MERLIN {PART 1 OF 2} (TV)
Summary
Part one of two in this special made-for-television movie about the life of Merlin the Wizard, who struggles to defeat the fairy queen Mab. The story, narrated by an aged Merlin, begins with an overview of the events leading up to Merlin's birth. Lord Vortigern leads a coup against King Constant, and with the rise of Christianity, Queen Mab decides to create a wizard who will bring the Britons back to "the old ways." When Merlin's mother dies during childbirth, Mab leaves Merlin in the care of Ambrosia, the midwife, promising to return one day. As a young man, Merlin discovers his magical abilities while attempting to rescue a damsel in distress named Nimue. They fall in love, but they cannot be together because Merlin's display of magic has piqued Mab's interest, and Mab summons him to her castle to begin his training as a wizard. Mab's toady, Frick, tries to teach Merlin the ways of wizardry, but he discovers that Merlin truly doesn't care for magic. Mab is outraged by this news. While she plots her next course of action, Merlin learns from Mab's sister, the Lady of the Lake, that Ambrosia is very ill. However, before Merlin can return home, Mab murders Ambrosia. Merlin is heartbroken and vows to use his powers to defeat Mab. Time passes, and King Vortigern attempts to build a castle in preparation for an attack by Constant's son, Uthor, but the king discovers that the castle is being built on cursed ground. Vortigern follows Mab's advice and orders that Merlin be killed in order to remove the curse. However, Merlin is spared when the king discovers that Merlin can predict the future. While in the king's custody, Merlin is reunited with Nimue, and they talk about the isle of Avalon and the legend of the Holy Grail. Their happy reunion comes to an end when Mab tells Vortigern that he must sacrifice Nimue to "the great dragon" in order to win the battle against Uthor. Merlin manages to defeat the dragon, but not before Nimue is horribly scarred by its fiery breath. Enraged at Mab and Vortigern's alliance, Merlin asks the Lady of the Lake to help him defeat them. She gives him the magical sword Excalibur, which he uses to help Uthor defeat Vortigern. King Uthor meets and becomes obsessed with Lord Cornwall's wife, the Lady Igraine, at his (King Uthor's) coronation. Merlin is concerned about Uthor's obsession. In order to keep Excalibur from being used for evil purposes, Merlin plunges the sword into a stone "until a good man comes along to take it." Then he finally agrees to help Uthor win Igraine on the condition that he (Merlin) be given Uthor's firstborn son to raise and teach "honor and goodness." But at the time of Arthur's birth, Mab and Frick convince Igraine's daughter, Morgan Le Fey, to place a magic stone in Arthur's crib, cursing the boy's fate and dashing Merlin's hopes. Commercials deleted. Continues with T:56409.
Cataloging of this program was made possible by The Marc Haas and Helen Hotze Haas Foundations, 2000.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: April 26, 1998 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:30:59
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:56407
- GENRE: Drama, fantasy/science fiction
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, fantasy/science fiction; Drama, action/adventure; Arthurian legend
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV, 1998
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Robert Halmi … Executive Producer
- Dyson Lovell … Producer
- Chris Thompson … Line Producer
- Steve Barron … Director
- David Stevens … Writer
- Peter Barnes … Writer
- Edward Khmara … Writer
- Trevor Jones … Music by
- The London Symphony Orchestra … Symphony Orchestra
- Sam Neill … Cast, Merlin
- Helena Bonham Carter … Cast, Morgan Le Fey
- John Gielgud … Cast, King Constant
- Rutger Hauer … Cast, Lord Vortigern
- James Earl Jones … Cast, the Mountain King (voice)
- Miranda Richardson … Cast, Queen Mab and the Lady of the Lake
- Isabella Rossellini … Cast, Nimue
- Martin Short … Cast, Frick
- Paul Curran … Cast, Arthur
- Lena Headley … Cast, Guinevere
- Jeremy Sheffield … Cast, Lancelot
- Mark Jax … Cast, Uther
- John McEnery … Cast, Lord Ardente
- Thomas Kockyer … Cast, Cornwall
- Jason Done … Cast, Mordred
- Billie Whitelaw … Cast, Ambrosia
- Daniel Brocklebank … Cast, Young Merlin
- Agnieszka Koson … Cast, Young Nimue
- Emma Lewis … Cast, Elissa
- Justin Girdler … Cast, Young Galahad
- Roger Ashton-Griffiths … Cast, Sir Boris
- Nicholas Clay … Cast, Lord Leo
- Sebastian Roche … Cast, Gawain
- Rachel Colover … Cast, Lady Igraine
- John Turner … Cast, Lord Lot
- Keith Baxter … Cast, Sir Hector
- Janine Eser … Cast, Lady Elaine
- Peter Woodthorpe … Cast, the Soothsayer
- Robert Addie … Cast, Sir Gilbert
- Nickolas Grace … Cast, Sir Egbert
- Peter Benson … Cast, the First Architect
- John Tordoff … Cast, the New Architect
- Timothy Bateson … Cast, Father Abbot
- Alice Hamilton … Cast, Young Morgan
- Peter Eyre … Cast, the Chief Physician
- Vernon Dobtcheff … Cast, the First Physician
- Peter Bayliss … Cast, the Second Physician
- Taula Sheppard … Cast, the Lady Friend