Comparison of Two Films About King Arthur Essay -- Film Movies Compare

Few pr sufficeises of literature or legend are as varied as that of business leader Arthur and his round table, forever retold by each generation. Without question, the defining work of Arthurian Literature is Sir Thomas Malorys Le Morte dArthur. Morte dArthur is a compilation of al hotshot the exponent Arthur legends that existed before Malory. Malory tried to bring all the stories together into one cohesive whole. Morte dArthur is a trove of stories about magical encounters and various quests that is broadly speaking centered on the rise and fall of King Arthur. Since it was written, there rescue been countless interpretations and adaptations. Today, we not only have countless Arthurian books, still many movies on the subject as well. In this paper I hope to compare and contrast two such Arthurian movies, Excalibur and King Arthur, and discuss what each film adds to the treasury of Arthurian lore. It is hard to gestate that two completely opposite movies are based on th e alike literature. The movie Excalibur is like a modern day Morte dArthur, while the more than recent King Arthur differs greatly from all former Arthurian whole kit and boodle by attempting to be historically plausible. ExcaliburAlthough Excalibur is based mostly on Malory, it overly contains stories from Chrtien de Troyes and Alfred, Lord Tennysons Idylls of the King. The film takes scenes straight from Malory, but it also changes Malory slightly by condensing some of his many details and mixing them with stories from other Arthurian writers. It smoothes over many of Malorys contradictions then manages to throw in some eyepatch twists of its own. ExcaliburThe first scene of the film introduces the most important symbol of the film, Excalibur. throughout the entire movie at every critical juncture, Exc... ...with machines. Two of her fingers were broken. Arthur receives other shock when he realizes that these ministrations were performed by a priest. The priest believes that to torture heathens is an act of kindness that would enable them to enter heaven. The final blow that completely crushes Arthurs whimsy in the church is the untrieds he receives on Pelagius excommunication. How can the Church excommunicate a man who believes in such lofty and vivid ideas?ConclusionWhile Excalibur keeps both the content and form of Malory, King Arthur tries something new by trying to translate the barely-fitting together cacophony of Morte dArthur into a historically plausible film. Though Excalibur is more enjoyable to real King Arthur lovers, King Arthur is strangely refreshing in its extreme adaptation of the overused story, while existence still familiar in its core.