Excalibur Film

In 1981, director John Boorman created the movie Excalibur. His original intention was to create a movie based on The Lord of the Rings, but when he was unable to obtain the rights to film, he opted to focus on the story of Excalibur. The actors cast in the movie were relatively unknown to American audiences at the time, as Boorman wanted the story to be the focus of the film rather than the actors.

The film stars Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Nicholas Clay, and Cherie Lunghi. Additionally, Excalibur was the launching pad into American films for several British actors, including Patrick Stewert, Gabriel Byrne, and Liam Neeson.

In a basic retelling of the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, the film follows the travels of the legendary sword of the same name from the hands of Uther Pendragon to the stone in which it rests until Uther's son, Arthur, retrieves it and becomes the rightful king. Arthur uses the sword to defeat his enemies and establish Camelot with the Knights of the Round Table, and the sword remains by his side through both the glory years and the decline of Camelot brought on by the love affair between Arthur's wife, Guinevere, and his best friend, Sir Lancelot.

Excalibur was nominated for 12 awards in 1982, including an Oscar for Best Cinematography. Additional nominations included a British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award for Best Costume Design, and the Cannes Film Festival Golden Palm Award. The film won Best Artistic Contribution at the Cannes Film Festival, and a Saturn Award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films for Best Costumes.