Nicol Williamson's nasal, rasping voice made authority sound impatient and strange. We particularly value his wit: his Merlin gives Excalibur welcome relief from its solemn speeches.
Fi1m perspective
Nicol Williamson's Merlin sounds put out at having to conduct an ordinary conversation. In John Boorman's Excalibur (1981), that odd delivery gives the sorcerer an authority quite unlike the film's more solemn speakers. We warmed to him because he made those exchanges feel unpredictable, even when the surrounding speeches grew heavy. He makes sorcery interesting before the film needs to demonstrate it. It is a witty performance without any suggestion that the actor thinks himself above the material.
His nasal rasp and angular physicality were well suited to characters coming apart. John Osborne's Inadmissible Evidence gave him his breakthrough as Bill Maitland on stage in 1964, a part he repeated in the 1968 film. Tony Richardson's Hamlet (1969) followed on stage and screen. He could make verse or modern dialogue sound urgent, with the difficult emotions left raw rather than tidied up for an audience.
The screen work of the 1970s also included Sherlock Holmes in The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976) and Little John in Robin and Marian (1976). Merlin became his most widely recognised screen role; work grew more sporadic after the mid-1980s. We are less interested in the familiar account of an unfulfilled career than in what remains worth watching. Excalibur gives ample reason to resist reducing him to that account. Its grand storytelling can lose sight of the people, but Williamson supplies a distinct, awkward personality among the displays.
Boorman also has Helen Mirren's precise Morgana, and the two performances give us reasons to stay interested between bouts of bloodshed and sorcery. Alex Thomson's photography rewards the same patience, though the solemn speeches still ask a fair amount of it. Williamson cannot solve that, and recommending his Merlin need not mean overlooking the film's remote stretches. Start with Excalibur if the spectacle appeals. Allow for the passages when he is not there to improve the conversation.
Biography
Nicol Williamson (1936–2011) was a British actor. Born in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, he trained at the Birmingham School of Speech and Drama and made his professional stage debut with Dundee Repertory Theatre in 1960.
He gained recognition for stage performances including the title role in a 1969 production of Hamlet and Bill Maitland in John Osborne’s Inadmissible Evidence. His film roles included Sherlock Holmes in The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976), Little John in Robin and Marian (1976) and Merlin in Excalibur (1981). He received Tony Award nominations for his stage work and BAFTA nominations for several screen performances.
