| Overall Grade: |
A |
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| Story: |
A+ |
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| Acting: |
A |
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| Direction: |
A |
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| Visuals: |
A- |
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Homage to Wagner.
by James D (movies profile)
Dec 21, 2006
9
of
13 people found this review helpful
This film, as much as it is a portrayal of the legend of King Arthur or more specifically an adaptation of 'La morte d'Arthur', is a fitting homage to the work of Richard Wagner. Not only does the film frequently invoke major pieces of music from Wagner's most mature opera; Tristan und Isolde, Gotterdamerung and Parsifal, but the allusions to the nordic myths upon which Wagner's opera are based are blended seamlessly into the narrative of the Arthurian legend.
Siegfried, the bold and fearless hero of Wagner's Ring of the Nibelung is portrayed somewhat by Arthur, the music from Siegfried's funeral march being a clear allusion to this. From young, naive squire to bold, loveless King we see how he refuses to champion his, then innocent, wife and Queen Guinevere who is accused of infidelity by one of the Knights of the round table. As in Wagner's "Lohengrin" we see Guinevere (see Elsa) championed by her Knight in shining armour Lancelot whose victory is said to derive not from his own strength but from the judgement of God.
From Lohengrin to the doomed Wagnerian lovers Tristan and Isolde, the illicit affair between Lancelot and Guinevere is destined to cause pain, suffering and death but this is no endulgent, irrelevant subplot. The consequence of the two lovers' actions leads to the beginning of the downfall of land and kingdom, a reflection of a King's despair. This sets the scene for the tale of Parsifal(or in this film Percival), a naive young squire who resists temptation (Morgana in this film) in order to obtain the grail and rescue the ailing King and Kingdom alike. The prelude to Wagner's operatic adaptation of the Parsifal nordic myth can be heard as a cinematic version of leitmotif used during Parsifal's compassionate enlightenment that culminates in his acquistion of the Grail.
In sum, this film could be viewed as an amalgum of Wagner opera based on nordic myth and legend. It has been done in such a way that it has been able to remain largely faithful to the Arthurian legend and the book upon which it is based and most impressively it has blended the various legends using Wagner music (plus O Fortuna from Carmina Burana) without coming over as tacky or pretentious. Sublime. |
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