I taped a late night broadcast of the film compilation of this series, purported to be the "true" story of the "real" King Arthur. Not having been too keen on the cleaned up and sometimes stuffy stories from Tennyson on, I was very, VERY skeptical - "Right, I'll bet" was my response to this claim. But after viewing the movie, I went on a quest that took me to local British bookshops, Rice University, and a hunger to learn more. I was totally fascinated by this telling of the tales - especially the basis of what might have happened to create the "Sword in the Stone" myth. This one was so much better! Here was a crafty, insightful, strategy churning Arthur who used logic, psychology, and military might when necessary to preserve his people and build alliances with an amusing assortment of petty kings in what was left of Roman Britain after their departure. Okay - enough overview.
Back to my quest for this and that. Every occurrence that comes up - historical figures, battles, even down to how people lived in the 800's was right. This gritty portrayal of Arthur was so fascinating that I just had to know more. I wrote to the production company. They sent me what they had and referred me to Terence Feeley, writer of most of the episodes. I wrote to him and still have the lovely letter he sent back.
This series is available in its entirety on DVD from the UK - formatted for that region only, unfortunately. But I suggest you get a region free player and have a ball watching these episodes all over again!
How much more compelling it is to view Arthur as a leader who used every human capability to achieve what few others could even imagine, to live such a "purpose-driven" life (to borrow a phrase). I could imagine him as a boy observing nature, observing people, sharpening his wit as well as his sword arm. What an amazing ideal for youngsters - develop your wit, your heart, your strength to achieve the most magnificent results. Dream the dream! Be all that you can possibly be!
