This John Boorman film sees him also at two extremes - helming both the age-old yarn of Arthurian legend, and a cast (including Liam Neeson, Patrick Stewart and Gabriel Byrne) who, although now well-established, were then distinctly new to the scene.
Indeed, it's a dichotomy that makes for a terrific end result, full of energy but also mysticism. All the elements (sword in stone, Holy Grail and cuckolding Guinevere) are present and correct, and even if it does descend into the confusingly symbolic towards its breathtaking climax, the combination of glorious photography and epic drama more than makes up the deficit.
