Of all the directors to give the story of King Arthur, John Boorman looked like the worst choice imaginable. What did the director of Deliverance and Zardoz know about chivalry and ancient tales of heroism? However, the British filmmaker understood the true meaning of the Arthurian mythos better than Hollywood. Along with co-writer Rospo Pallenberg, he crafted a world in which decadence and sinister magic held sway, where betrayal and dishonor were everywhere. It’s in this muddy, murderous darkness that Arthur (Nigel Terry) becomes a beacon of light. Nicol Williamson’s cryptic depiction of the wizard Merlin still stands as one of the greatest strange performances of the 1980s. – Richard Whittaker
