MERLIN {PART 2 OF 2} (TV)
Summary
Continued from T:56407. Part two 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, continues with Merlin teaching Arthur, who is now an adult, to be an ethical person. When Merlin receives word that King Uthor has committed suicide, he and Arthur set off for the castle so that Arthur can claim his rightful place as king. Meanwhile, the knights of the realm attempt to remove Excalibur from the stone in order to claim the throne, but they all fail. After being attacked by griffins sent by Mab, Merlin tells Arthur about the circumstances surrounding Arthur's birth, and Arthur vows to build Camelot -- "a golden city devoted to peace and charity." Arthur pulls Excalibur from the stone, but some of the lords refuse to acknowledge that he is king; instead they start a civil war in order to overthrow him. As the armies prepare for battle, Frick visits Morgan Le Fey and convinces her that she and Arthur should have a son, who will be the rightful heir to the throne. On the battlefield, Arthur proves himself worthy of the crown. Consequently, the rebels accept him as king, and the Britons are finally united under one ruler. Merlin returns when he has a vision of Arthur and Morgan making love. Merlin warns Arthur that the child of that incestuous union will ultimately destroy them. In the meantime, Mab visits Nimue and offers to restore her beauty if she will convince Merlin to leave Arthur and not interfere with her (Mab's) plans, but Nimue refuses. Over the next few years, Arthur builds Camelot, marries Guinevere, and prepares for a quest to find the Holy Grail. Fearing a future challenge to Arthur's reign, Merlin appeals to Morgan Le Fey not to teach her and Arthur's son, Mordred, "the old ways," but it is too late. Morgan is fully allied with Mab and Frick. At Merlin's urging, the knight Lancelot enters a royal joust and is chosen as the protector of Camelot during the king's absence. While Arthur is away, Lancelot and Guinevere start having an affair. Mab decides that Mordred is ready to challenge Arthur, so she kills Morgan Le Fey. When Frick protests, Mab takes away his magic. Arthur returns to Camelot and discovers that Mordred has claimed a right to the throne, and Guinevere has been unfaithful to him with Lancelot. Arthur is reluctant to punish Guinevere, and Mordred uses this weakness to start a rebellion against him. Merlin rides off to join Nimue, who has accepted Mab's offer of restored beauty and is living in an enchanted cave. When Arthur and Mordred are mortally wounded in battle, Merlin decides to return to Arthur. However, when Merlin leaves Nimue, the cave closes behind him, and he and Nimue are separated forever. After fulfilling Arthur's dying wish, Merlin confronts Mab and finally finds a way to defeat her. Commercials deleted.
Cataloging of this program was made possible by The Marc Haas and Helen Hotze Haas Foundations, 2000.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: April 27, 1998 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:31:17
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:56409
- 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
- Andrea Barron … Researcher
- David Stevens … Writer
- Peter Barnes … Writer
- Edward Khmara … Writer
- Trevor Jones … Music by
- 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, Uthor
- John McEnery … Cast, Lord Ardente
- Thomas Kockyer … Cast, Cornwall
- Jason Done … Cast, Mordred
- Billie Whitelaw … Cast, Ambrosia, 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