Arthur the King

I saw this movie years ago on the late show - was switching channels and came across Dyan Cannon in Stonehenge... that piqued my interest... and then there was Malcolm McDowell and Liam Neeson... and Edward Woodward as the great wizard Merlin... this movie is Grade Z, but the cast is fantastic... this is one to invite friends over, crack the six-pack and heckle. I'd love to get a copy for this reason alone. I'm surprise MS3K hasn't picked on it yet!

Probably the worst movie ever inspired by or blamed on Arthurian myth, this features some talented actors struggling valiantly with terrible miscasting (only Dyan Cannon as an American tourist seems comfortable in her role) and an awful script. The sets look cheap and stagey, and the only entertaining thing about the whole film is how laughably bad the special effects are. This is so utterly without redeeming features that I can't recommend this to anyone - fantasy fans, fans of any of the actors, not even lovers of bad movies.

I remember seeing this movie a long time ago when I was young. And I remember liking it, of course I was a youth. But, still, what I liked about it was the fact that it had the Arthurian element of fantasy to it. I like that in any movie, so-called "good" or "bad." By the way, does anybody know where I can find this movie to either rent or buy so I can make a wiser judgment for myself?

Thanks for any info, my email address should be available after the comment.

I guess Dyan Cannon, Macolm McDowell, Edward Woodward, Candy Bergen, Liam Neeson and Rupert Everett must have been in it just for the paycheck. This film is bad-- even for TV. I rented it because I was desperate for a bit of romance for my wife who was ill. Well, it was a stinker. The low budget special effects were out of the three stooges era. The fight scene with King Arthur and the "Undead knight" was a high point, reminding me of Monty Python's Holy Grail. I could go on and on about the abuses to the Arthurian legend but this film is a parody of itself and little more can be said on that account. My biggest disappointment was Candace Bergen who has been a long time fav. Another reviewer here has already noted the shortcoming in her role and we can leave it at that. Neeson was absolutely comical; Everett was ghastly; Woodward was his hambone usual delightful self and Dyan Cannon, (born the same year as myself) was great because she was playing herself. Unless, you're really bored and looking for a lampoon of a costume drama, I might not recommend this one.

Yes, I've watched it again in 2004 and it did not age well. I was mostly looking for the Gawain/Lady Ragnell story line which I 'remembered' as being wonderful. It's probably the only redeeming part of this movie aside from Edward Woodward's performance. The basic plot has an American tourist (Dyan Cannon) visiting Stonehedge, falling into a hole and suddenly being in the presence of Merlin (Woodward) and Ninnian.

As Merlin and Ninnian explain how they come to be trapped under Stonehenge we see flashbacks of Arthur (Malcom McDowell) and Guinevere along with Lancelot (Rupert Everett looking VERY young). Candice Bergen is there as Morgan Lefaye in a wig that is NOT to be believed. Mostly it's an abysmal job. The fight scenes between the knights are poorly edited. Seeing Liam Neeson as 'Grak' is almost worth the cost of microwave popcorn tho.

Patrick Ryecart's story line subplot at Gawain was edited with a hacksaw in this movie. I do not remember it being so back in 1985 when I originally watched it on television. What butchery! If you want a laugh at nonexistent special effects then this is your movie. I bought it for 99cents on ebay and while it satisfied my curiosity...boy is it a stinker!