Living by the Sword

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This year marks the 25th Anniversary of John Doorman's Excalibur. PAVEL BARTER charts the making of the Arthurian epic, with contributions from actors Helen Mirren and Nigel Terry, as well as costume designer Bob Ringwood.

ARDMORE STUDIOS, CO. WICKLOW, 1981. Director John Boorman arrived with bad tidings for his crew. They were halfway through Excalibur's 16-week shoot, and the film's LA producers were visiting to check up on their $11 million investment. The moguls at Orion Pictures were suspicious of Boorman. Sure, he'd achieved box office glory with Deliverance, but his most recent venture, Exorcist II: The Heretic, had been a catastrophic flop. In the minds of these hard-nosed …