‘Excalibur’ slices
edge of fantasy
By Amy DeVour
Of The Print
Lust, blood and a magical
sword weave the story for the
new movie, “Excalibur.”
Following the story lines of
Mode D’Arthur, director John
Boorman sets out to create -a
fantasy. And so the legend un
winds.
The leading character,
Merlin the Magician (Nicol
Williamson), gives Excalibur to
Arthur’s father, Luther. Luther
becomes king and while lusting
breathlessly to “lie” with
another’s queen, bargains with
Merlin to enable him to do so.
Merlin, not to be without an
ulterior mptive, agrees and is
promised the outcome of
Luther’s lust. And in accor
dance to the legend, we learn it
is infant Arthur. Merlin takes
Arthur (who is just barely an in
fant) into the dragon’s forest.
Meanwhile, Luther, rather than
relinquish possession of Ex
calibur,' plunges the sword into
a stone and screams, “No one
shall take Excalibur from me.”
Whereby Merlin vows, “He
who releases the sword from
the stone shall be king.” Merlin
promises the kingship to young
Arthur, cradeled in his arms.
As foreshadowed by Merlin,
Arthur releases Excalibur and
becomes king. The land of
Camelot exists in harmony for
many years but, as in all
stories, conflict arises. Famine
and disease plague the people
.of Camelot and King Arthur
orders the Knights of the'
Round Table to search for the
Holy Grail which can restore
the peace and harmony that
was lost.
The story is entertaining but
the acting is far from believable.
Boorman seems to put more
emphasis on the blood, armor
and camera angle than on ac
ting quality. Nicol Williamson is
quite amusing in his role as
Merlin. His facial expression
and witty dialogue make his
character, appealing. Nigel
Terry,on the other hand, seems
to be lacking in his character of
King Arthur. His line delivery is
slow and somewhat boring,
and Arthur often appears to be
an absolute idiot.
It is evident that Boorman
wished to'"mix adventure with
The steam engine of the past
remains in the minds of most as
a hazy recollection of
childhood. Everything that was
good about one’s youth seems
to gather around an idea out of
anther century leaving us no
longer with the truth, but with a
memory the present can never
quite match.
When old Engine number
4449 puffed out of Portland
this last Saturday, a scene not
seen by the old Union Station
since 4449’s last appearance
during the Bicentennial, it
became a celebration. A
celebration of the past, and of
comedy, but his lance-wielding
one-liner gags approach to this
Arthurian tale is one that can
only be watched once.
The landscape is beautiful
and green. The costuming is
vibrant and colorful but there
seems to be some discrepancy
in the appearance of the ar
mor. The cinematography is
quite good, but Boorman
seems to have some trouble
with camera transitions. We
see a young adolescent mature
into a fully grown man by way
of his mother’s kiss. This transi
tion is awkward and bizarre.
One of the most redeeming
aspects of “Excalibur” is in the
scene where the great Merlin
tells the history of the sword
and eloquently utters the
phrase, “It was forged when
the world was young and bird,
beast and flower were one with
man, and death was but a
dream.”
our dreams. We could
remember what our minds had
made memory and yet marvel
at a common place piece of
machinery that had become a
star.
When 4449 served as a part
of the Freedom Train it was
decked out in a proudly
patriotic red, white and blue.
Now it bolsters a more subdued
orange, red, black, and white
as it carried when it provided
daily service. Not as bright, but
more fitting for a memory, I
think.
If you feel a little lonely in
your reminiscence, don’t. As
the locomotive heads south its
This fantasy still holds au
dience attention, if -one
neglects to criticize its theatrical
flaws and sits captivated by the
guts, greenery and the magical
sword, Excalibur.
“Excalibur” is being shown ex
clusively at the Fox Theater on
Broadway.
Search
The Scholastic All-American
Selection Committee is now
accepting applications for the
1981 spring semester.
Students- who are active in
scholastic organizations and
who perform well in class are
asked to join.
The Scholastic All-American
is an honor society founded to
recognize this country’s top
undergraduate and graduate
students. Students are selected
from over 1,280 schools cover
ing all 50 states.
seats will remain full with a few
dreamers and railroad buffs,
perhaps even a few ‘old timers’
to keep the lady company.
The train’s destination as it
heads south is Sacramento.
The California capital holds a
piece of the railroad dream
itself. It has a museum that has
been billed as the largest in the
world. P.T. Barnum would ap
preciate that.
And, if a small part of you
seeks to relive the past, don’t
fight it. When old 4449 makes
the trip home May 17, you can
go down to watch it. You don’t
even have to tell anyone if you
don’t want to.
Story by David J. Hayden
Photos by Duffy Coffman and David J. Hayden
Page 4
Clackamas Community College