MovieChat Forums > Excalibur (1981) Discussion > I'm confused. Did anyone understand anyt...

I'm confused. Did anyone understand anything that went on in this movie?

posted 13 years ago by sfla
84 replies | jump to latest

I'm sorry I'm confused. Did anybody understand a single thing that happened in this entire movie from the beginning to the end?

Why do people rate this highly? People say things like "the acting's bad but everything else is ok".

"The Actings bad"?? THE ACTING'S BAD? How can ANYONE overlook the 'acting' in this movie - it's laughably ridiculous. It's childish and just plain outright absurd. There is NOTHING redeeming baout this movie.

I even saw someone say the film was 'shot beautifully'. WTF? I've never seen worse footage in any movie. It's appalling. It's cheap and pathetic.

The entire movie makes no sense, the footage is b grade rubbish, the acting is horrible, the way they scream everything makes you wonder if the director had some sort of problem in his brain.

Why do they scream? WHY? Why is the movie so disjointed? Why does it look like it's made iwth a budget of about $5? Not only do the retards scream loudly, but the inflection in their voice is like something out of a monty python movie. Are they trying to be tough? or is this a comedy?

No matter how 'arty' or chin stroking you pretend to be, No-one can like this. I just don't understand how anyone can pretend to have any respect for this rotten piece of filthy trash.

This movie is quite literally the worst movie I've ever seen. I saw it years ago with my flatmate, and we literally laughed ourselves to tears about how incredibly terrible it was. My feelings havent changed.

0/10

[–] savagesteve13 13 years ago

Back to the kitchens, boy!

[–] biofh 13 years ago

"I'm confused. Did anyone understand anything that went on in this movie?"

Yes. Yes.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] R_Kane (15828) 6 years ago

Yes as well.

[–] JulianJade 13 years ago

I have struggled with this movie for years, but from the very beginning I could see that although I found certain things repugnant early on, that there was a deeply magickal message portrayed here. I have been watching this movie off and on for nearly 30 years. More and more of it has been revealed to me each time I saw it. I am only now understanding all of it -- but mostly due to my own spiritual journey. The entire thing is a metaphor for the spiritual journey, from the Samsaric world to the Samadhic.

Truly, my first watchings were simply out of morbid fascination. But I never felt it was the fault of the way the movie was portrayed, rather my own inability to understand it. Perhaps you could shift your perspective a bit.

[–] osopestoso 11 years ago

Oh, get lost.
"They sucked his brains out!"

[–] SkaterDave 7 years ago

Wow Julian. That is the biggest bunch of wackadoodle I've ever read. I used that word because You're not allowed to say certain things without getting in trouble so use your imagination.

[–] borislav_mitev 13 years ago

Acting was horible and they talk loud. Really??? How do you know how people use to talk back in the days what they said? You have no idea, I dont think anyone does. It certainly was different that it is nowadays, those men back then had to yell so others can hear them in the mids of a battle or during the party at the castle, those men were rough back then. I'd rather see that and get the feel of some authenticity than have actors who bring 21st century mannerism and dialog into a 12th century tale, now that is horrible and rubbish.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] RobbieCalifornia 13 years ago

Calm down, OP.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] Borboletta 13 years ago

> And speaking of (mytho)logical: nice custom to keep your armour on in bed. Those were rough people indeed.

He was either in a hurry or just believed in using protection.

[–] j_money77 13 years ago

Are you MAD?!?!?!
THE ALLIENSHHHHH!!!!!!!!

I think your hatred of the movie is a bit hyperbolic but I understand where you are coming from sfla.

The acting is purposely eccentric, but it is a ploy that I think makes the movie comical in spots where it wasn't intended to be; I disagree strongly with you about the "cheap b grade footage" remark. While some of the sets are dated and very cheap (the cave where Morgan La Fey entraps Merlin for instance, which Boorman himself said was embarassing on the commentary) but a lot of the landscape footage is well shot. The knights armor is a nice detail too, when they are fighting they aren't running swiftly, but are realistically weighed down by their enormous armor.

I don't hate this movie, but don't revere it, it seems it is polarizing around here, people either damn it to hell or praise it like it's on a level with 2001 or Ikiru. I'm just inbetween, I like it actually, but can laugh at its foolishness.

[–] cabal24 13 years ago

SFLA-

Lets get something to build on. Did you at least understand the first 15-20 minutes? Lots of kicking ass and nudity so it should be fairly easy to follow.

[–] jh66 13 years ago

"Uther...don'tlethimtakethechiiiild!"

Classic argument for not casting one's own talentless daughter?

http://englistory.darkbb.com

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] jh66 13 years ago

Her crowning achievement?

http://englistory.darkbb.com

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] jh66 13 years ago

Uther: Have you seen Merlin?

Knight: I HAVENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN'T!

Ouch- cr4p acting or what?

http://englistory.darkbb.com

[–] Caractacus23 13 years ago

"Knight: I HAVENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN'T!"

I just finished this movie about an hour ago, and I have no idea what you're talking about. I mean titerally, no idea. You see, when you put the word "haven't" in all-caps, and then add fifteen additional letter "N"s, it doesn't tell us anything about the way the word was pronounced. How do sixteen "N"s sound different from one? They don't.

[–] sfla 12 years ago

On the contrary it seems perfectly clear what the capitalised and repeated 'N's represent. It represents the absurd, unrealistic and generally terrible voice acting throughout the entire movie. But in this case, more specifically the completely appallingly unfitting response that the Knight gave. He SCREAMED his response to a normal question, and elongated the word, in particular the "N".

This is exactly the kind of rubbish I'm talking about in this movie. Why do they scream? It's utter garbage.

[–] osopestoso 11 years ago

The armor was WAY wrong for the period.
"They sucked his brains out!"

[–] pol-edra 11 years ago

What period is that? The movie isn't set in any particular year, it is the adaptation of a legend, of a story that never happened at any place in history to begin with. Malory never says when it happened either, there are only a few circumstancial pieces of evidence (in the time of the emperor Leo etc...) that don't make sense historically speaking. Filmmakers and costume designers who bring legends to a screen have every right to chose the most unhistorical costumes, armour and weaponry they like.

Of course it would be entirely different if the movie wanted to be a "historical Arthur" movie, but you're on the wrong board for that; I think you should direct your criticism at King Arthur 2004.

"Occasionally I'm callous and strange."

[–] tbonesays 7 years ago

The artistic tradition was to paint King Arthur all decked out in the modern armor of the artist's time. To continue that the movie should have put him in a fatigue with an M-16.

[–] pol-edra 7 years ago

You're partly right, but not entirely. The armour and costume of legendary characters in medieval art is rather a maxture of contemporary elements and fantasy elements, inspired by Ancient Times and the Orient (or what the artist identified as ancient or oriental rather). From that POV, a modern Arthur should wear a mxture of fatigues and... I don't know, a lightsaber? Actually I'd watch that...

"Occasionally I'm callous and strange."

[–] tbonesays 7 years ago

What are the fantasy elements?

[–] jh66 13 years ago

I'm English and patriotic, yet not given to repulsive acts of jingoism merely because a film is shown? For those with a healthy, balanced sense of self, what's pride got to do with watching Excalibur, other than yet another excuse for those into racial Politics to go all Austrian on us?

And...this film has nothing in the script or imagery to do with 'England', whom a great many of today's subjects would disagree with you.

http://englistory.darkbb.com

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] Bilwick1 13 years ago

I understood pretty much everything in this movie. What was so confusing?

[–] boll-weavil 11 years ago

I love this film and I'm usually fairly comfortable with being English but I don't think this film has anything to do with individual countries. The original comment stated that the film was awful but I think it was of its time. If we look at 'The Knight's Tale' we can see more about the need for us to super-impose our 21st century sensibilities onto quasi-historical events.They end up looking rather ridiculous and everyone has to have nice teeth ! Excalibur deals (rather loosely, admittedly) with the sword in the stone as folklore not fact. Its emphasis is on the feeling that there was a closer bond between man and the world he lived in at one time than there is now and the sense that we have lost that since then. It's drawn on a generic canvas of knights and medievalism - the armour and equipment is far too advanced for The Dark Ages but it's painting a picture not portraying itself as historical fact and in doing that, I believe it is successful. It may look overblown but in a world where physical strength and aggression were the cornerstones of domination there might have been a fair amount of shouting going on ! I don't think its about being English because, as is hinted at, it is vaguely set at a time when there were regional kings and kingdoms in the region. Merlin's desire is to create a unified country but that would have been, at best, only most of present-day England from the bottom upwards.

[–] shawneuser 11 years ago

The OP is high on crack.

This is a great fricking movie and one of my favorites of all time.

The acting is incredible, highlighted by I think one of the greatest performances of all time in Nicol Williamson's Merlin. Just the guy's voice is spellbinding. He makes every other Merlin ever played a fraud, though Joseph Fiennes in Camelot is pretty good.

I think some people think this movie is supposed to be shot in reality when it isn't. It is a legend shot in a mystical world. It is fricking brilliant.

"Good and evil. There never is one without the other."
"Always where you least expect it. Always."
"Truth, alright then, it must be Truth. When a man lies he murders some part of the world."

[–] Caractacus23 13 years ago

"I'm English and patriotic, yet not given to repulsive acts of jingoism merely because a film is shown?"

An ordinary, healthy level of ethno-cultural pride & appreciation for one's own heritage, constitutes "repulsive acts of jingoism?" England is doomed, because of the huge prevalence of people with that sort of attitude, amongst the populace of your once-great nation. I'll bet if this film were a tribute to the culture of Gambia or Bangladesh, you'd be tenting your pants. Yet another self-hating English (or otherwise British) socialist. How boring. You English are so filled with self-loathing, the rest of us are beginning to wonder if perhaps you might not be correct.

[–] jh66 13 years ago

A couple of you morons are way off the mark in your third-rate psychology.

I was attacking other's jingoistic attitudes, not making a statement on my own patriotic attitude, nor am I socialist, thanks. Neither do I care whether you criticise my opines on the topic.

Excalibur was a great film, if flawed, end of.

[–] Caractacus23 13 years ago

"A couple of you morons are way off the mark in your third-rate psychology.

I was attacking other's jingoistic attitudes, not making a statement on my own patriotic attitude, nor am I socialist, thanks. Neither do I care whether you criticise my opines on the topic."

Then perhaps the fault is yours, for not successfully communicating what you meant? If I had intended to impart the meaning you claim to have meant, no one would have misunderstood me.

Its the internet; we can't read your mind.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] Caractacus23 13 years ago

"I'm sorry I'm confused. Did anybody understand a single thing that happened in this entire movie from the beginning to the end?"

This movie can only be understood by people over 30.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] Balthazar_Bux 13 years ago

Shut your lying trap, servant!

A superb movie, with superb actors [apart from Merlin] and superb music [Wagner, Orff]. Just superb. 10/10.

"What does not destroy me, makes me stronger." - Friedrich Nietzsche

[–] gallileo60 13 years ago

This freaking movie is awesome, I saw it 4 times when it came out......Loved it every time...own the DVD...The acting is fine by me, the film work is incredible....AND Merlin??? What can I say...Made me get a bad a$$ Wizard tat on my arm...To me truly one of the best Arthurian tales ever....Now slave as you were told, back to the kitchen...

You Have a Hard Lip, Herbert..

Better Living Thru Chemistry