The Matter of Britain on Screen: A Spotlight on the World of King Arthur in Electronic Multimedia

Sunday, March 8, 2026

Arrow Video's Excalibur Trailer

This popped up in my YouTube feed recently. The Blu-rays are now available direct from Arrow Video or other vendors.

Thursday, February 26, 2026

Coming Soon Welcome To Merlin Academy

This came up in the March Preorder Catalog for comics. It's a novel connected to Disney's Descendants franchise featuring the children of classic Disney characters. Amazon has 12 May 2026 for a release day. You can preorder the book from them at https://www.amazon.com/Welcome-Merlin-Academy-Descendants-Mystery/dp/1368081460/.

The book would be specifically linked to the 2024 telefilm Descendants: The Rise of Red, which introduced Merlin Academy as a setting, versions of Merlin and Archimedes (from Sword in the Stone), and debuted Morgie, the son of Morgan le Fay.

Welcome To Merlin Academy Hc

Published by Disney - RHCB

(W) Melissa de la Cruz

Brimming with mystery and magic, this new stand-alone prequel to the Descendants series stars the original class of Disney’s best-loved Villain Kids.

Before their Descendants rocked the world, the baddest villains made waves in the classroom. It’s the first day at Merlin Academy, and the new students have no idea what to expect. Hook hopes he’ll get closer to the legacy he was destined for. Hades is determined to impress the already-infamous Maleficent. Uliana recruits Morgie to do some hands-on spellwork so they’re not stuck at a desk all day. And Ella’s not sure where she fits in to all this magical royalty and villainy. Luckily, her new friend Bridget’s got her back. The one thing they have in common? They’re all intrigued when headmaster Merlin transforms the school’s fountain into the Sword in the Stone. A challenge is issued: pull Excalibur from the rock and a life-changing prize awaits. But when Merlin and the famed Sword in the Stone vanish, all eyes narrow in on the Villains. Typical. It doesn’t help their image when classes are constantly interrupted by wayward magic and a powerful, ancient spell book goes missing. Amidst secrets and accusations, will the students find Merlin and have a chance at that life-changing prize? Or will their time at Merlin Academy be over before it's even begun?

Friday, December 26, 2025

Coming Soon - Excalibur Limited Edition Blu-ray

Excalibur Limited Edition Blu-ray

Current price: $45.00.

Recommended Retail Price: $59.99. Save $14.99.

Pre-order

Release Date: 24 February 2026

Full details at https://www.arrowvideo.com/p/excalibur-limited-edition-blu-ray/17631545/.

Product Overview

Arrow Video

FORGED BY A GOD. FORETOLD BY A WIZARD. FOUND BY A KING.

From John Boorman, the director of Point Blank, Deliverance and Zardoz comes the definitive cinematic telling of the life and enduring legend of King Arthur, from birth to death and beyond.

Behold, the Sword of Power! Excalibur! Forged when the world was young, and bird and beast and flower were one with man and death was but a dream. Given by Merlin to Uther Pendragon to unite the land in peace but wasted on lust. Driven into stone by Uther's dying hand, there to await the coming of a true King. A journey into the wonders and horrors of the imagination, this is the story of Arthur, the knights of the round table, the golden age of Camelot, the quest for the Holy Grail and of course, the wizard, Merlin.

With an extraordinary cast that includes Helen Mirren, Gabriel Byrne, Nicol Williamson and Liam Neeson, Oscar-nominated cinematography by Alex Thomson (Legend) and a thundering score by Trevor Jones, Excalibur returns in a stunning new restoration. From the blood and mud of the battlefield, to the glowing green of ancient woods and gleaming gold of Camelot, experience Excalibur as you never have before.

Product Features

3-DISC 4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

Brand new 4K restoration from the original 35mm negative by Arrow Films presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1 for the first time on home video
Contains both the 141-minute Theatrical Cut and the 120-minute TV Version of the film
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Reversible sleeve featuring two original artwork options
Collectors' perfect-bound booklet containing writing by Charlie Brigden, K.A. Laity, Kimberly Lindbergs, Josh Nelson, Philip Kemp, John Reppion, Icy Sedgwick and Jez Winship
Double-sided fold-out poster featuring two original artwork options
Six postcard-sized reproduction art cards

DISC 1 - FEATURE (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)

4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation of the 141min Theatrical Cut of the film in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Restored original lossless mono and DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio options
Brand new audio commentary by Brian Hoyle, author of The Cinema of John Boorman
Brand new audio commentary by filmmaker David Kittredge, director of Boorman and the Devil

DISC 2 - EXTRAS (BLU-RAY)

The Making of Excalibur: Myth into Movie, a never before released 48-minute documentary directed by Neil Jordan during the production of Excalibur
To Be a Knight and Follow a King, a newly filmed interview with director John Boorman and actor Charley Boorman
When Death Was but a Dream, a newly filmed interview with creative associate Neil Jordan
The Charm of Making, a newly filmed interview with production designer Anthony Pratt
Confessions of a Professional "Pain-in-the-ass", a newly filmed interview with 2nd unit director Peter MacDonald
Anam Cara, a new featurette on the working friendship of John Boorman and co-writer Rospo Pallenberg featuring a newly filmed interview with Pallenberg
Divided Nature, a brand new featurette by film historians Howard S. Berger and Kevin Marr
Trailers
Image galleries

DISC 3 - BONUS (LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE BLU-RAY)

High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation of the 120-minute TV Version of the film, previously unavailable on home video
Original lossless mono audio
Excalibur: Behind the Movie, a 50-minute retrospective documentary in which cast and crew look back on the making of the film

Product details

Run Time

141 / 120 MINS

Director

John Boorman

Certificate

Actor

Nigel Terry Nicol Williamson Helen Mirren Liam Neeson

Subtitle Languages

English SDH

Theatrical Release Year

1981

Main Language

English

Number of Discs

Region

Brand

Arrow Films

UPDATE Revisioning Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: Essays on David Lowery's The Green Knight (proposals by 1/2/2026)

Revisioning Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: Essays on David Lowery's The Green Knight

deadline for submissions:
January 2, 2026

full name / name of organization:
Drew Maxwell and Melissa Crofton

contact email:
dmaxwell@trentu.ca

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2025/11/11/revisioning-sir-gawain-and-the-green-knight-essays-on-david-lowerys-the-green-knight

For close to nine hundred years, Gawain has been a favorite hero in Arthurian myth, especially when it comes to his appearance in the late fourteenth century chivalric romance, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. While scholarship on the poem continues to expand in many fascinating ways, David Lowery’s 2021 film adaptation, The Green Knight, has changed the way scholars can approach and teach the medieval poem. We have a contract with Boydell and Brewer and confirmed contributors; however, we have lost a few contributors and are looking for one or two more chapters for the book. We are particularly looking for chapters that discuss race and/or toxic masculinity in the poem and film, or possibly other adaptations of the poem (particularly film adaptations other than Lowery’s The Green Knight).

Please send a 250-word proposal to Dr. Melissa Crofton and Dr. Drew Maxwell to TheGreenKnightCasebook@gmail.com by January 2, 2026. Early abstract submissions are welcomed/encouraged. Due to contract agreements with Boydell and Brewer, we have a tight deadline in place, and we will need finished chapters by the spring of 2026.

Last updated November 14, 2025

Saturday, May 10, 2025

Recent Collection of Essays on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Green Knight

Another recent publication on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and David Lowery's recent adaptation, The Green Knight.

I'll start with the full citation. Book details and order information are available from the publisher at https://presses-universitaires.parisnanterre.fr/index.php/produit/unveiling-the-green-knight/.

Fruoco, Jonathan, editor. Unveiling the Green Knight. Nanterre, France: Presses universitaires de Paris Nanterre, 2024. Intercalaires: agrégation d’anglais. Print. 978-2-84016-546-0. [x2

Description:

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is one of the oldest tales in English literature. Haunted by the passage of time, this story takes us to the frontier between tradition and innovation, between a romanticized Arthurian chivalric past and its poetic reinterpretation in the English language.

Such distinctions are further troubled in David Lowery’s film adaptation, The Green Knight, which offers a contemporary and highly stylized vision of the themes in the medieval poem. This volume explores the myriad facets of the Gawain legend through a comparative analysis of the poem and the film. Authors examine these works’ themes, motifs, and narrative techniques, while shedding light on their historical and cultural resonances. Raising issues such as self-discovery, gender politics, the relationship to nature, and questions of morality and ethics, this volume of essays provides new perspectives on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’s continuing relevance across the centuries.

Recent Book on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Lowery's The Green Knight

Starting with the full citation here.

Book details and ordering information are available from the publisher at https://www.atlande.eu/nos-ouvrages/1036-anonyme-sir-gawain-and-the-green-knight-9782350309200.html.

Silec-Plessis, Tatjana, and Justine Breton. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Anonyme, traduction de Simon Armitage) et The Green Knight (David Lowery, 2021). Neuilly-sur-Seine, France: Atlande, 2023. Clefs concours Anglais – Littérature. Print. 978-2-35030-920-0

The book is a very detailed guide to both texts.

Description:

Traitant d’un des sujets 2024 des agrégations externe et spéciale d’Anglais, cet ouvrage propose tout ce dont le candidat a besoin pour passer les épreuves.

Comme tous les Clefs-concours de littérature anglophone, l’ouvrage est structuré en quatre parties :

-Repères : le contexte historique et littéraire;

-Thématiques : comprendre les enjeux du programme;

-Perspectives : ouvertures pour des pistes de réflexion;

-Outils : pour retrouver rapidement une définition, une idée ou une référence.

Tuesday, May 6, 2025

Monty Python and the Holy Grail at 50

Monty Python and the Holy Grail turns 50 this year, and the creators at Honest Trailers have produced this humorous video on the film.

You can also watch the film online for from YouTube for free (with ads):

Thursday, January 16, 2025

CFP Revisioning Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: A Casebook on David Lowery's The Green Knight (4/30/2025)

Revisioning Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: A Casebook on David Lowery's The Green Knight.

deadline for submissions:
April 30, 2025

full name / name of organization:
Melissa Crofton/Florida Tech

contact email:
TheGreenKnightCasebook@gmail.com

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2025/01/08/revisioning-sir-gawain-and-the-green-knight-a-casebook-on-david-lowerys-the-green.

For close to nine hundred years, Gawain has been a favorite hero in Arthurian myth, especially when it comes to his appearance in the late fourteenth-century chivalric romance, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. While scholarship on the poem continues to expand in many fascinating ways, David Lowery’s 2021 adaptation, The Green Knight, has changed the way scholars can approach and teach the medieval poem. The editors of this book proposal seek essays that explore some of the compelling changes Lowery makes to the base text of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and what we can learn about the importance—or dangers—of retelling popular stories in new and inventive ways.

Current contributors for this project include medievalists, but we are also interested in hearing from individuals who specialize in film studies and popular culture. Please send a 250-word proposal to Dr. Melissa Crofton and Dr. Drew Maxwell to TheGreenKnightCasebook@gmail.com by April 30, 2025.

Last updated January 10, 2025