King Arthur, the Young Warlord, is a
1975 compilation of several episodes of the British TV series Arthur of the
Britons (1972-1973) edited into a 95 minute movie. This was a
typical practice in the 1960s and 1970s when introducing TV series to foreign
broadcast markets. The Man from Uncle
and Space: 1999, among others, used
this approach to varying degrees of success. The problem with such compilations
is that by trying to link together unrelated episodes the result lacks a
cohesive narrative structure. Arthur of the
Britons is noted for being a real departure from previous
depictions of the Arthurian legend. This isn’t the fanciful King Arthur of the
musical Camelot, depicted as reigning
during the High Middle Ages – this is a Dark Ages Arthur, about 100 years after
the Roman withdrawal from Britain. Close attention is paid to recreating the
clothing, weapons, and life in a British Iron Age village. Indeed, one can almost smell the Dark Ages
while watching the show. There is no Guinevere, Lancelot, magic, Merlin, or a Round
Table, but the realistic depiction of life back in the days of yore is
compelling, if not always particularly exciting.
In some
respects, the 1969 film Alfred the Great,
starring David Hemmings, can be seen as an influence on Arthur of the Britons due to its more realistic depiction of life
in the Early Middle Ages. The budget for the TV series was low and critics can nitpick
over how historically accurate specific details are, but, nevertheless, the
show influenced a new generation of filmmakers to aspire to a more authentic
portrayal of life in the Middle Ages.King Arthur: The Young Warlord, starring
Oliver Tobias and Brian Blessed, is presented below from the Aeolus 13 Umbra YouTube channel.
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