Dir. Antoine Fuqua, 2004, US/Ireland, 130 mins
Cast: Clive Owen, Keira Knightley, Ioan Gruffudd, Ray Winstone, Stephen Dillane
The magical, mythical romance of the Arthurian legends has long cried out for a big screen, big budget adaptation. This is not that film.
What you do have is a gritty, realistic interpretation of the truth behind the story. Directed by Training Day's Antoine Fuqua, this is an exploration of the man who would eventually become one of Britain's best-loved folk heroes, drawing on recent archaeological finds to validate the historical authenticity of the tale.
Clive Owen stars as Arthur, a commander of Roman and British blood who wishes to leave Britain and return to the stability of Rome. However, he must first conduct one last mission, together with his Knights of the Round Table. The country is under threat of attack from invading Saxons and Arthur, a man of the highest ideals, realises it will need a new leader to take up the challenge and lead the kingdom into a new age.
"King Arthur is the definitive story of the leader and warrior who emerged to lead the Britons against the Saxons. It is the story of the man who became King Arthur", says producer Jerry Bruckheimer.
Among his knights are the neandelithic Bors (Ray Winstone), the loyal, deadly killer Lancelot (Ioan Gruffudd), and Galahad (Hugh Dancy). He is also aided by his former enemy Merlin (Stephen Dillane), and the strong warrior woman of the Woads, Guinevere (Keira Knightley), who dons warpaint, bow and arrow and triumphantly accompanies the Knights into battle.
This is story telling on a grand scale, and a much darker, colder epic than we have come to associate with Camelot. The exploration of the of Arthur's metamorphosis from soldier to king, and the inner turmoils he has to face, are well-executed with Owen providing an appropriate character, dark, chiseled but steely-jawed, determined and self-sacrificing. Yes, one can believe that this is the embryonic Mallory hero. Director Fuqua states that he wishes Arthur and his knights to be seen as real soldiers, and to convey the complexity of emotions they endure. Of the knights, Ioan Gruffudd's Lancelot stands out, a charismatic, edgy hero.
However, this is the film in which Keira Knightley's full star potential is recognised. Her Guinevere is a strong femme fatale who strikes the right balance between alluring beauty, brawn and brains. As Knightley says "she's no damsel in distress. she's a fighter, a warrior, as much as any man - and she does have something to fight for. That's based on historical fact - the women did fight on equal standing with the men. That's never really been shown before."
It must be said that some of the script is not exactly the most inspired and even borders on faux Shakespeare as, occasionally, does the delivery. Fortunately, the story and themes are strong enough to carry the momentary lapses, whilst the battle scenes - without the overload of cgi - are bloody and realistic, ably keeping our interests engaged. No small part in this is played by the cinematographer, Slawomir Idziak, who worked on Kieslowski's A Short Film About Killing and Three Colours: Blue. Shot on location in Ireland, he manages to bring a filmic quality to a most realistic setting, notably when set against the snow and ice. In doing so, he captures a tantalising glimpse of the timeless mythology that Fuqua has so vehemently sought to eliminate and which, one suspects, audiences are looking for.
Taken as a deconstruction of the mythic hero, and placed in its historical context, King Arthur stands on its own merits, and serves as an interesting and somewhat refreshing alternative to the traditional, one which should encourage a renewed and enquiring interest in the legends. As a film, this is a classic tale of loyalty - to a country, to your fellow men, to your ideals, and to yourself, and the drama comes from all the challenges this entails.
Jean Lynch
|
