The version of the Arthurian legend that Antoine Fuqua brought us at the beginning of the new millennium with his film ‘King Arthur’ (2004) immerses us in a dark and visceral reinterpretation of the myth of the King of Camelot. Clive Owen plays a version of Arturo Pendragon that moves away from the traditional image of nobility and chivalry with which he is usually represented, showing him as a more pragmatic and realistic leader, faced with the brutality of the time and the betrayals of his own. environment and who serves as a leader of British-Roman origin loyal to the Roman Empire who has spent recent years fighting in French Brittany and who is charged with the difficult task of directing the defense of Great Britain from the Saxon invaders. The film is currently available in the Disney + catalog.
‘King Arthur’ did not receive a single nomination for film awards, which highlights its poor film quality considering the talent involved in the film and its large-scale production. One of the most interesting technical aspects of the film is its visual treatment and production design. Antoine Fuqua manages to create a gloomy and oppressive atmosphere, set in a turbulent historical period such as the 5th century. The cinematography and visual effects contribute to conveying the feeling of realism and rawness that characterizes the film. Furthermore, the action scenes are remarkably choreographed, offering exciting battles and duels that keep the viewer in suspense.
The cast of ‘King Arthur’ is headed by Clive Owen in the role of King Arthur, whose interpretation of the legendary monarch is intense and convincing, in addition to moving away from the stereotypes that surround the character. Keira Knightley, for its part, gives life to a warrior and brave Guinevere, showing a more warrior and empowered facet of the character that moves away from the passive figure of previous versions. The rest of the cast is made up of actors such as Ioan Gruffud, Stellan Skarsgard, Mads Mikkelsen and Joel Edgertonwhich complete a talented cast.
The criticism of Fotogramas de ‘King Arthur’ focused on the way in which the film “promises, for the first time on screens, a truthful approach to the historical roots of that story of Arthur that we have always known filtered through myth. After a few minutes of footage, it is clear that the producer has been honest, at least in his intentions. We are here a long way from Camelot (and, of course, from Camelot, Lerner & Loewe version). Starting from the work on the barbaric substratum of the Arthurian myth prepared by the historian Howard Reid, the screenwriter David Franzoni proposes a brutal, and at times gratifying, dislocation of the known imaginary: Here, Merlin is a tribal chief, Guinevere’s infidelity is a game of staring, and the Knights of the Round Table, an elite body recruited (forcibly) in eastern lands. However, the strategy affects the veneer rather than the core, and it is not difficult to find something to tickle in a project whose ultimate goal is to fill multiplexes, connecting with the aesthetic keys of the most recent hits of the genre.”
