Overview: From John Boorman, the director of Point Blank, Deliverance and Zardoz comes the definitive cinematic telling of the life and enduring legend of King Arthur, from birth to death and beyond.

Behold, the Sword of Power! Excalibur! Forged when the world was young, and bird and beast and flower were one with man and death was but a dream. Given by Merlin to Uther Pendragon to unite the land in peace but wasted on lust. Driven into stone by Uther’s dying hand, there to await the coming of a true King. A journey into the wonders and horrors of the imagination, this is the story of Arthur, the knights of the round table, the golden age of Camelot, the quest for the Holy Grail and of course, the wizard, Merlin.

With an extraordinary cast that includes Helen Mirren, Gabriel Byrne, Nicol Williamson and Liam Neeson, Oscar-nominated cinematography by Alex Thomson (Legend) and a thundering score by Trevor Jones, Excalibur makes its Ultra HD debut in a stunning new 4K restoration.

From the blood and mud of the battlefield, to the glowing green of ancient woods and gleaming gold of Camelot, experience Excalibur as you never have before.

4K Blu-ray Verdict: Why drink from the cup of Star Wars or Lord of the Rings when you can go directly to the well and get John Boorman’s Excalibur? If you’re tired of computer generated monsters, trolls or light swords, look no further than this. As Arthur puts it, We’ll use the old ways.

Excalibur is a dense, bombastic, aural, noble and spectacular telling of the Arthurian legend. So what if it’s not exactly in line with accepted texts? I can’t quite hold too much against the script since Arthur may never have existed to begin with. To put it short, I love this film. It’s a fantastic companion piece to the Disney Sword in the Stone telling - itself one of my favorite all-time films.

There are those who would laugh at the effort here of Boorman and his massive cast, but Excalibur has proved exceptionally influential. Coppola’s Dracula production owes more than wink to the style and execution to this film. For good reason. The home spun quality, practical effects and dense physical drama are a prize in the sea of computer fakery these days. There’s some magic far beyond Merlin’s hand that you will never forget. When Oh Fortuna booms away as Arthur is showered by cherry blossoms, you’re ready to grab the chain mail and ride.

A good number of the players in this film went on to bigger and better things. But there was hardly a star during the production. There’s no Oscar winning special effects and the film is riddled with rough edges, particularly the extremely poor ADR sync, it’s nonetheless hard to fault the overall spectacle. There’s a genuinely epic tale told with the care of a handmade sword to command your attention from beginning to end. The trough of sword and sorcery has gone dry of late and if you are looking for a rollicking good time, it’s time to return to the well of Excalibur. [A.G.]

3-DISC 4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
Brand new 4K restoration from the original 35mm negative by Arrow Films presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1 for the first time on home video
Contains both the 141-minute Theatrical Cut and the 120-minute TV Version of the film
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Reversible sleeve featuring two original artwork options
Collectors’ perfect-bound booklet containing writing by Charlie Brigden, K.A. Laity, Kimberly Lindbergs, Josh Nelson, Philip Kemp, John Reppion, Icy Sedgwick and Jez Winship
Double-sided fold-out poster featuring two original artwork options • Six postcard-sized reproduction art cards

DISC 1 - FEATURE (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY):
4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation of the 141min Theatrical Cut of the film in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Restored original lossless mono and DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio options
Brand new audio commentary by Brian Hoyle, author of The Cinema of John Boorman
Brand new audio commentary by filmmaker David Kittredge, director of Boorman and the Devil

DISC 2 - EXTRAS (BLU-RAY):
The Making of Excalibur: Myth into Movie, a never before released 48-minute documentary directed by Neil Jordan during the production of Excalibur
To Be a Knight and Follow a King, a newly filmed interview with director John Boorman and actor Charley Boorman
When Death Was but a Dream, a newly filmed interview with creative associate Neil Jordan
The Charm of Making, a newly filmed interview with production designer Anthony Pratt
Confessions of a Professional Pain-in-the-ass, a newly filmed interview with 2nd unit director Peter MacDonald
Anam Cara, a new featurette on the working friendship of John Boorman and co-writer Rospo Pallenberg featuring a newly filmed interview with Pallenberg
Divided Nature, a brand new featurette by film historians Howard S. Berger and Kevin Marr
Trailers
Image galleries

DISC 3 - BONUS (LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE BLU-RAY):
High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation of the 120-minute TV Version of the film, previously unavailable on home video
Original lossless mono audio
Excalibur: Behind the Movie, a 50-minute retrospective documentary in which cast and crew look back on the making of the film

Official Purchase Link

www.arrowvideo.com