A rare piece of Disney movie history has been discovered after the film disappeared from the cultural zeitgeist.
While Disney fans have begged for years for a live-action version of the animated classic Sword in the Stone, in 2004, Disney attempted to deliver on the Arthurian myth. A borderline forgotten Disney action film from Jerry Bruckheimer on the heels of the success of Pirates of the Caribbean, with stars Clive Owen and Keira Knightley and a unique take on a universally beloved legend, King Arthur had the pedigree of a hit. Released in 2004 by Touchstone Pictures, a subsidiary of Disney, King Arthur was directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by David Franzoni, who also wrote Gladiator and Amistad. The film claimed to be based on new archaeological findings that suggested that Arthur was a Roman officer rather than a medieval knight.
Marketed as a more historically accurate version of the Arthurian legend, the movie received mixed reviews from critics and audiences. Some praised the film’s action sequences, cinematography, and score by Hans Zimmer, while others criticized the film’s historical inaccuracies, lack of character development, and romance. The film grossed $203.6 million worldwide against a budget of $120 million.
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Our Hero, King Arthur
This iteration of King Arthur featured a AAA cast, including Clive Owen as Arthur, Ioan Gruffudd as Lancelot, Keira Knightley as Guinevere, Mads Mikkelsen as Tristan, Joel Edgerton as Gawain, Hugh Dancy as Galahad, Ray Winstone as Bors, Ray Stevenson as Dagonet, Stellan Skarsgård as Cerdic and Til Schweiger as Cynric. It was a stacked cast of talented up-and-comers and industry veterans.
Clive Owen was at the peak of his popularity when playing the role and his hero costume as King Arthur recently became available on eBay. The costume consists of a leather tunic, a chainmail shirt, a belt, a sword scabbard, and a pair of armored shin guards. According to the seller, the outfit is in good condition and has a certificate of authenticity. You can walk home with a full Roman centurion costume for under $5k. This is a steal for a piece of Disney movie history.
Click here to see more pictures of the costume.
Keira Knightley’s Second Disney Movie
King Arthur was the second film that Keira Knightley starred in for Disney after her breakthrough role as Elizabeth Swann in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl in 2003. Knightley signed a two-movie deal with Disney after auditioning for Pirates.
Knightley was only 18 years old when she filmed King Arthur. She had to undergo extensive physical training to prepare for her role as Guinevere, including archery, sword fighting, and horse riding. For some scenes, she also had to wear blue body paint and fake tattoos.
Knightley later said she enjoyed working on King Arthur but regretted wearing skimpy outfits that sexualized her character. She said she felt uncomfortable with how her body was portrayed in the film’s posters and trailers. One of the few items she had on set to cover up was her character’s satchel.
The leather satchel was a prop used by Keira Knightley and is currently available on eBay. The satchel is made of brown leather with metal buckles and straps. It has a flap closure and a long shoulder strap. It measures approximately 12 inches by 10 inches by 4 inches. The King Arthur movie prop also contains two horns with caps, used by Guinevere as weapons and tools. She uses one horn to blow a signal to alert Arthur and his knights of an ambush and another horn to drink water from a stream.
The satchel can be seen in several scenes of the film as the heroes travel the English countryside and when she joins Arthur and his knights in fighting against the Saxons. According to the seller, the satchel is in good condition and comes with a certificate of authenticity.
Is King Arthur Worth a Watch
King Arthur actually has a small but loyal fan base that appreciates the film’s unique take on the Arthurian legend. The film has a 6.3/10 rating on IMDb and a 68% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. So if you loved the movie, you weren’t alone.
Some fans praised the film’s gritty realism, diverse cast, and strong female characters. Some also enjoyed the chemistry between Owen and Knightley as Arthur and Guinevere, while other fans disliked the film’s deviation from the traditional sources of the legend, such as Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia Regum Britanniae and Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur. A few also complained about the lack of magic, romance, and humor.
Is the movie worth reconsidering? Definitely, it is a light action film with some engaging battles and interesting performances. It’s not the best movie of all time, but it’s a fun adventure to be remembered for more than its box office. You can even grab King Arthur‘s stylized theatrical poster on eBay too.
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