Film in A Companion to Arthurian Literature

A Companion to Arthurian Literature
Helen Fulton (Editor)
ISBN: 978-0-470-67237-2
Paperback
592 pages
February 2012, Wiley-Blackwell
US $44.95


This Companion offers a chronological sweep of the canon of Arthurian literature - from its earliest beginnings to the contemporary manifestations of Arthur found in film and electronic media. Part of the popular series, Blackwell Companions to Literature and Culture, this expansive volume enables a fundamental understanding of Arthurian literature and explores why it is still integral to contemporary culture.

• Offers a comprehensive survey from the earliest to the most recent works
• Features an impressive range of well-known international contributors
• Examines contemporary additions to the Arthurian canon, including film and computer games
• Underscores an understanding of Arthurian literature as fundamental to western literary tradition

Part VII Arthur on Film 479

32 Remediating Arthur 481
Laurie A. Finke and Martin B. Shichtman

33 Arthur's American Round Table: The Hollywood Tradition 496
Susan Aronstein

34 The Art of Arthurian Cinema 511
Lesley Coote

35 Digital Divagations in a Hyperreal Camelot: Antoine Fuqua's King Arthur 525
Nickolas Haydock

Legend Quest Previews

Syfy aired a series last year called Legend Quest that included a number of Arthurian-themed eisides. Here are the previews of two episodes from the network's YouTube channel:






The complete series can be viewed on Hulu at http://www.hulu.com/legend-quest.

Merlin on BBC America

BBC America begins this month airing the BBC1 series Merlin. A marathon of season one starts this Friday (8 June) night at 8 PM and runs through Saturday (9 June) morning at 8 AM. Conveniently, the season is also rerun Saturday from 9 AM through 10 PM followed at 10 PM with episode one of season two. Check out the online schedule for any changes: http://www.bbcamerica.com/schedule/. The network also now includes a page (http://www.bbcamerica.com/merlin/), filled with information and images, for the series on its website.

The remaining episodes of season two air Saturday nights later in the month with two episodes each night, the first at 9 PM and the second at 10 PM.

More Fate/Stay Night

The English dub of the animated feature film Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works, which features various mythological and legendary figures (including a female King Arthur) in combat for the Holy Grail, comes to home video this month from Sentai Filmworks:

Having spent the last ten years of his life studying under a mysterious sorcerer, Shiro Emiya has become a Magi. As such, she can summoned the mystical female warrior, Saber, to stand in the ultimate test of sorcery and magic: the Holy Grail War. While seven teams will enter the battle, only one will leave. Is that worth the price Shiro must ultimately pay? The battle is on in FATE/STAY NIGHT – UNLILMITED BLADEWORKS!

The film follows the "official" storyline of the franchise as opposed to the composite one presented in the anime series Fate/Stay Night, which (as far as I can determine) is the only one to expand on Saber's past as King Arthur.

Apparently, there is also a prequel series Fate/Zero currently showing as an anime series on Japanese television (and now on Hulu.com at http://www.hulu.com/fatezero). The series depicts the last Holy Grail War ten years ago and introduces Lancelot.

Merlin's Film Debut?

I've been tracking down references to an elusive American film from American Mutoscope and Biograph Co. called Merlin, the Magician. It was released in 1899 and photographed by F. S. Armitage, and there is scant information available as far as I can determine as of this date. However, earlier this week, I came across an even earllier film--Georges Méliès's Le Magicien (1898)--that seems to incoporate Merlin (or a very similar looking mage) into its showcasing of early special effects.

Please let know what you think,
Michael