I love Merlin to death, but the Mists of Avalon keeps drawing my attention. Has anyone seen both? What are the contrasts between the two? Is MOA like Merlin at all?
Thanks!
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Have you actually read The Mists of Avalon? It was supposed to be a retelling of the classic.
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because the story is so fuzzy all around it's hard to tell what was actually true in the beginning.
i do know one thing for certain. Morgan le Fay was originally not supposed to be evil. When christians got there hands on this story (hundreds of years ago) they needed an explanation for why Morgan le Fey was so promiscuious. since sleeping around was against their religion they decided to portray her as evil. this is why in the stories today (and because christianity won the war of religion) she is still seen as evil.
i like how mists of avalon shows how she might seem evil - she was driven to it, and all around brings another point of view on how things might have been. im not saying its flawless. i liked both and think the real story lies somewhere in between. even in the end of Merlin he says something how "no one would have believed the real story" when flick says he remembered it a bit differently....
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I have yet to see either but I have read MOA, which is now one of my favorite books. I assume (I may be wrong) that Merlin sticks closer to the Arthurian legend that has been around forever. However, MOA is a complete retelling of the legend, from the women's POV. The women in the legend are the major characters, not the men. The poster above is not happy with MOA's distortion of the legend, and that is understandable if one just wants to stick to tradition (if it ain't broke, don't fix it lol). But if you want something entirely different,especially if you are a woman, you just may love MOA. But again, I can't compare the movies really, because I did not see them. I have heard that MOA book lovers were not happy with the movie at all. HTH
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It may have GreenSanta25. MOA has made quite an impression on many women who have read it. It's kinda like what Fight Club was to men lol
But for what it's worth, many MOA book fans HATED the movie. I'm really going to have to watch Merlin and MOA so I can judge for myself :o)
I've got both Merlin and MoA, and happen to enjoy them both. I've always been a big fan of the Arthurian Legends, and enjoy anything relating to them. And I do agree with those who enjoyed the book, but hated the movie version of MOA. They seem to have watered down the movie too much. Most of the key plots were there, but there was much more information in the book than the movie, and had the information been kept in, would have driven the movie much further.
But if you've read any of the different Arthurian legends, they all differ in certain aspects, so why not just enjoy the movies for what they are? The classics (and Merlin) for what they represent, and MoA for having the balls to delve into the more occult, mystic lines of the story.
regardless of the changing of the arthurian tales... Mists of avalon is just a poorly made movie with misplaced actors compared to merlin.
imo Merlin is one of my favorite movies of all time period...
I used to like Merlin but after I saw The Mists of Avalon I would say MOA is ten times better!
shareI've read The Mists of Avalon and I've seen and liked both movies (Mists and Merlin), but I really prefer Mists. I guess it depends on the person though.
shareI thought the acting and flow of the story was a little better in the Mists of Avalon, as well as the overall look of the movie, but I enjoyed both movies and would recommend both.
share1. i would just like to add that there is no one true version of the Arthur legend... what would you consider the real legend... Le Morte De Arthure? or the older lesser known ones from england like Sir Gawain and the Green Knight? There are soooo many legends about arthur none can be taking as complete truth...
historically IF arthur existed he would have been kinda tyranical, forcing his people to aboloish the old celtic faith, while mordred was about perserving their pagan heritage... but who knows... they never existed
on the movies... merlin was great, i love it, I love MOA (the book) tons more tho. i like th idea of the character swap, plus it also ties in the concept of the pagan vs christinay aspect that many hollywoodize... (like thunderbolts and lightning)... i have yet to see the movie... i want to tho ^^
I actually love both stories, both films, and MOA the book. I am another who simply loves everything about the legend, of wiccan, pagan beliefs being told in this format, both are very well done.
Merlin seemed to bring out the magic aspect alot, and MOA the human aspect, at least that's how I am remebering it now, though i might have something backwards here.
All the legendsm combine like pieces in a puzzle, like tracing paper laid on top of one another to make a montage of stories, interweaving, overlapping, coloring each other's lines, and between them, until a layered collage is born, like a symphony.
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I think Merlin is better than Mists of Avalon... I watched Mists last year and Merlin just this afternoon, so I don't really remember Mists that well...but I do remember that Mists was much more from the point of view from the women in the Arthurian legends... And I remember that I found it a bit boring at some point...whereas Merlin never bored me. I think it's just a matter of personal taste, and I did like Mists, but the way the story is told in Merlin just appeals to me more...and Merlin is more true to Sir Thomas Malory's books, I believe. I loved it .
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Re: Merlin vs. Mists of AvalonThat was BEAUTIFUL. SO well put. High mother-effing five.
by Kupotek (Thu Feb 24 2005 20:19:17)
UPDATED Thu Feb 24 2005 20:21:17
All the legendsm combine like pieces in a puzzle, like tracing paper laid on top of one another to make a montage of stories, interweaving, overlapping, coloring each other's lines, and between them, until a layered collage is born, like a symphony.
Thank you !
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You're welcome! I really couldn't have said it any better myself.
I'm not psycho, just a little loopy.
*~me~*
Well, you could have corrected the typo on legends :)
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I could have... :p... but I didn't want you to take offense. :p I'm a bit too anal about that sort of thing. :p
I'm not psycho, just a little loopy.
*~me~*
That's good since I'm easily offended by strangers who show me nothing but mutual respect.
I say we adjourn to the lounge for coffee and slightly heated cookies!
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I'm not always that nice though. :p
I'll take the cookies with hot chocolate if you please.
I'm not psycho, just a little loopy.
*~me~*
Btw if you ever want to just chat away from IMDb, feel free to PM me and I'll give you my email info :)
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movie-wise, Merlin was better. the makers of this movie weren't basing it on any one source, unlike Mists of Avalon, so there was more material with which to work without offending any large group of rabid fans. and of course, as the addage goes, the MOA book was better than the MOA movie, so don't skip the book because of the movie.
Merlin was a little more fantastical. i can't recount even one telling that brings up Queen Mab or talking mountains, but that's Jim Hensen for you. Merlin was made to be a movie and so achieved its goal better than the MOA movie.
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I like both versions, but Merlin is my favorite. I mean, is much more magical, positive and beautiful in my opnion. And I love the ending as well.
Many characters that do exist in The Mists of Avalon do not exist in Merlin. Morgana is a totally different character, and Merlin, in The Mists of Avalon, has a small significance.
I loved both movies, Mists of Avalon was beautiful and I loved the new view on the story. Everyone always says how they twist the Arthurian legend but no one really knows what really happened/IF it even happened, though I firmly believe it to be true. The idea of Morgan being tricked into sleeping with Arthur is totally plausible as opposed to her being seduced by a little man and turning power hungry and seducing her own brother...just a bit too dramatic for my tastes.
Yet at the same time Merlin was also beautiful, in its own way, and the story was amazing. Every woman in Merlin was just gorgeous and looked so magical, I really believed they were these magical queens, with their glossy, dark hair that I wish I had.
Anyway, ja, I loved both movies!
Much love and BIG KISSES,
Steph
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If you were a mermaid, you said, If you were a mermaid, I was the sea.
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Well, I've not seen "Mists of Avalon", but I have read the book. I've seen Merlin, and read the novelisations.
Firstly, Merlin is my favourite by a long way, but that's not to say I don't like Mists of Avalon- it's well written (better written than the Merlin books, but that's probably because it's the original story, rather than a TV novelisation), and it's an interesting take on the legend.
Either way, if you're a real fan of the Arthurian legends, go for both.
Try not to panic. Just think of it as landing a little more vertically than usual
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