The Visuals of King Arthur - Dream or Reality?

The first time I saw Jerry Bruckheimer's production of King Arthur, I felt the visuals were odd, featuring colors that were too saturated and weird lighting choices. However, since watching it several more times since it's release in 2004, I feel that these aspects set it apart from other historical epics due to the mythical aspects of Arthurian legend. I began to sense a detachment from reality in the visual aspect of the film. I am a big fan of surrealist cinema, and feel that all movies have a dream-like quality, but due to the nature of the story, I feel it is different with King Arthur.

Firstly, the film uses a lot of deep shadows to accentuate the high contrast look. A technique of realism, this creates a dark, foreboding atmosphere to the film, and also makes it feel like a painting, particularly through the Italian technique called chiaroscuro. 

   

The Crucifixion of St. Peter by Caravaggio - 1600

Self-Portrait by Rembrandt - 1629

This examples show a strong side-lit approach, but chiaroscuro is basically the technique of using the contrast between light and dark to boldly affect the whole composition. The lighting here feels natural, but Bishop Germanus is half-enshrouded in shadow, demonstrating that he is either hiding something or not entirely trust-worthy.

Example of chiaroscuro in King Arthur

Another reference to painting, the use of strong bright colors in the landscape makes an almost ethereal feeling to the setting of Medieval Britain. Although this is supposed to be a historical film, it is still largely based on legend, and the dream-like color palette creates that sense of fantasy. Here we see the country-side, a natural setting, and yet it feels almost artificial because of the high saturation, almost popping out of the frame.

The green of the grass looks highly saturated for reality.

Adding to the strong ethereal atmosphere of the landscapes, is the unique lighting dynamics that cinematographer Slawomir Idziak created in certain scenes. Occasionally, the color of the light does not reflect reality, further demonstrating the dream-like fantasy feel of the film. 

How dream-like does this feel?

This technique is very obvious in the flashback to Arthur pulling Excalibur out of the stone, which is one of the most memorable moments of the original legend. Does that green light feel realistic? Or more like fantasy?

 Idziak also uses symmetry throughout King Arthur, creating a sense of balance in the compositions. This reflects the themes of equality that Arthur is professing in the film. This is most strongly emphasized in the round table, which leaves no head of the table, creating all men equal. 

In contrast to that, there is also a strong use of unbalanced composition to create visual tension. The use of silhouettes and strong shadows again create a heavy weight of visual power in these shots. This is used quite extensively in the dynamics between characters, giving one character visual weight to one side of the frame, establishing power.

The use of negative space adds weight to Arthur's silhouette.

Overall, King Arthur claims to be historically accurate and based on truth, but the mystery around the Arthurian legends and the very fantastic elements to the visual design of the film, makes it all feel very fairy-tale like.