Excalibur
1981
John Boorman's mythic retelling of the Arthurian legend traces the rise of Arthur from obscure boy to king, the forging and eventual corruption of his knights, and the mystical power of Excalibur and the Holy Grail. Lush and stylised, it blends romance, magic and brutal medieval violence into an operatic whole.
Director
- John Boorman
Cast
- Nigel Terry
- Helen Mirren
- Nicholas Clay
- Cherie Lunghi
- Nicol Williamson
- Gabriel Byrne
- Liam Neeson
- Patrick Stewart
Filming Locations
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Cahir Castle
The castle was used for a pivotal early battle scene in which Arthur, climbing the castle walls, defeats Uryens in the river moat and persuades him to grant knighthood, with the River Suir serving as the moat.
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Great Sugar Loaf
The distinctive conical peak of Great Sugar Loaf in the Wicklow Mountains provided dramatic landscape scenery used as background for the film's outdoor Arthurian sequences.
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Sally Gap
The desolate high moorland of the Sally Gap on the Military Road provided a bleak, atmospheric landscape backdrop for scenes in the Arthurian wilderness sequences.