Themes: Righting the Wronged, Heroic Mission, Daring Rescues
Main Cast: Sam Neill, Isabella Rossellini, Miranda Richardson, Martin Short, Rutger Hauer
Release Year: 1998
Country: US
Run Time: 240 minutes
Plot
This four-hour fantasy miniseries, elaborating on the Arthurian legend and filmed in England and Wales, offers a portrait of the wizard Merlin (Sam Neill), following his life as a youth (Daniel Brocklebank) to his later conflicts with the evil Queen Mab (Miranda Richardson) and his love for Nimue (Isabella Rossellini), who is kidnapped by Lord Vortigern (Rutger Hauer). Amid battles and displays of magic and mysticism (courtesy of London's Framestore and the Jim Henson Creature Shop), Merlin strides the English countryside encountering Excalibur, the unbreakable sword, and a Camelot cast of colorful characters including the morphing manservant Frik (Martin Short), Morgan le Fey (Helena Bonham Carter), King Arthur (Paul Curran), Lancelot (Jeremy Sheffield), and Guinevere (Lena Heady). Premiered April 26, 1998 on NBC. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
Helena Bonham Carter - Morgan Le Fey; John Gielgud - King Constant; James Earl Jones - Mountain King; Paul Curran - King Arthur; Mark Jax - King Uther; Jeremy Sheffield - Lancelot; Lena Headey - Guinevere; Daniel Brocklebank - Young Merlin; Billie Whitelaw - Ambrosia; Thomas Lockyer; Agnieszka Koson; John Turner; Roger Ashton-Griffiths; Rachel Colover; Sebastian Roche; Keith Baxter; Nicholas Clay; Justin Gurdler; Jason Done; Timothy Bateson; Dilys Lane; Emma Lewis; Talula Sheppard; Peter Benson; Peter Woodthorpe; John Tordoff; Robert Addie; Nickolas Grace; Janine Eser; Alice Hamilton; Jeremy Peters; Joseph Mawle; Peter Eyre; Vernon Dobtcheff; Camilla Oultram; Peter Bayliss; Susan Rayner; Charlotte Church
Credit
Noel Davis - Casting, Lynn Kressel - Casting, Ann Hollowood - Costume Designer, Steven Barron - Director, David Winning - Director, Colin Green - Editor, Robert Halmi, Sr. - Executive Producer, Trevor Jones - Composer (Music Score), Roger Hall - Production Designer, Sergei Kozlov - Cinematographer, Dyson Lovell - Producer, Jim Henson's Creature Shop - Special Effects, Framestore - Special Effects, Peter Glossop - Sound/Sound Designer, Peter Barnes - Screenwriter, David Stevens - Screenwriter
