Not Your English Teacher's King Arthur.

There's no singing. There's no magic. But there is a round table.

Lacking most of its familiar bits -- sorcery, chivalry, wizards, adultery -- King Arthur purports to be a re-telling of the "true" story of the warlord who eventually became known as Arthur of Britain, and his defeat of the Saxons in the Dark Ages.

An idealistic leader and a brilliant soldier, Arthur rides with his "knights," i.e., fellow Sarmatian horsemen nearly done with their service to Rome: Lancelot, Tristan, Galahad, Bors, Gawain and Dagonet. As Rome retreats from Britain and the Saxons converge, Arthur's knights find a common interest with the "Woads" -- Pictish-ish pagan warriors, native to the isle, led by the shaman Merlin. And then, along the way, there's the discovery and rescue of the fetching and fearsome Pictish archer Guenevere. Will they band with the Woads against the Saxons, uniting the people of Britain? Will Arthur's nascent idealism, where all men are free to choose their fights, come to pass? And who's going to get the girl?

You're kidding, right?

I spent about the first ten minutes of this movie grumbling to myself about the elements that definitely owe more to the legend than to any history (if the story isn't going to go like Idylls of the King, why do we have to keep all those Frenchified monikers?). And I'm still of two minds about Guenevere, Warrior Princess. (I'm all for a positive spin on Guenevere, and I know about Celtic women warriors, but I think that broadsword weighs more than Keira Knightley, even with her body paint on.) But once I let go of my notions about what was "supposed" to happen, I found myself beginning to enjoy the ride. Antoine Fuqua's direction opened wide the vistas while still taking us down in the mud for the battles, and his battle sequences owe a debt to The Last of the Mohicans more than they do to Helm's Deep. Early on, one of the knights observes about Britain, "When it's not raining, it's snowing." As it turns out, in one brilliant sequence, freezing water can be a Sarmatian's best friend.

The beauty of the Arthurian legends is that there are a million stories in the naked island, and we've been telling and re-telling them for centuries. Here, we only get about two -- one full one and the pieces of a couple of others. For all her bowslinging and Xena-esque warrior fu, Knightley doesn't really get a lot to do, storywise. As for the great love triangle, we get a glimpse of something that might have developed into one, but that's all. (Trouble is, you can't have the love that brings down the kingdom until there's a kingdom to bring down.) And it's a terrible shame that Stephen Dillane as Merlin doesn't get much to do either -- great actor, intriguing character, but there's just no time for anything else.

Clive Owen makes a convincing Arthur, as both leader and warlord. This is a man who can dream of a utopian society and also kick some serious ass. Ioan Gruffudd's Lancelot is much more a firebrand than the familiar Lancelot du Lac. And Stellan Skarsgård as Cerdic, leader of the Saxons, is an ominous delight.

The best relationship, and the most convincing characters, are the knights. I say "relationship," singular, because they really are almost one being. These men love one another, and have fought together so long that they are almost of one mind, and it shows. Watch in any scene where one of them steps forward into potential danger -- the others are instantly around him or behind him, covering all angles, leaving nothing to chance. It's probably just as well that the love triangle storyline doesn't flourish, because it's difficult to imagine anything powerful enough to pull these men apart.

The movie's a bit of a mongrel, with multiple lines blending and blurring to what is ultimately a mixed, somewhat recognizable result. If you go in expecting The Once and Future King, or even Excalibur, you'll be disappointed. But its heart is true, and if it captures another imagination, Arthur has worked his magic again.

Posted on July 07, 2004 to horticulture

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