KING ARTHUR

US, 2004, 126 minutes, Colour.
Clive Owen, Ioan Gruffud, Keira Knightley, Stephen Delane, Stellan Skarsgaard, Til Schweiger, Ray Winston, Joel Edgerton, Hugh Dancey.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua.

High hopes that this would one of the holiday spectaculars. It was not. This is not surprising as it is a very dark and dour film, not the kind of derring-do hijinks that one would want for a holiday break.

The screenplay was written by David Franzoni who wrote Gladiator. That was a rather literate epic, centring on the philosopher emperor, Marcus Aurelius, and the military statesman, Maximus. There are a number of literary allusions in King Arthur. Especially surprising are the several references to the monk, Pelagius (the theological enemy of St Augustine) and his teachings on human self-sufficiency over God’s grace. There are also references to the Pope and Rome and one of the main protagonists is a bishop.

But that might not have been noticed by those wanting what older audiences used to call ‘a good stoush’. They would have been looking for the battles. And, in that, they would not be disappointed. There is a particularly effective battle on the ice, between Arthur and five knights and Guinevere who is now a champion archer. (Many of the critics were quick to point out that Eisenstein, once upon a time, did this more effectively in Alexander Nevsky. But those who did not recognise Pelagius would not have made the Eisenstein connection either and not been bothered one way or the other. While on comparisons, some of the battles were Braveheart-like and I would guess that many of the audience would have made that connection.)

This is pre-Camelot Britain, so there is no trace of any singing or wondering what the simple folk do. Rather, Arthur and his knights are political hostages from Asia, forced by the Roman empire to fight for them for fifteen years. Arthur and his fellows have been fighting the local Britons, the Woads, so called because of their painting their faces for battle. Merlin is one of their leaders. When their time of service has expired, the knights are asked to go on one more mission. On their return, they encounter the marauding Saxons and join with the Woads to defeat them – thus giving Arthur a united kingdom.

This means that we are dealing with pre-imagination, pre-legend Arthur, a dark Arthur, one whom audiences would find it hard to warm to, little sympathy let alone empathy. The choice of the never-prone-to smile Clive Owen for Arthur reinforces the theme but it is his darkness and dourness that cloud the film. (He does have the trace of a smile at the end.) Ioann Gryffudd is Lancelot but there is nothing much of a triangle between Arthur and Guinevere and himself. Guinevere is the young and athletic Keira Knightly. The one who does make an impression, especially since he is indeed from Scandinavia, is Stellan Skarsgaard as the leader of the Saxons, a rough and tumble, violent lot.

Once one gets used to what King Arthur is as a film rather than what advertising and hopes led one to believe what it would be, it seems to improve.

1. A mediaeval spectacular? The reputation of the film? The negative criticism? An action adventure? Portrait of Arthur?

2. Audience expectations from previous films, the legends, Camelot, the Knights of the Round Table, the relationship between Guinevere and Lancelot? These expectations not fulfilled? This King Arthur a different film?

3. The pre-Camelot Britain, dark, dour and grim?

4. The prologue, the Roman Empire and its decline? The domination of Asia? The taking the young men from the tribes? Their indenture for fifteen years’ service? The promise of going home after this service? Arthur and the others as part of this arrangement? Their serving in Britain? Their fights for the empire over the fifteen years? Coming to the end of the service? Their hopes to return home? This background for Arthur and the knights? The visualising of their home, the taking of Lancelot, the grief of the parents and families? The ruthlessness of the Romans?

5. The background to Britain at this period, the extent of the Roman Empire and their rule, the role of the church, bishops, military bishops? The role of the pope? The background of theology, heresy, Pelagius and his Theology of Grace and Freedom and Arthur quoting this? The Woads as barbarians on the frontiers of empire? The attacks? Merlin as leader of the Woads? Guinevere as a warrior amongst them?

6. The completion of Arthur’s work, escorting the military bishop, the attack by the Woads, the death of the substitute? The bishop asking Arthur and the knights to go on a final rescue mission? The documents of freedom? The pressure, the bonds between the knights, the Pledge of the Round Table? Their decision to go? The travel, seeing the family, the boy to be brought back, his position in the empire, the antagonism of his father, the betrayal? The hardships of the journey? The Woads and their attack? Merlin and his discussion with Arthur? The attack by the Saxons? The merging of the two groups? Guinevere and her joining Arthur’s band?

7. The picture of the Saxons, barbarians, their plans for the domination of the Woads, of conquering Britain? Cerdic and his son Cyneric? The barbarians, their appearance, warriors? The Viking atmosphere? Their strategies, the pursuit, the father’s pressure on his son and his disregard of him? The pursuit, the confrontation on the ice, the archers, the pressure, the strategy of pushing the soldiers together and cracking the ice, Gawain and his self-sacrifice on the ice? The archers and their deadly aim? The continued pursuit, the camps, the build-up to the confrontation between Arthur and Cerdic, their meeting each other, the pledges? The battle, the death of the knights, Cyneric and his death? The fight between Arthur and Cerdic, Arthur conquering?

8. Guinevere and her place among the Woads, young, stubborn, the antagonism towards Arthur, disrupting the group? The attraction, Arthur, serious but attracted towards her? Observed by Lancelot? Her skill as an archer, in the battle on the ice? Fighting in the other battles? On the cliff, the bond between Arthur and Guinevere? The ending and their marriage?

9. Lancelot, his age, the fifteen years of service, fighting, loyal, his being prepared to die, death in battle?

10. The other knights, Gawain and his self-sacrifice, Bors, wanting to go home, rough and ready, his family, the children, his woman? Bluff, loyal? Galahad and the other knights? The round table, their loyalty? Getting their certificates of freedom, rejecting them?

11. The united Britain, Merlin and his role, Arthur? The history of the Britons at this period – and the transition to the legend of Camelot? Audience interest in this character and themes – or not?