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Merlin
DVD Cover
Directed by	Steve Barron
Produced by	Dyson Lovell Robert Halmi Sr.
Written by	Edward Khmara David Stevens Peter Barnes
Starring	Sam Neill Miranda Richardson Helena Bonham Carter Isabella Rossellini John Gielgud Rutger Hauer Martin Short Lena Headey
Music by	Trevor Jones
Release date(s)	1998, 26 April
Running time	182 mins
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$30,000,000 (estimated)
Followed by	Merlin's Apprentice
IMDb profile

Merlin is a 3 hour made-for-television movie released in 1998 that retells the famous legend of King Arthur from the perspective of the wizard Merlin. Sam Neill stars in the title role in a story that covers not only the rise and fall of Camelot but also the phase, supposedly in the history of the British Isles, that had preceded it.

As Christianity spreads over Britain, the power of the pagan goddess Queen Mab (Miranda Richardson) is waning, and her world of magic faces imminent extinction. In order to save it, Mab decides to create a semi-human magical being, a wizard that will, she believes, bring people back to the "Old Ways", that is, the pagan religion. She creates Merlin by means of magic, which means that although the child is born from a mortal mother named Elissa, he has no mortal father. Elissa dies shortly after giving birth to Merlin, leaving the child to be raised by Ambrosia, an old woman who used to be a pagan but has since rejected Mab and the "Old Ways". Ambrosia refuses to give the new born Merlin to Mab, arguing that love is needed to raise a child, and Mab cannot provide that. Mab seems to agree on this, and leaves, but warns Ambrosia that one day she will return and take him away.

Merlin grows up with no knowledge of his true heritage, until one day, he uses magic for the first time to save a young woman named Nimue, daughter of a nobleman. That's when Mab considers him to be ready. Somewhat unwillingly, Merlin travels to Mab's underground palace, where she plans to train him in magic until he becomes the greatest wizard of all times. Merlin spends some time learning magical skills from Frik (Martin Short), Mab's gnome sidekick, but he doesn´t really like magic and eventually leaves for his old home when he learns that his foster mother Ambrosia is dying. Unfortunately, he arrives late and finds Mab in Ambrosias' home. Furious, he believes Mab killed her, and swears to get his revenge and use his magical powers only to defeat Mab.

Years later, Merlin joins Uther Pendragon, the enemy of the tyrant king of Britain Vortigern. Merlin helps Uther win the war against Vortigern (whom he kills himself with the aid of the magical sword Excalibur), believing that Uther will be a just, decent king. However, Mab frustrates his efforts by weakening Uther and making him commit adultery with a nobleman's wife named Igraine. Igraine gives birth to Arthur, who is taken by Merlin as an apprentice not in magic, but in ethics and everything he needs to become the perfect king Merlin wishes to create. Once again, Mab intervenes and manages to get Morgan le Fay, Arthur's half sister, to seduce him. Morgan le Fay then gives birth to a son, Mordred, whom Mab raises to become Arthur's downfall and to bring back the Old Ways. However, Arthur and Mordred kill each other in the film's last battle, and thus both Merlin and Mab lose their protegees and last hopes.

Furious, Merlin returns to Camelot, where he finds Mab sitting in the Round Table. Frik, the gnome, explains that Mab is weakened, so Merlin engages her in a magic duel that drains her strengths even more.

Unable to vanquish Merlin, Mab mocks him and tells him that he and his human followers can´t destroy her, but Merlin knows that she is now weak enough. He turns his back on her telling her that everyone will forget her. Everyone leaves, ignoring Mab's furious calls, and soon, she fades away just the way she had feared from the beginning.

It was produced by Dyson Lovell and directed by Steve Barron.

The story is by Edward Khmara with the teleplay written by David Stevens and Peter Barnes.

The cast includes John Gielgud (Constant), Rutger Hauer (Vortigern), Helena Bonham Carter (Morgan le Fay), Isabella Rossellini (Nimue), Lena Headey (Guinevere) and Martin Short (Frik the gnome). Nicholas Clay, who played Lancelot in John Boorman's 1981 film Excalibur, has a small role as Guinevere's father, Lord Leo.

Although the costumes used in this movie appear to be more historically accurate than those found in Excalibur (with Celtic and Roman-style armor in place of full suits of plate), there are also sprites, a dragon, a talking mountain (voiced by James Earl Jones) and a talking horse (voiced by Gielgud) that ensure the magical element is well-represented.

Illustrator Alan Lee served as the film's conceptual designer.

Hallmark has filmed a sequel in Vancouver, Merlin's Apprentice, with Neill and Richardson reprising their roles. The miniseries was broadcast in 2006.

The film has been shown on Hallmark Channel and TV1000.

See also List of films based on Arthurian legend

• Merlin at the Internet Movie Database
• Hallmark Entertainment: Merlin