King Arthur (2004)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Antoine Fuqua

Writer (WGA):

David Franzoni (written by)

Release Date:

7 July 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | History | War

Tagline:

Rule Your Fate

Plot:

A demystified take on the tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

Plot Keywords:

Knight | Roman Empire | King Arthur | Britain | Knights Of The Round Table

Awards:

3 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Clive Owen	...	Arthur
Ioan Gruffudd	...	Lancelot
Mads Mikkelsen	...	Tristan
Joel Edgerton	...	Gawain
Hugh Dancy	...	Galahad
Ray Winstone	...	Bors
Ray Stevenson	...	Dagonet
Keira Knightley	...	Guinevere
Stephen Dillane	...	Merlin
Stellan Skarsgård	...	Cerdic
Til Schweiger	...	Cynric
Sean Gilder	...	Jols
Pat Kinevane	...	Horton
Ivano Marescotti	...	Bishop Germanius
Ken Stott	...	Marius Honorius

Also Known As:

King Arthur: Director's Cut (USA) (DVD title (director's cut))
Knights of the Roundtable (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense battle sequences, a scene of sensuality and some language.

Runtime:

126 min | USA:142 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA | UK | Ireland

Language:

English | Latin | Irish Gaelic

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) (director's cut) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 (director's cut) | Malaysia:18PL | Malaysia:U (cut version) | Australia:M (Video rating) | USA:PG-13 (original rating) (certificate #40970) | Canada:G (re-rating) | New Zealand:M | Spain:18 (DVD rating) | Sweden:11 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA (director's cut) | Australia:M (original rating) | Canada:14A (director's cut) | Chile:14 | Czech Republic:12 | Finland:K-11 (original rating) | Finland:K-15 (director's cut) | France:U (director's cut) | Germany:12 (original rating) | Germany:16 (director's cut) | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 (director's cut) | Spain:7 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12A (original rating) | UK:12 (video rating) (2004) | UK:15 (director's cut) | USA:Open (director's cut) (rating surrendered) | USA:R (director's cut) | Greece:K-13 | Brazil:14

Filming Locations:

Ardmore Studios - Herbert Road, Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland

Company:

Touchstone Pictures

Trivia:

Laurence Fishburne narrated the teaser trailer.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the winter scenes, none of the actors have frosty breath since the scenes were actually filmed during the summer.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Lancelot: [voiceover] By 300 AD, the Roman Empire extended from Arabia to Britain. But they wanted more. More land. More peoples loyal and subservient to Rome. But no people so important as the powerful Sarmatians to the east. Thousands died on that field. And when the smoke cleared on the fourth day...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in King Arthur: A Roundtable Discussion (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Song of the Exile

History...?

Here are the facts about the "Age of Arthur." The Roman legions pulled out in 410 (over 50 years before this film's period). The Saxons were INVITED by King Vortigern in 449 as mercenaries against invading Irish, Scots and Picts (note: they were NOT called "Woads.") Saxons were NOT mono-syllabic troglodytes, but actually warrior-farmers with a sophisticated culture. After a few generations, the Angles and Saxons - led by Cerdic of Wessex - came into conflict with the Romano-Celts, led by Ambrosius Aurelianus. Artorius (Arthur) was apparently one of Ambrosius' generals. He fought ten battles against the Germanic tribes, culminating in the Battle of Badon sometime between 500 and 510 (40-50 years AFTER this film's period).

NONE of this information came out in this film. I am somewhat familiar with the "Sarmatian" legend, but there is little evidence for it (in fact, Roman legionaries in Britain came from all over the Empire).

As "history," this film gets an "F". As entertainment...? The characters were shallow, the acting was amateurish, and the dialogue was plodding and trite. As a "found comedy," it works rather well - I found myself laughing through most of it. As a serious film and an attempt to portray "history," however, it is seriously flawed. Skip this one and read "Crystal Cave" or "Mists of Avalon" instead.