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Excalibur (1981)
An Instant Classic
Boy, am I glad I saw this movie.
OK, there hasn't been a movie yet, that I've seen, that follows King Arthur's story as well as Excalibur does. It shows us his father, his birth, his life, his everything.
The story begins with his father Uther, played by Gabriel Byrne. He is a ruthless, violent warrior that infiltrates his enemy castle, with Merlin's help, and rapes Igrayne, who is the queen of the castle, and mother of Morgana. She becomes pregnant and gives birth to a boy, which Merlin takes and puts in the care of Sir Hector.
To make a long story short, he becomes King Arthur and we follow his life as it is written by Thomas Malory.
The cinematography is one of the best I've ever seen and the lighting is surprisingly good and even up to par with today's standards, such as in the scene where Arthur meets Lancelot for the first time, or in the final scene, which is one of the best in the movie.
If I didn't know better I would say that this movie was made in the 90's not the 80's. The only downside to the movie is the rather weak acting it has. But it makes up for it in other parts of the movie.
The make-up is also very good. I couldn't believe it was the same wimpy actor that played the strong, old and brutish Arthur at the end.
All in all this is a must see for every film fan and a good way to spend an evening at home.
Gier (2005)
Excellent story and setting
I've always been fascinated with both World War I and World War II and seeing a film that takes place in either one of those is always a pleasure.
When making a short film about the subject, especially with a small budget, you have loads of problems on your hands. The main one is, of course, making it actually look as if it were shot in the actual war itself. Given the homework that probably went into this movie, everything seems to be in order. OK, I don't know a lot about this subject, even though I probably should given my interest in the matter, but I think every costume and set, such as trenches and barracks looks the way it should.
Now to the story. This movie is, like it's title suggests, about greed. One man's quest to find a treasure his brother in arms foolishly told him about. There isn't anything else I can tell without ruining the entire short.
I'm trying my best not to spoil anything, but I have to say that the ending excels above the rest of the movie. It's great.
I'm looking forward to seeing more from Arne Duppler in near future. Let's just hope Germany realizes his potential soon enough.