Last night it was the turn of a DVD entitled Merlin, which is one of a series given away by the Mail on Sunday from a collection called Magic and Fantasy. I usually find that most DVD give aways are pretty poor (hence the fact that they are given away) but the film Merlin was the exception to the rule.
Merlin (made as a three part TV Series in 1998) is quite a long film, running for 172 minutes.
If you are familiar with the stories of King Arthur, the Knights of the Round Table, Guinevere, the Lady of the Lake etc. you will meet all these characters in the film.
The Arthurian legend is retold, only this time from the perspective of the life of the King’s Wizard, Merlin. Merlin is a creature born of pagan magic, living in a world converting to Christianity. The story begins with young Merlin being schooled in magic by the evil sorceress, Mab, and her apprentice, Frik. Merlin ultimately rejects her tutelage setting up a war between them which leads to her attack on Arthur. Unwittingly, Arthur impregnates his own half-sister, Morgan Le Fey, which leads to the birth of Mordred, an evil son who ultimately destroys Camelot. Merlin also unwittingly leads to Camelot's destruction when he selects Lancelot to protect Guinevere, whilst her husband King Arthur sets off in his search for the Holy Grail. The destruction of Camelot is based on mistaken information he gains from The Lady In The Lake. Through it all, Merlin tries to keep Arthur from the destructive path set by fate.
Starring such luminaries as Sam Neill (Merlin), Helena Bonham-Carter (Morgan Le Fey), Miranda Richardson (Mab, Queen of the Old Ways/Lady of the Lake), John Gielgud (King Constant) , Rutger Hauer (King Vortigern), and Isabella Rossellini (Nimue).
Looking through the first two pages of the Internet Movie Data Base reviews for this film I find that it is almost entirely given an 8, 9 or 10 out of 10 rating, and deservedly so.
Do watch it if you get a chance to see it.
No comments:
Post a Comment