"It's a myth, and what Franzoni will argue and what the Arthur historians will argue is that [King Arthur] is probably more valid than any version, because it has an historical context," said Clive Owen who plays the title role, "So there are certain things that they have researched and that they do know about this time." The film is set in 550 A.D. at the great Hadrian's Wall, an 80 mile long, 15 foot high, 10 foot thick protective barrier built by the Romans. King Arthur has stayed behind after the Romans have fled to lead Sarmatian (or Russian) warriors into battle against the invading Saxons (or Germans). To give his warriors a chance, Arthur must ally with the Woad people, British guerrilla resistance fighters, led by their leader, Merlin, father of Guinevere, and long-time adversary to Arthur. Arthur's story is traditional territory for Franzoni, who wrote a similar story in Gladiator, where, as Franzoni classifies it, "the hero must fight for what's right, despite the odds and the inevitable outcome, is what's important." The difference between King Arthur and Gladiator is that Arthur wins 40 years of freedom for his people, and this is most likely the place in history where the Arthurian myth of Camelot began.
The love triangle between Lancelot, Arthur, and Guinevere found in the popular Lerner and Loewe creation, Camelot, is non-existent in Fuqua and Franzoni's adaptation. There is no time for love when there is so much fighting to be done. And the film's dark, violent visual style is most reminiscent of John Boorman's 1981 version of the myth, Excalibur. Both films convey a grittier, more chaotic reality that lacks the formal pageantry of the round table depicted in other films. But Clive Owen believes King Arthur stands alone, "I think it's great that we're giving people a unique version and not just recycling something they've seen before. I like that Antoine shows how Arthur's world was a really dangerous, scary place. That's what stuck with me when I saw Antoine's cut of our movie ¿ That's the world Arthur and his knights found themselves in. It's certainly not the prettified world of Camelot."
Even Guinevere is depicted in a new light; she's not a naive, hopeless romantic, but a warrior with a deadly command of the bow and arrow. Anyone who has seen the film can't fail to notice a scantily clad Guinevere (Keira Knightly) covered in only paint and some leather/S&M looking outfit - to attract younger audiences, no doubt. Antoine Fuqua disagrees, "The females were quite tough. They used to fight in the nude. And they used to paint themselves, with blue paint. The wode is a plant they used to use to paint their bodies blue (which is how the guerilla fighters got their name). And they fought naked to scare their enemies, to disrespect them, show 'em they had no fear. So that stuff is real."
However, the filmmakers' desire for accuracy in this portrayal of a medieval hero is not resonating with audiences or critics. Reviews and box office have been lukewarm for a film that boasts accomplished professionals behind and in front of the camera. Most reviews feel that the rants on freedom ring hollow. If audiences are looking for a tale with brutal medieval action then they are better off renting Braveheart. Or if it is knightly romance they are looking for then skip past Jerry Zucker's 1995 Arthurian film, First Knight, and revisit the Warner Brothers musical, Camelot (1968).
There is one sequence in King Arthur, however, that has captivated most audiences, and it is the battle scene filmed on ice. It was shot on a set constructed in a large frozen tank at Pinewood Studios in England that was filled with layers that would breakaway and swallow up battle-hardened knights and warriors. So was this scene historically accurate like the rest of the film proclaims to be? Fuqua admits that it's unlikely that a battle ever took place on ice, but the visuals and the challenge of such a thing made it more than worth bringing it to the screen. "It's a cool idea. [It took] a lot of planning," says Fuqua, "I did a whole pre-vis of it, because we were trying to figure out how to physically do it." King Arthur is currently showing at theatres everywhere but it may be fading fast, usurped by the popularity of breakout summer hits such as The Village and I, Robot.
by Tom Cappello
