Reviewing Movies

The subject of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, Guinevere and Lancelot, The Sword in the Stone Excalibar and the Lady of the Lake, and Merlin the Magician have been the stuff of English Legend. More a topic for Poets and Bards than archaeologists and historians the story of an idealized Ruler and his Kingdom Camelot has always been more myth than fact. Locations in Wales and Cornwall have been associated the Myth but little empirical evidence exists to prove there ever was such a kingdom. Poets and composers have created many treatments of the subject from Tristan and Isolde to Parsifal. Movie makers and animators as well as artists have found the topic irresistible. Dragons join unicorns as fabled creatures, though the exisence of dragons in Asian lore adds an interesting twist, [Godzilla, anyone?] Beowulf, Robin Hood, and Arthur form a triumvirate that have informed the writings of Sir Thomas Mallory, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Sir Walter Scott, and JRR Tolkien.

I find it interesting that new treatments tend to appear in times of economic turmoil, apprehended terrorism, and social and political unrest. Tales of an idealized ruler who fought off Saxon Invaders seem to bring comfort in disturbing times. That no hard facts exist gives free reign to the imagination though I find it curious that most recent versions prefer to deal with the youthful Arthur under the reign of his Father Uther rather than the flawed and failing king of his later years. Communes and Communal living tend to fall prey to human nature. There is more solace in the promise shown by an adolescent Arthur than the fall of Camelot brought on by the Fall of Man--the betrayal of a King by his Fairy Queen and a trusted friend.

The present BBC Production is told from the point of view of a teen-aged Merlin who acts as Prince Arthur’s Page mentored by Gaius, the Court Physician. Guinevere shows up as servant girl to the King’s Ward Morgana. Uther has banned magic on pain of death and keeps a talking dragon chained in a cavern below his dungeons. As Merlin Colin Morgan is a jug-eared, round-shouldered urchin with piercing blue eyes and raven black hair cut in bangs. Flaxen haired Bradley James as Arthur leads Uther’s army and is always pictured to accentuate broad shoulders in crimson tops or chain mail with shoulder armour and gauntlets. The story centres on these principal characters and rarely are palace guards or Arthur’s men addressed by name.

I have no adequate explanation as to how I managed to watch Season Two before One save that the boxes weren’t prominently marked and I had no idea what to expect. Banning Magic in Camelot appears to have been about as effective as Prohibition in the US--it only served to drive it underground. After all the series is about a magician. Ironic that a BBC Production based on ancient English lore had to go to Ireland to find its titular actor and to France to find a castle to represent Camelot. This may be an action adventure series but it becomes exhausting just watching how many scrapes these characters get themselves into. Arthur appears to make remarkable recoveries given how often he appears to be at death’s door. It’s almost magical.