally and remove the sword of power easily and not once and but twice while helen mirren and the enchantress morgana and merlin nemesis and arthur treacherous half sister and who seduce merlin and and then encircle him in a stream of vengeance while nicholas clay and persuasively ardent and athletic a the first knight while cherie lunghi and the damsel in distress who love her husband with her mind and lancelot with her heart while nicol williamson and the wily merlin who would see that the young arthur receive the necessary training and guidance to fulfill his unlikely destiny while gabriel byrne and the hot blood uther pendragon and who plunge excalibur deep into a stone rock in one last act of defiance while katrine boorman and the woman take a by a fully armor king while liam neeson and the knight who dare to accuse the queen while and robert addie and the unholy child who come to camelot to demand the throne of his father . one of the more fascinating aspect of the film ( and there be many . ) be the difference between uther and arthur . king uther be unable to master his instinct . his world be confusion and disorder and and unlimited passion . the characteristic development of arthur occur a he face the trial of his life . the knowledge of the affair yet his love for his beautiful wife and best friend wage war inside of his mind . when he see guinevere in the arm of lancelot and he stick excalibur between them loose his connection to the extraordinary power of merlin and the lady of the lake . john boorman film frequently concern contradiction and polarity and tension between nature and civilization and dream and reality . equally and his career a a whole swing violently between success and failure and intelligent ambition and pretentiousness .