Excalibur DVD

VIDEO - The added picture resolution of DVD makes this new transfer of "Excalibur" (letterboxed at 1.85:1 and anamorphically formatted for widescreen TVs) crisper and cleaner than the previous letterboxed laserdisc editions. Colors are rich and the luminous quality of the lighting is retained. To capture the earthy feel of the Middle Ages, director John Boorman and cinematographer Alex Thompson used lots of smoke and haze for exteriors and employed a muted color palette for the costumes and sets. Then they splendidly offset the drabness with a subtle use of bright colored lights (green lights shone on the green forest or on the sword Excalibur provide for an ethereal, magical quality). The picture looks good, though it's spottily grainy.

The main drawback with this DVD as compared to the laserdisc is that the framing here is slightly different: the edges are the same, but the image here crops off more from the top than necessary (the laserdisc has more head room and instead cuts more off the bottom of the frame). Several signature images are compromised on the DVD because the framing is off-balance, a pity in a film noted for its spectacular cinematography.

AUDIO - This DVD features a rousing Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. The robust score by Trevor Jones (which incorporates compositions by Wagner and Orff) sounds terrific, as do layers of ambient acoustical effects throughout. 

EXTRAS - Featured on this DVD is the theatrical trailer. Also included is a highly entertaining audio commentary by director John Boorman. This was a pet project of Boorman's for several years; not only is his love for the material evident, but his recollections about the production are very informative.

Jeers to Warner though, for scrapping Bob Peak's majestic poster and using a bland photo-collage design for the DVD cover, featuring a photo of Camelot that's not even from this film! Not only is this new artwork dull, but its sunny imagery is completely out-of-synch with the dark, mystical tone of the film. Peak's artwork was used on both the videocassette and laserdisc editions – suggesting there were no copyright issues or reservations about using his art for home video, and thusly making the absence of the poster art here inexcusable. Is it too much to ask that all movies on DVD feature their original theatrical artwork? Wouldn't that be more consistent with the whole notion of "preserving" a movie on DVD?

COMMENTS - The most ambitious take on the Arthurian legend, John Boorman's lavish "Excalibur," released in 1981 among a spate of similar sword-and-sorcery adventures ("Clash of the Titans," "Dragonslayer"), has endured as a modern-day classic. Boorman's vision is bloody, sensual and epic in proportions, all the more impressive because the film was shot on a tight budget. With glorious costumes, gorgeous location photography and sumptuous cinematography, Boorman captures the sights, sounds and atmosphere of the Middle Ages, maintaining an adult tone that elevates this production far above other King Arthur films before or since (especially the dopey 1995 washout "First Knight"). The solid cast includes Nigel Terry, Nicol Williamson, Helen Mirren, Gabriel Byrne, Liam Neeson and Patrick Stewart.

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