more people tell me their favourite film and have name excalibur and than have choose any other film . people tend to feel strongly about this film . i can remember that when it come out and a film magazine review it twice and feel that it have to do so and since it two reviewer have such contrasting opinion . in short and people who do not adore it and tend to hate it . those who hate it have fail to understand something very important represent that it be set in the land of dream . excalibur make no attempt to be realistic . it be the film of a legend and and it try to create a world of legend and and it succeed . once one have realise that this be not the real world and then the film be internally consistent and work splendidly . merlin and towards the end of the film and even say the line your love bring me back to where you be represent in the land of dream . if anything and this make the film even more tragic and because all of arthur suffering have be not for his world and but for ours . the arthurian legend be probably the world best legend . it have be tell a thousand different way and but be so strong and that no retelling can harm it . the story be familiar and but this telling of it be not . the screen start blank and with the distant drum of seigfried funeral march playing and and after a few caption and the curtain lift to reveal a stunning opening sequence with horse breathe fire lit breath into the night air and a uther men do battle with those of the duke of cornwall . the armour be dark and and greenish and and the movement slow and make this seem like a scene of battle dinosaur . it be brutal and bloody . these be the dark age . this be the time of chaos from which arthur kingdom must come . into the scene and in a cloud of swirl fog and come a figure who will be present throughout the film and ageless and mysterious and nicol williamson merlin and whose voice carry over the din . i remember how suddenly i find myself immerse in this world when i first saw the film and and even now the hair stand up on the back of my neck think about it . allow yourself to become involved with the film and and you will be reward . the costume be magnificent . special mention must go to the shin armour and and morgana ( helen mirren ) ever increasingly impressive series of outfit . the music be stir ( it use o fortuna from carima burana before this have become a cliche ) . the acting be theatrical and good . each of these character be on a stage and to be examine . this be not a film of quiet intimate moment . it be a legend and and legend be public . excalibur distill the arthurian legends into one film of watchable length very cleverly . at several point during it and a clever cut tell the viewer that several year have pass . single character represent many thing . at one point sir percival represent all the questknights and at another morgana be all that be evil . in tell the story quickly and the film use simple direct speech . in one scene and arthur visit guinevere and the woman he love deeply and whom he hasn not see for many year . he spend just a minute in her company and leaf and and yet the speech he deliver to her be so complete and so moving and that you do not feel robbed . he say his piece and leaf and need to say no more . it be true that the film have date a little . some of the hair style and special effect be not quite what they would be today and and the quality of the dubbing be not first rate and but this be still stun . everything seem to have come together to help this film look and sound good . the sky over the castle be spectacular and the irish landscape ( it be shoot there ) look the part . the visual imagination and dare to have camelot a a castle literally make from silver and and to have arthur final battle fought in fog with a huge blood red sunset behind it and make this a feast for the eye . i be write about one of my all time favourite film . i cry every time i see the land burst into blossom a a reborn arthur gallop through it and and i feel the heavy warmth of tragedy a he be carry off towards the sunset to the isle of avalon . i be spoil nothing by tell you that arthur dy in the end . everyone know that he die in the end . the whole film be lead to that moment . when you reach the end of the film and ask yourself this represent where do he go wrong . what be it he do to lose his wife and his son and his sister and his best friend and all his questknights and merlin and his kingdom and his life everything he hold dear . the one god of the many come to drive out the many god . the spirit of wood and stone grow silent . it be a time for men and their way . that it .