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A Knightly Endeavor: The Making of Jerry Bruckheimer's King Arthur

2004; Scriptoriun Press; Volume: 14; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1353/art.2004.0040

1934-1539

John T. Matthews,

Linguistics and language evolution

The Round Table The 2004 Movie King Arthur A Knightly Endeavor: The Making of Jerry Bruckheimer's King Arthur JOHN MATTHEWS The call came in February 2003. 'We're making a movie about King Arthur' I was told. 'It's going to be very different, set in the Dark Ages and its main focus will be on the Sarmatian Theory.' Was I familiar with it? Well, I was, and thought it an interesting idea. For the benefit ofthose who are not familiar with the theory—first proposed by Kemp Malone in 1922—it concerns a Roman officer named Lucius Artorius Castus, the commander of a group of warriors from a nomadic tribe known as the Sarmatians. This warlike people collided with the armies ofRome, led by the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, in the second century A.D. Having suffered a resounding defeat, they were, as was the common practice at a time, drafted into the Roman legions, and posted to the furthest borders ofthe Empire. One group, some 5000 strong, were posted to Britain, and in particular to the settlement of Bremetanacum (now modern-day Ribchester in Lancashire). From there they were posted to various parts of the country, including Hadrian's Wall, where some became part ofthe garrison at a fort known as Camboglanna (modern day Birdoswald in Cumbria). This much is historical fact; the theory goes on to suggest that the deeds ofLucius Artorius Castus and the Sarmatian warriors lived on in the form oftales and legends that were the seeds from which the stories ofArthur emerged. A number ofparallels exist between the history and beliefs of the Sarmatians and the later Arthurian legends. Not only did the Sarmatian cavalry fight under a dragon standard closely similar to that carried by Arthur, their stories also contained references to a magical cauldron, a Lady of the Lake, a mystical leader not unlike Merlin, and a warrior whose magical sword was thrown into a lake at the end of his life. Such strong parallels are too obvious to ignore. It seems more than likelythat memories ofthe Sarmatian warriors, their deeds and stories, were still remembered long after they were gone. The wandering bards and storytellers ofthe Celtic peoples would have been familiar with tales of these remarkable mounted warriors, famously skilled with bows and lances, led by a charismatic Roman-British commander named Artorius. Even the name ofArthur's sword, Excalibur, may have originated from the far-offlands of the Sarmatians. A tribe originating from the same part of the world, and famed for their ARTHURIANA ?4.3 (2??4) THE ROUND TABLEI13 skills in smithcraft, were known as the Kalybes.Theoldest name for Excalibur is Caliburn, a word that originates from chalybus, (white) and eburnus (steel). So much for the theory. This, I was told, would form the background to the new Arthurian movie. The filmmakers were looking for an Arthurian expert, and my name had come up as the author of numerous titles on this subject. How would I like to go up to Hadrian's Wall and show producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Antoine Fuqua, writer David Franzoni, and various other members of the crew around the remains of the forts on the Wall? Already I was thinking back on the numerous Arthurian films that I'd seen over the past 20 years, and how very few of them lived up to the original power of the legends. Hollywood seemed incapable of making a good Arthurian movie. Could this be different? I decided to find out. I arrived at Hadrian's Wall and stood in the snow watching for a limousine. Instead, a bright yellow helicopter descended from the sky, and disgorged its cargo of Hollywood moguls. I spent the rest of the day showing them round the remains of Hadrian's Wall and the Roman forts at Vindolanda and Houseteads. I soon found that these filmmakers were very serious in their intent to make the most accurate Dark Age movie ever, and the first really accurate portrayal ofArthur and his men. Here was no light-hearted, entertainment-first-historical-accuracy afterwards approach. Rather, I found everyone, from the producer down, very determined to do justice to the Arthurian...