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Merlin Miniseries DVD (1998) Starring: Sam Neill Helena Bonham Carter Miranda Richardson Martin Short Plot Synopsis: The legend of King Arthur this time from the perspective of the King s Wizard Merlin. Merlin is a creature born of pagan magic living in a world converting to Christianity. Merlin is beside Arthur as he gains Excalibur builds Camelot and is betrayed by his wife Guinevere. Merlin and Arthur are both menaced by the plots of Morgan Le Fey her son by Arthur Mordred and their cohorts. Through it all Merlin tries to keep Arthur from the destructive path set by fate. Review: What kind of guy was the wizard Merlin anyway He lives a long time raises a boy to be a king props up a Utopian empire with his magic and wisdom and then watches as it all crumbles under such banal forces as vengeance and betrayal. This four-hour miniseries re-tells the story of Camelot and King Arthur from the perspective of the magic man who sacrifices a great deal to guide mortals toward a better destiny. Sam Neill plays Merlin as an accessible flesh-and-blood fellow of real passion powerless to undo the spell of a rival (Rutger Hauer) who has virtually imprisoned Merlin s great love Nimue (Isabella Rossellini) but gifted enough to counter the treachery of Morgan Le Fey (Helena Bonham Carter) and the wicked Queen Mab (Miranda Richardson). The battle sequences and special effects are striking and original and it is great fun to see such art-house movie actors as Richardson Carter Neill etc. in fantasy entertainment the whole family can enjoy. (An unrecognizable Martin Short must be singled out however for a wonderful largely dramatic performance as Mab s sidekick Frik.) Directed by Steve Barron (The Adventures of Pinocchio) Merlin is a nice bit of glossy revisionism of a beloved legend. DVD Details: Actors: Sam Neill Helena Bonham Carter Miranda Richardson John Gielgud Martin Short Directors: Steve Barron Format: Closed-captioned Color NTSC Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.) Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Number of discs: 1 Studio: Live Artisan DVD Release Date: September 16 1998 Run Time: 182 minutes
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