''Arthur and Merlin'' is a 2015 independent British feature film directed by Marco van Belle and written by Kat Wood and Marco van Belle. The film, which stars Kirk Barker, Stefan Butler, Nigel Cooke and

David Sterne David Sterne (born 1946) is an English actor. He has appeared in more than 90 films since 1973. After leaving the British Army, Sterne trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art Webber may refer to: * Webber, Kansas, a US city * Web ...

, is based on the original Celtic tales of

Arthur Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more w ...

and

Merlin Merlin ( cy, Myrddin, kw, Marzhin, br, Merzhin) is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a mage, with several other main roles. His usual depiction, based on an amalgamation of historic and le ...

Plot

Medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

, a time of magic and legend, a powerful

druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking class in ancient Celtic cultures. Druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no written accounts. Wh ...

(Nigel Cooke) is bent on destroying the Celtic people.

(Kirk Barker) a banished warrior, and

(Stefan Butler) a

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite ( adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a C ...

wizard, embark on a heroic quest to stop the druid and save their people, before the Celts are lost forever and become a myth themselves.

Cast

* Kirk Barker as

/Arthfael * Stefan Butler as

/Myrrdin * Nigel Cooke as Aberthol * Charlotte Brimble as

Olwen In Welsh mythology, Olwen (or Olwyn) is the daughter of the giant Ysbaddaden and cousin of Goreu. She is the heroine of the story ''Culhwch and Olwen'' in the Mabinogion. Her father is fated to die if she ever marries, so when Culhwch (sometimes ...

* Adrian Bouchet as Lucan *

as King

Vortigern Vortigern (; owl, Guorthigirn, ; cy, Gwrtheyrn; ang, Wyrtgeorn; Old Breton: ''Gurdiern'', ''Gurthiern''; gle, Foirtchern; la, Vortigernus, , , etc.), also spelled Vortiger, Vortigan, Voertigern and Vortigen, was a 5th-century warlord in ...

* Nick Asbury as Orin * Andrew Grose as Brian * Garth Maunders as Faelan * Joseph Attenborough as Eogan * Jack Rigby as Anyon * Alison Harris as Branwen * Jack Maw as young Myrrdin * Hattie Pardy-McLaughlin as young Nia * Harvey Walsh as young Arthfael

Release

The film premiered at the

BFI Southbank BFI Southbank (from 1951 to 2007, known as the National Film Theatre) is the leading repertory cinema in the UK, specialising in seasons of classic, independent and non-English language films. It is operated by the British Film Institute. Hi ...

cinema on 11 April 2015. Later in 2015, the film was released digitally on 14 September via iTunes UK and on 6 November via numerous VOD services in the United States. It was also released in

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

format on 21 September in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, on 7 October in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

, and will be released on 16 January 2016 in the United States and around the second quarter of 2016 in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

Reception

The film received positive reviews. It was especially praised with regards to the relative quality and atmosphere in the movie when compared to its "shoestring budget".

References

External links

* * * {{Films based on Arthurian legends 2015 films Arthurian films British independent films 2010s English-language films 2010s British films