I got tears, but I'd rather spare them

[sovay]

LJ crashed earlier this evening, making it impossible for me to record my quote of the day at the time:

schreibergasse, breaking off halfway through an attempt to describe Excalibur (1981): "God, I did some weird shit at Oxford!"

(Background: he has never seen I, Claudius (1976). I feel we should remedy this situation as soon as logistically possible. The conversation continued naturally through Patrick Stewart from there. For additional reference, I have never seen Excalibur.)

Comments

[moon-custafer.livejournal.com]

The location shooting helps; they had to do a lot of scheduling around the Irish climate, but it's worth it for the shots near the end of Arthur/the Fisher King, now healed of his wound by the Grail, riding through an orchard in bloom (the land of course, has healed with him). Several of the director's offspring got drafted into doing the more uncomfortable roles, like The Lady of Lake, who was actually filmed outdoors in a no doubt chilly bit of shallow water.

Also, it's probably the only version of the Arthur/Guinevere/Lancelot triangle I find genuinely tragic rather than soap-opera -- each of the three people involved comes off as likeable and quite sincere in their feelings about the other two.

[sovay]

but it's worth it for the shots near the end of Arthur/the Fisher King, now healed of his wound by the Grail, riding through an orchard in bloom (the land of course, has healed with him)

Oh, nice. And that adds it to the short list of films which retell the story of the Fisher King, aside from the famous one.

Also, it's probably the only version of the Arthur/Guinevere/Lancelot triangle I find genuinely tragic rather than soap-opera -- each of the three people involved comes off as likeable and quite sincere in their feelings about the other two.

I can how that would be compelling and refreshing. Wanting to yell at everyone for being an idiot is not as much fun.

(What do you find wrong with other depictions—they could be solved by poly or at least conversation?)

[moon-custafer.livejournal.com]

I feel like a lot of depictions, I just don't like all three of them equally.

I think there's supposed to be some early version of the legend where it is solved by poly; or rather, it never becomes a problem in the first place, because the queen's allowed to take lovers just as the king can have concubines, and it's not like Lancelot's an embarrassing choice.