The King is dead, long live the King, but who will it be? The answer is found on the battlefields and in the mystical and powerful manipulations of fate emanating from the women of the legendary isle of Avalon in this intrigue-filled retelling of the King Arthur/Camelot legend. Starring Julianna Margulies, Anjelica Huston, Joan Allen, Caroline Goodall, Edward Atterton, and Samantha Mathis. This adaptation of Marion Zimmer Bradley’s sprawling and perennially popular book, whose retelling of the Arthurian legends focused on the role of powerful females, compresses a wealth of mysticism, family intrigue, and bloody swordplay into three hours. While the plot can meander slowly and can sometimes seem, well, mystifying, the work of three notable actresses holds the production together, and the numerous complications do eventually get resolved. As Viviane, the Lady of the Lake, Anjelica Huston endeavors to perpetuate the old religion as pagan Britain comes into contact with Christianity. The scheming Morgause, played to evil perfection by Joan Allen, conspires to her own ends. And Avalon priestess Morgaine, played by Julianna Margulies, travels the heroine’s journey, overcoming tragedies, injustice, and all manner of obstacles in her duty to both “the goddess” and her younger brother, King Arthur. Although the action lags at times, the production is quite lavish for a made-for-television feature and the film is ultimately entertaining. –Robert J. McNamara
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March 23, 2010
#1
This movie is just a poor representation of the marvelous tales and legends of King Arthur. Not just that, but Quinevere was turned into nothing more than a woman with very few morals. Orgy’s run amuck throughout this movie, actually, there’s very little here except for the orgy’s on the Midsummer night party where especially King Arthur decides he wants Quinevere to sleep with him and Lancelot at the same time. Just because he was afraid it was his fault that the Queen couldn’t have children.
So. I wouldn’t say having the Queen sleep with your best Knight was the way to go. Especially as Quinevere was allegedly supposed to have been burned at the stake for the accusations thrown at her for sleeping with Lancelot. Its horrible the way history will be distorted all for hearthrobs.
I could go on and on, but I think its safe to say I’ve said enough as far as my opinion on this movie goes.
Time spent here could be better invested elsewhere.
March 23, 2010
#2
Who the hell can say that Excalibur was a dissapointement?!
The one who doesn’t reckognize that magnificent masterpiece as THE, Ultimate, and basically ONLY real film about Arthur (worthy of mentioning at least), gotta be dumb, def and blind and probably insane as well!
The Mists of Avalon is a TV-film. That about says it all. It’s decent… and even if the actors or directing is spectacular (which I can’t remember that it was), that really wouldn’t matter, cause it just doesn’t have that “magic” or “power” of a cinema-movie, nor the positive aspects that a longer running authentic TV-SERIES could have.
This is just in the middle, like all other films of this kind (Hallmark etc.) – it’s their curse: They dont matter, can’t be taken too seriousely and will not be remembered (except for by die-hard fans who have nothing else but these realizations to cling onto).
As for King Arthur, anyone who LOOKS FORWARD for a Jerry Bruckenheimer production gotta be truly stupid, mindless or merely extremely superficial in his/her taste of films.
For being a JB-production, it actually wasn’t too bad, that one. The theory that inspired the story was serious and interesting (and very probable in my opinion), but the script itself was pretty thin, sure Kiera Knightley (or however you spell it) was great, and Stellan was cool as the Saxon chief, and they actually tried to make it authentic with the Woads speaking their old toungue etc. but it has nothing on the original: EXCALIBUR (!!!), neither does THIS film.
I haven’t read the book(s), but I dont think I would be too impressed by the film if I had (thinking of how popular the books are they can’t be too bad) – I’d probably just watch it cuz I was happy they had made a filmatization of my favourite book (if it WAS my favourite book now, that is).
Are we clear now?
Okay.
Maybe I’m too harsh. As a TV-film, this is pretty good.
I just wanted to point out that it (or any other) by far can’t live up to Excalibur.
And for Merlin, that awful awful abomination of a film, with the worst Merlin character in film history (the one in Excalibur being the very best, one of the greatest characters ever), is just, well, as bad as these types of films CAN be.
Mists of Avalon is not that bad.
March 23, 2010
#3
It’s incest all the way down, folks, and it’s nauseating to the core. Good people are manipulated in ways which turn your stomach; not for family viewing. Of course, the Celtic goddess is “real” and the Christian God (and his followers) are trash, in this movie, with the usual stereotypes.
Not to say the worshipers of the goddess come off any better, what with their prediliction for causing in-family breeding abominations and such, but at least the goddess answers sometimes. It’s all about the women in this turgid feminist fantasy.
The casting of Lancelot and some other characters – or maybe it’s just their costuming and hair – is just terrible and forgettable. The pace is plodding and agonizing. At the end, we’re just glad Avalon is finished and done with – at least this version of it.
March 23, 2010
#4
The movie goes on the premise that the Arthurian legends are all wrong–which, of course, they all are, because they are legends after all–and that this movie is going to tell the “true” story. Now, the movie was marketed as a look the legends from the female perspective, but this is a tad understating it. In fact, the movie suggests that it was in fact the female characters in the whole spiel that were the key figures. Needless to say, some of the females who traditionally had certain negative attributes are in fact not all that bad after all, and it’s only because of the workings of certain corrupting males that they happen to do bad things. I’m sure this is the reason why the movie (and I suppose the book, which I haven’t read) is seemingly so popular among females. But while the traditionally bad female characters have been vindicated, interestingly enough the whole story hinges on one female’s–Vivien, the head godess–ruthless attempt to save Avalon from the onslaught of the Saxons and their male-dominated religious belief, Christianity. For the head-goddess of a belief system that is supposedly more peaceful and egalitarian, she doesn’t conduct herself in all that pleasant of a manner; she ruins lives through manipulation and coercion, and if anything, actually assures the demise of the belief system that she cherishes so dearly. Evidently it doesn’t occur to her that in the course of her “doing everything” in her power to perserve the old ways, it’s men who are expected to do the fighting; there are no female warriors in this story, and no indication that the women were even inclined to take up arms for the cause. It’s no wonder then that many of the men turned to Christianity during the course of the movie.
March 23, 2010
#5
must see movie especially if you are into wicca,harry potter,knights of the realm.