Lord of the Rings didn’t happen without the underrated Excalibur

In the late 15th century, a man named Thomas Malory, whose identity is still debated by scholars, wrote Le Morte d’Arthur, a compilation of legends, chivalric poems, and folklore related to King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Five centuries later, British director John Boorman (Deliverance, Hope and Glory) turned that source material into a movie that is still considered a milestone in the history of fantasy cinema (even if it’s hard to classify as “fantasy”). Excalibur is bold, ambitious, and above all, uncompromising. Forty-five years later, it stands as a testament to a director’s audacity to propose his artistic vision to audiences without filters.