"By 300 AD, the Roman Empire extended from Arabia to Britain." "But they wanted more." "More land." "More peoples loyal and subservient to Rome." "But no people so important as the powerful Sarmatians to the east." "Thousands died on that field." "And when the smoke cleared on the fourth day, the only Sarmatian soldiers left alive were members of the decimated but legendary cavalry." "The Romans, impressed by their bravery and horsemanship, spared their lives." "452 AD in exchange, these warriors were incorporated into the Roman military." "Better they had died that day." "(neighing)" "Father." "They are here." "For the second part of the bargain they struck indebted not only themselves..." "The day has come." "..but also their sons, and their sons, and so on, to serve the empire as knights." "i was such a son." "There is a legend that fallen knights return as great horses." "He has seen what awaits you, and he will protect you." "Lancelot!" "Lancelot!" "Lancelot." "Don't be afraid. I will return." " How long shall we be gone?" " 1 5 years, not including the months it'll take to get to your post." "Lancelot!" "(all shout out "Rus!" "')" "(Lancelot) Our post was Britain - or at least the southern half, for the land was divided by a 7 3-mile wall built three centuries before us to protect the empire from the native fighters of the north." "So, as our forefathers had done, we made our way and reported to our Roman commander in Britain, ancestrally named for the first Artorius, or Arthur." "1 5 YEARS LATER" "Ah, as promised, the bishop's carriage." " Our freedom, Bors." " Mm. I can almost taste it." "And your passage to Rome, Arthur." "(horse whinnies)" "Argh!" "(war cries)" "Woads!" "( uproar, swords clinking)" "Yaa-rgh!" "Yah!" "Argh!" "Argh!" "(triumphant cry)" "Rus!" "Aagh!" "Rus!" "Rus." "Gratia plena, Dominus tecum." "Benedicta tu in mulieribus et Dominus tecum." "Benedicta tu in mulieribus." "Benedictus fructus ventris tui, iesus." "Benedicta tu in mulieribus..." "Save your prayers, boy." "Your god doesn't live here." "Why did Merlin send you south of the wall?" "Spill my blood with Excalibur and... make this ground holy." "Pick it up." "Pick it up." " Bors." " What a bloody mess." "That's not the bishop." "God help us." " What are they?" " Blue demons that eat Christians alive." "You're not a Christian, are you?" "Does this really work?" "(mutters gibberish)" "Nothing." "Maybe I'm not doin' it right." "(man chuckling) Arthur!" "Arthur Castus." "Your father's image." "I haven't seen you since childhood." "Bishop Germanius." "Welcome to Britain." "I see your military skills are still of use to you." "Your device worked." "Ancient tricks of an ancient dog." "And these are the great Sarmatian knights we have heard so much of in Rome." "I thought the Woads control the north of Hadrian's Wall." "They do, but they occasionally venture south." "Rome's anticipated withdrawal from Britain has only increased their daring." " (man) Woads?" " British rebels who hate Rome." "Men who want their country back." " Who leads them?" " He's called Merlin." "A dark magician, some say." "Tristan, ride ahead and make sure the road is clear." "Please do not worry, Bishop." "We will protect you." "Oh." "I've no doubt, Commander." "No doubt." "Dozens don't worry me nearly so much as thousands." "Thousands?" "Well, now that we're free men, I'm gonna drink till I can't piss straight." " You do that every night." " l never could piss straight." "Too much of myself to handle..." "down there." "Well, it's a problem." "No, really, it is. lt's a problem." " lt's like a baby's arm holding an apple." " (all) ..baby's arm holding an apple." "(laughter)" "I don't like him, that Roman." "If he's here to discharge us, why doesn't he just give us our papers?" " ls this your happy face?" " (Bors laughs)" "Galahad, do you still not know the Romans?" "They won't scratch their asses without holding a ceremony." "Why don't you just kill him, and then discharge yourself after?" "I don't kill for pleasure, unlike some." "Well, you should try it someday." "You might get a taste for it." " lt's a part of you. lt's in your blood." " No, no, no." "No." "As of tomorrow this was all just a bad memory." "Ohh." "I've often thought about what going home would mean after all this." "What will I do?" "It's different for Galahad." "I've been in this life longer than the other." "So much for home." "It's not so clear in my memory." "You speak for yourself. lt's cold back there and everyone I know is dead and buried." "Besides, I have, I think, a dozen children." "Eleven." "You listen." "When the Romans leave here, we'll have the run of all this place." "I'll be governor in my own village and Dagonet will be my personal guard and royal ass-kisser." "Won't you, Dag?" "First thing I will do when I get home is find a beautiful Sarmatian woman to wed." "A beautiful Sarmatian woman?" "Why do you think we left in the first place?" "(moos like a cow)" "What about you, Lancelot?" "What are your plans for home?" "Well, if this woman of Gawain's is as beautiful as he claims, I expect to be spending a lot of time at Gawain's house." " His wife will welcome the company." " l see." "And what will I be doing?" "Wondering at your good fortune that all your children look like me." "is that before or after I hit you with my ax?" "(whistles)" "Where you been, now?" "Where you been?" "And what will you do, Arthur, when you return to your beloved Rome?" "Give thanks to God that I survived to see it." "You and your god!" "You disturb me." "I want peace, Lancelot. I've had enough." " You should visit me." " Ah!" "It's a magnificent place, Rome." "Ordered, civilized, advanced." "A breeding ground of arrogant fools." "The greatest minds in all the lands have come together in one sacred place to help make mankind free." "And the women?" "(guard) Open the gate!" " Welcome back, Arthur." " Jols." "Lancelot." "Bishop, please, my quarters have been made available to you." "Oh, yes. I must rest." "(Bors chuckles lewdly)" " Where have you been?" " Oh..." " l've been waiting for you." " Oh, my little flower." "Such... passion!" "Where's my Gilly?" "Gilly." " You been fighting?" " Yes." " You been winning?" " Yes." "That's my boy." "Come on, all my other bastards!" "(all cheer)" "Pelagius." "Very kind of Arthur to give up his room." "But, of course, it is to be expected." "(knocking)" "Sir, I'm here to escort you to the fortress hall." "When my master meets with your knights, he must be seated last and he must be seated at the head of the table." "Your master can plonk his holy ass wherever he chooses." "(laughter)" "His Eminence, Bishop Naius Germanius." "A round table?" "What sort of evil is this?" "Arthur says for men to be men they must first all be equal." "I was given to understand there would be more of you." "There were." "We have been fighting here for 1 5 years, Bishop." "Oh, of course." "Arthur and his knights have served with courage to maintain the honor of Rome's empire on this last outpost of our glory." "Rome is most indebted to you noble knights." "To your final days as servants to the empire." "Day." "Not days." "The Pope's taken a personal interest in you." "He inquires after each of you, and is curious to know if your knights have converted to the word of Our Savior or...?" "They retain the religion of their forefathers." "I have never questioned that." "Of course, of course." "They are pagans." "Hm?" "For our part, the Church has deemed such beliefs innocence, but you, Arthur, your path to God is through Pelagius?" " l saw his image in your room." " He took my father's place for me." "His teachings on free will and equality have been a great influence." "I look forward to our reunion in Rome." "Ah." "Rome awaits your arrival with great anticipation." "You are a hero." "In Rome, you will live out your days in honor and wealth." "Alas..." "Alas, we are all but players in an ever-changing world." "Barbarians from every corner are almost at Rome's door." "Because of this, Rome and the Holy Father have decided to remove ourselves from indefensible outposts, such as Britain." "What will become of Britain is not our concern anymore." "I suppose the Saxons will claim it soon." " Saxons?" " Yes." "In the north a massive Saxon incursion has begun." " The Saxons only claim what they kill." " And only kill everything." "So you would just leave the land to the Woads." "And I risked my life for nothing." "Hm." "Gentlemen, your discharge papers with safe conduct throughout the Roman Empire." "But first, I must have a word with your commander." " ln private." " We have no secrets." "(slams table)" "Come." "Let's leave Roman business to Romans." "Let it go, Bors." "Rome has issued a final order for you and your men." "Final order?" "You are to travel north to rescue the family of Marius Honorius and return, in particular, with Marius's son, Alecto." "Alecto is the Pope's favorite godchild and pupil." "It is his destiny to become a bishop, perhaps even pope one day." "On this day you ask this of my men." "On this day." "They have risked their lives for 1 5 years for a cause not of their own." "And now, on the day they are to be liberated, you send them on a mission which is far more dangerous than any other they have undertaken." "You tell me, Bishop, how do I go to my men and tell them that instead of freedom I offer death?" "If your men are truly the knights of legend, perhaps some will survive." "If it is God's will." "Your men want to go home, and to get home they need to cross the entire breadth of the Roman Empire." "Deserters would be hunted down like dogs." "Will you defy the Pope, Arthur?" "Rome?" "God himself?" "Everything I've done has been for the Church and for Rome." "Do not mistake a loyal soldier for a fool, Germanius." "Would you leave a defenseless Roman boy, destined to lead our Church, at the hands of the Saxons?" "Fulfill this mission, and your men will receive their discharge." "Their papers will be waiting here the moment they return." "You have my word." "You think very hard upon that vow, Bishop, for l will hold you to it." "Break it, and no Roman legion, papal army," "nor God himself will protect you." "That is my word." " (man) She gave me fleas." " (man #2) You better hope they're fleas." "Best of three." "(baby mewling)" "Who wants another drink?" " (Lancelot) Ahh." " (sighs)" "When you gonna leave Bors and come home with me?" "My lover is watching you." "Mmm..." "You look nothing like him." "You're all Bors." " Tristan..." " How do you do that?" "I aim for the middle." "Oh, they want more!" " Here." "Be a mother to your son." " Oh, come here." "Dagonet, where you been?" "We've got plans to make." "Here, please." "Sing." " No." " Just a last one." " No, I'm trying to work." " Come sing." "Shut up!" "Vanora will sing." " (Vanora) No, no." " (chants of "Sing!" "')" " (man) Sing about home." " ( Gawain) Don't drop the baby." "* Land of bear and land of eagle" "* Land that gave us birth and blessing" "* Land that called us ever homewards" "* We will go home across the mountains" "* We will go home We will go home" "* We will go home across the mountains" "* We will go home singing our song... (singing fades)" "* ..hear our singing, hear our longing" "* We will go home across the mountains" "* We will go home We will go home... (singing fades)" "Arthur!" "Arthur!" "Arthur!" "You're not completely Roman yet, right?" "Rus!" "Knights... brothers in arms... your courage has been tested beyond all limits." "Yes." "But I must ask you now for one further trial." "Drink." "We must leave on a final mission for Rome before our freedom can be granted." "Above the wall, far in the north, there is a Roman family in need of rescue." "They are trapped by Saxons." "Our orders are to secure their safety." "Let the Romans take care of their own." "Above the wall is Woad territory." "Our duty to Rome, if it was ever a duty, is done." "Our pact with Rome is done." "Every knight here has laid his life on the line for you." "For you." "And instead of freedom you want more blood?" "Our blood?" "You think more of Roman blood than you do of ours?" "Bors!" "These are our orders." "We leave at first light, and when we return your freedom will be waiting for you." "A freedom we can embrace with honor." "I am a free man!" "I will choose my own fate!" "Yeah, yeah." "We're all going to die someday." "If it's a death from a Saxon hand that frightens you, stay home." "Listen, if you're so eager to die, you can die right now!" " Enough." "Enough!" " l've got something to live for!" "The Romans have broken their word." "We have the word of Arthur." "That is good enough." "I'll prepare." "Bors?" " You coming?" " Of course I'm coming!" "Can't let you go on your own!" "You'll all get killed!" "I'm just saying what you're all thinking!" "Vanora'll kill me." "And you, Gawain?" "I'm with you." "Galahad as well." "O merciful God, I have such need of your mercy now." "Not for myself, but for my knights, for this is truly their hour of need." "Deliver them from the trials ahead, and I will repay you a thousandfold with any sacrifice you ask of me." "And if, in your wisdom, you should determine that that sacrifice must be my life for theirs, so they may once again taste the freedom that has so long been denied to them, I will gladly make that covenant." "My death will have a purpose." "I ask no more than that." "Why do you always talk to God and not to me?" "Oh, pray to whomever you pray that we don't cross the Saxons." "My faith is what protects me, Lancelot." "Why do you challenge this?" "I don't like anything that puts a man on his knees." "No man fears to kneel before the god he trusts." "Without faith, without belief in something, what are we?" "To try and get past the Woads in the north is insanity." " Them we've fought before." " Not north of the wall!" "How many Saxons?" "Hm?" "How many?" "!" "Tell me." "Do you believe in this mission?" "These people need our help." " lt is our duty to bring them out." " l don't care about your charge, and I don't give a damn about Romans, Britain or this island." "If you desire to spend eternity in this place, Arthur, so be it, but suicide cannot be chosen for another!" " And yet you choose death for this family!" " No, I choose life!" "And freedom for myself and the men!" "How many times in battle have we snatched victory from the jaws of defeat?" "Outnumbered, outflanked, yet still we triumph." "With you at my side, we can do so again." "Lancelot, we are knights." "What other purpose do we serve if not for such a cause?" "Arthur, you fight for a world that will never exist." "Never." "There will always be a battlefield." "I will die in battle." "Of that I'm certain." "And hopefully a battle of my choosing." "But if it be this one, grant me a favor." "Don't bury me in our sad little cemetery." "Burn me." "Burn me and cast my ashes to a strong east wind." "(woman screaming)" "Don't touch their women." "We don't mix with these people." "What kind of offspring do you think that would yield?" "Weak people." "Half people." "I will not have our Saxon blood watered down by mixing with them." "According to our laws, no man may deny me the spoils of our conquest!" "He speaks the truth, Father." "My lord!" "O, my lord!" "God's thanks, my lord." "Thank you." "Thank you." "Kill her." "(wails)" "No!" "No!" "(softly) Are you challenging me?" "If you want to challenge me, you have to have a sword in your hand." "As long as my heart beats, I rule and you hold your tongue." "Or I'll cut it out." "(neighing)" "We are three days' march from the Great Wall, if we camp at night." "We won't camp." "The wall - what troops are stationed there?" "Light Roman infantry and possibly Sarmatian knights." "Arthur Castus is their leader." "Arthur?" "Who is this Arthur?" "It is said he has never been defeated in battle. lt is said he is a great warrior." "Why should I trust you?" "You're a traitor to your own people." "Tell my father of the Roman estate." "Speak up!" "A very high-ranking family live there." "They are of great importance to Rome." "Father, their ransom could pay for the entire campaign." "I'll attack from the north with the main army." "You bring your men down here." "Cut off their retreat to the south." "Burn every village, kill everybody." "Never leave behind you a man, woman or child who can ever carry a sword." "Saxon." "How many?" "Thousands." "(horse whinnying)" "(Tristan) Woads." "They're tracking us." "(Arthur) Where?" "Everywhere." "Yaah!" "Get back!" "Get back!" "This way!" "(war cries)" "Yaah!" "What are you waiting for?" "inish." "Devil ghosts." " Why would they not attack?" " Merlin doesn't want us dead." "We should have killed them, Merlin." "There might be a purpose for Artorius and his Knights." "No!" "He is our enemy!" "So is the Saxon!" "(clap of thunder)" "( Gawain groaning)" "Oh, I can't wait to leave this island." "If it's not raining, it's snowing." "If it's not snowing, it's foggy." "And that's the summer!" "The rain is good." "Washes all the blood away." "Doesn't help the smell." "Hey, Bors, do you intend to take Vanora and all your little bastards back home?" "Oh, I'm trying to avoid that decision... by getting killed." "Dagonet, she wants to get married and give the children names." "Women!" "The children already have names, don't they?" "Just Gilly." "It was too much trouble, so we gave the rest of them numbers." "That's interesting." "And I thought you couldn't count." "You know, I never thought I'd get back home alive." "Now I've got the chance, I..." "I don't want to leave my children." " You'd miss 'em too much." " l'll take them with me." "I like the little bastards." "They mean something to me." "Especially number three." " He's a good fighter." " That's because he's mine." "I'm going for a piss." "(laughter)" " (guard) Who are you?" " l am Arthur Castus," "Commander of the Sarmatian Knights, sent by Bishop Germanius of Rome." "Open the gate." "(man) lt is a wonder you have come." "Good Jesus." "Arthur and his knights." "You have fought the Woads." "Vile creatures." "Our orders are to evacuate you immediately." "But that... that is impossible." " Which is Alecto?" " l am Alecto." "Alecto is my son." "And everything we have is here in the land given to us by the Pope of Rome." " Well, you're about to give it to the Saxons." " They're invading from the north." " Then Rome will send an army." " They have." "Us." " We leave as soon as you're packed." " l refuse to leave." "Go back to work!" "All of you!" " You heard!" "Go!" " All right, all right." " Go!" " Get back to work, all of you!" "Go back!" "If I fail to bring you and your son back, my men can never leave this land." "So you're coming with me if I have to tie you to my horse and drag you all the way to Hadrian's Wall myself." "My lord." "Lady, my knights are hungry." "Go." "Come!" "Come." "Let us go, hm?" "(man) Sir, you're famous." "You're Arthur, aren't you?" "I'm Ganis. I'm a good fighter and I'm smart." "I'd serve you proudly." "Are you from Rome?" "From hell." " Sir." " Who is this man?" "He's our village elder." "What is this punishment for?" " Answer me!" " He defied our master, Marius." "Most of the food we grow is sent out by sea to be sold." "He asked that we keep a little more for ourselves, that's all." "My ass has been snapping' at the grass I'm so hungry!" "You're from Rome. ls it true that Marius is a spokesman for God and that it's a sin to defy him?" "I tell you now." "Marius is not of God." "And you, all of you, were free from your first breath!" "Help this man." "Help him!" "Now hear me." "A vast and terrible army is coming this way." "They will show no mercy, spare no one." "Those of you who are able should gather your things and begin to move south towards Hadrian's Wall." "Those unable shall come with us." "You, serve me now." "Get these people ready." "( Ganis) Right, you heard him." "You go grab enough food and water for the journey." "Let's get a hurry on, else we're all dead!" "Come on, hurry." "They have flanked us to the east." "They're coming from the south, trying to cut off our escape." "They'll be here before nightfall." " How many?" " An entire army." "And the only way out is to the south?" "East." "There is a trail heading east across the mountains." "It means we have to cross behind Saxon lines, but that's the one we should take." "Arthur, who are all these people?" "They're coming with us." "Then we'll never make it." "(distant drums beating)" " Come on, get back to work!" " Back to work!" "Move." "Move." "Move!" " What is this?" " You cannot go in there." "No one goes in there." "This place is forbidden." "(Marius) What are you doing?" "Stop this!" "Arthur, we have no time." "Do you not hear the drums?" "Dagonet." "Agh!" "Agh!" " Key." " lt is locked." "From the inside." " You, you... go." " (whimpers)" "Move!" " Gawain." " (man chanting) Exaudi orationem meam." "Exaudi orationem meam." "in nomine Dei Patris omnipotentis et in virtute Spiritus Sancti." "Who are these defilers of the Lord's temple?" "Out of the way." "The work of your god." "is this how he answers your prayers?" "See if there's any still alive." "How dare you set foot in this holy place?" " There was a man of God." " Not my god!" " (Arthur) This one's dead." " By this smell, they are all dead." "And you." "You even move, you join him." "Arthur!" "You must not fear me." "Water!" "Give me some water!" "His arm is broken." "And his family?" "She's a Woad." "I'm a Roman officer." "You're safe now." " You're safe." " Stop what you are doing!" "What is this madness?" " They're all pagans here!" " So are we." "They refuse to do the task God has set for them!" "They must die as an example!" "You mean they refused to be your serfs!" "You are a Roman." "You understand." "And you are a Christian." "You!" "You kept her alive!" " (soldier) My lord!" " No!" "No, stop!" "When we get to the wall you will be punished for this heresy." "Perhaps I should kill you now and seal my fate." "I was willing to die with them." "Yes, to lead them to their rightful place." "It is God's wish that these sinners be sacrificed." "Only then can their souls be saved." "Then I shall grant his wish." " Wall them back up." " Arthur." "I said wall them up!" "Don't you see it is the will of God that these sinners be sacrificed?" " Unhand me, defil..." "They're sinners!" " Get in there!" "We're moving too slow." "The girl's not gonna make it, and neither is the boy." "The family we can protect, but we're wasting our time with all these people." "We're not leaving them." "If the Saxons find us, we will have to fight." "Then save your anger for them." "is this Rome's quest or Arthur's?" "(weak moans)" " Arthur." " How is he?" "He burns." "Brave boy." "Some of your fingers are out of place." "I have to push them back." "If I don't do this, there's a chance you may never use them again." " (cracking) - (cries)" "(cracking)" "They tortured me." "With machines." "To make me tell them things that..." "that I didn't know to begin with." "And then... I heard your voice in the dark." "I am Guinevere." "You are Arthur... of the Knights from the Great Wall." "I am." "The famous Briton who kills his own people." "I found tracks coming from the south, but none going back." "Horsemen traveling light and fast." "Could be Roman cavalry." "Could be knights." "They know we're after them." "They'll head east now, through the mountains." "God's holy work has been defiled." "I am a servant of God!" "No, please, I..." "Agh!" "He says they walled him up in a building and took the family." "Someone who goes by the name of Artorius." "It's him." "It's Arthur." "Take your men east." "Hunt them down." "I'll take the main army to the wall." "Bring the family there." " (man) And the monks?" " Put them back where you found them." "I am a servant of God!" "Please, I..." "I am a servant of God!" "(monk) Unhand me, you defiler!" "(sighs)" "Burn it all." "Yah!" "My father told me great tales of you." "Really?" "And what did you hear?" "Fairy tales." "The kind you hear about people so brave, so selfless, that they can't be real." "Arthur and his knights." "A leader both Briton and Roman." "And yet you chose your allegiance to Rome." "To those who take what does not belong to them." "That same Rome that took your men from their homeland." "Listen, lady, do not pretend you know anything about me or my men." "How many Britons have you killed?" "As many as tried to kill me. lt's the natural state of any man to want to live." "Animals live!" "It's a natural state of any man to want to live free in their own country." "I belong to this land." "Where do you belong, Arthur?" "How's your hand?" "I'll live, I promise you." "is there nothing about my land that appeals to your heart?" "Your own father married a Briton." "Even he must have found something to his liking." "(gallops away)" "We'll sleep here." "Take shelter in those trees." " Tristan." " You wanna go out again?" "Yeah." "It is here, given to us by the Pope." "These people, they send an army for us." "(rustling)" "(footsteps)" "You betrayed me." "He means you no harm." "Peace between us this night, Arthur Castus." "So Rome is leaving." "The Saxon is come." "The world we have known and fought for is ended." "Now we must make a new world." "Your world, Merlin, not mine." "I shall be in Rome." "To find peace?" "The Saxon will come to Rome." "My knights trust me not to betray them to their enemy." "Rome was my enemy, not Arthur." "We have no fight between us now." "You tell that to the knights you killed before my eyes, whose bones are buried in this earth." "We have all lost brothers." "You know nothing of the loss I speak!" "Shall I help you remember?" "An attack on a village." "The screams of an innocent woman." "Mother!" "Artorius!" "Mother!" "Mother!" "i ran to the burial mound of my father to free her." "To kill you." "Father, please let loose your sword." "I feel the heat of that fire on my face even now." "I did not wish her dead." "She was of our blood, as are you." "If you were so determined to leave us to slaughter, why did you save so many?" "My men are strong, but they have need of a true leader." "They believe you can do anything." "To defeat the Saxon we need a master of war." "Why do you think I spared you in the forest?" "That sword you carry is made of iron from this earth, forged in the fires of Britain." "It was love of your mother that freed the sword, not hatred of me." "Love, Arthur." "Seize him!" "No!" "No... I have the boy!" " Kill him!" " No, don't!" "Let him go!" "Kill him now!" "Down!" "Hah!" "(Lancelot) Your hands seem to be better." "Artorius!" "Do we have a problem?" "Huh?" "You have a choice." "You help or you die." "Put down your weapons." "Put down your weapons." " Do it now!" " Yeah!" "(neighing)" " How many did you kill?" " Four." "Not a bad start to the day!" "(laughs)" "Armor-piercing." "They're close." "We have no time." "You ride ahead." "I'm sorry for your loss." "My father lost his way." "He used to say the Church is there to help us stay on our path." "It didn't help those he made suffer." "The path he chose was beyond the reach of the Church, Alecto." "But not of Rome." "What my father believed, so Rome believes." "What, that some men are born to be slaves?" "No, that isn't true." "It is so!" "He told me so." "Pelagius, a man as close to me as any, is there now, teaching that all men are free, equal." "And that each of us has the right to choose his own destiny." "Teach?" "How?" "They killed Pelagius a year past." "Germanius and the others were damned by his teachings." "They had him excommunicated and killed." "The Rome you talk of doesn't exist, except in your dreams." " ls there any other way?" " No." "We have to cross the ice." "Get them all out of the carriages." "Tell them to spread out." "(creaking)" "(cracking)" "(distant drums beating)" "(creaking)" " Knights..." " Well, I'm tired of running." "And these Saxons are so close behind my ass is hurtin'." "Never liked looking over my shoulder anyway." " Be a pleasure to put an end to this racket." " And finally get a look at the bastards." "Here." "Now." "Jols!" "You two, take the horses." "(Arthur) Ganis, I need you to lead the people." "The main Saxon army is inland, so if you track the coastline till you're well south of the wall, you'll be safe." " But you're seven against 200?" " Eight." "You could use another bow." " l'd rather stay and fight." " You'll get your chance soon enough." "This man is now your captain." "You do as he says." "Am I understood?" " Yes, sir." " Go." "Go!" "Right." "Come on, then!" "Move on!" "I am able. I can fight." "No." "You must bear witness to all you have seen." "There's one thing you must do, and that's get back to Rome." "(ice cracking/horses neighing)" "(beating drum)" "Hold until I give the command." "You look frightened." "There's a large number of lonely men out there." "Don't worry, I won't let them rape you." "(man shouts command in Saxon)" "Archer!" " We're out of range." " l can see that!" "I believe they're waiting for an invitation." "Bors, Tristan." "They're far out of range." "(shouts in Saxon)" "Aim for the wings of the ranks." "Make them cluster." " Hold the ranks!" " Hold the ranks!" "Hold the ranks!" " Hold the ranks!" " Hold the ranks!" "Hold the ranks!" "Hold the ranks, or I kill you myself!" "It's not gonna break." "Back." "Fall back!" "Prepare for combat." "Aagh!" " Dag!" " Cover him." " Archers move!" "Move!" " (man) Forward!" "Yaagh!" "Move!" "Move!" "Kill him!" "Yaagh!" "Yaagh!" "The ice is breaking!" "Yaagh!" "Kill him!" "Dag!" "Yaagh!" "(men screaming)" "( Cynric) Back!" "Back!" "Dag!" "Pull back!" "Arthur!" "Argh!" "Kill him!" "Help us!" "Aagh!" "Argh!" "Stay with me." "Dagonet!" "Stay with me!" "Ah, God!" "Christ be praised." "Against all the odds Satan could muster." "Alecto, let me see you." " (Horton) Kindly get out of my way!" " You have triumphed!" "Young Alecto, let me see you." "You are here." " Lucan!" " You, boy!" "Stop!" "( Germanius chuckles nervously)" "Our great knights." "You are free now!" "Give me the papers." "Come, come." "Your papers of safe conduct throughout the Roman Empire." "Take it, Arthur." "Bishop Germanius." "Friend of my father." "You are free now." "You can go." "Bors." "Bors!" "For Dagonet." "This doesn't make him a free man." "He's already a free man." "He's dead!" "A grave with no sword." "It was my father's wish that if he died on this island, he would be buried with his knights." "He died in battle?" "It's a family tradition." "I can see why you believe that you have nothing left here." "Except what you and your knights have done." "You have your deeds." "Deeds in themselves are meaningless unless they're for some higher purpose." "We have waged a war to protect a Rome that does not exist." "is that the deed I am to be judged by?" "You stayed and fought when you didn't have to." "You bloodied evil men when you could have run." "You did all that for no reason?" "These are your people." " (knocking) - (Jols) Arthur, come to the wall now." " (man) The Saxons are here." " (soldier) Make way!" "Make way!" "Knights, my journey with you must end here." "May God go with you." "Arthur, this is not Rome's fight." "It is not your fight." "(man shouting orders)" "(soldier) Stand fast!" "All these long years we've been together, the trials we've faced, the blood we've shed." "What was it all for, if not for the reward of freedom?" "And now when we are so close, when it is finally within our grasp..." "Look at me!" " Does it all count for nothing?" " You ask me that?" "You who know me best of all?" "Then do not do this." "Only certain death awaits you here." "Arthur, I beg you!" "For our friendship's sake, I beg you!" "You be my friend now and do not dissuade me." "Seize the freedom you have earned and live it for the both of us." "I cannot follow you, Lancelot." "I now know that all the blood I have shed, all the lives I have taken have led me to this moment." "(door bangs)" "What tomorrow brings... we cannot know." "(shouting)" "Artorius!" "Rus!" "Rus!" "The Roman Auxiliary has left the wall." " And the horsemen?" " Leading a caravan away from the fort." "They're running south..." "with their tails between their legs." " So there will be no resistance." " A few dozen villagers." "We're going to slaughter your people." "I think you should watch." "Your tree might be a good place." "Up on the hill!" "A single knight." "Didn't you just say they were gone?" "What is this, a ghost?" "(choking) One man." "A tiny fly on the back of your... great army." "Who is he?" "Arthur." "Arthur." "Arthur." "(horse whinnying)" "(sighs) Arthur." "Hm." "Wherever I go on this wretched island I hear your name." "Always half-whispered, as if you were a... god." "All I see is flesh, blood." "No more god than the creature you're sitting on." "Speak your terms, Saxon." "The Romans have left you." "Who are you fighting for?" "I fight for a cause beyond Rome's or your understanding." "Ah." "You come to beg a truce." "You should be on your knees." "I came to see your face, so that I alone may find you on the battlefield." "And it would be good for you to mark my face, Saxon, for the next time you see it, it will be the last thing you see on this earth." "Ah." "Ah, finally." "A man worth killing." "Ah!" "Prepare the men for battle." "(gives command in Saxon)" "(beating drum)" " (neighs)" " Whoa." "Easy." " Whoa." " Whoa." "Shh." "Shh." "Hey." "You're free." "He's got a plan, this Roman." "Send what's left of your infantry." " (whispers) Do you want to kill my men?" " They're my men!" "(gives command in Saxon)" "No." "You stay here with me." "(shouts in Saxon)" "Knights, the gift of freedom is yours by right." "But the home we seek resides not in some distant land." "It's in us and in our actions on this day." "(shouting) lf this be our destiny, then so be it." "But let history remember that as free men we chose to make it so." "(knights) Rus!" "Hah!" "Argh!" "(war cries)" "(man) There!" "On the hill!" " (man shouts command in Saxon) - (soldiers repeat command)" "(soldiers chanting to the marching rhythm)" "(distant screaming)" "(distant war cry)" "Rus!" "Aargh!" "(yells)" "(panting)" " (shouts command in Saxon) - (soldiers repeat command)" "(soldiers chanting)" "Raewald." "The left flank." " You go with him." " (Raewald) Move out!" "(shouts command in Saxon)" "(soldiers chanting)" "Shields up!" "Argh!" "(screaming)" "(war cry)" "(shouting)" "(war cry)" "(agonized screams)" "Pull!" "Aagh!" "Argh!" "(rasps) Arthur... lt was my life to be taken!" "Not this!" "Never this!" "My brave knights, I have failed you." "I neither took you off this island, nor shared your fate." "(Lancelot) For 200 years, knights had fought and died for a land not our own." "But on that day at Badon Hill, all who fought put our lives in service of a greater cause." "Freedom." "Arthur." "Guinevere." "Our people are one." "As you are." "Now I'm really gonna have to marry your mother." "Who said I'd have you?" "King Arthur!" "(crowd) Hail, Arthur!" "Let every man, woman, child bear witness that from this day all Britons will be united in one common cause." "(crowd chant) Arthur!" "Arthur!" "Artorius!" "(Lancelot) And as for the knights who gave their lives, their deaths were cause for neither mourning nor sadness." "For they will live forever, their names and deeds handed down from father to son, mother to daughter, in the legends of King Arthur and his knights." "(Show Me Now (What You See) by Moya Brennan)" "Screenwriter David Franzoni also penned ...the award-winning films Gladiator and Amistad." "Sarmatia in the present day ...would range from Eastern Europe to Northern Iraq." "Troops trained to fight on horseback are called cavalry." "The Sarmatians were known for their dramatic animal carvings." "Sarmatia's mounted warriors were legendary ...for their fighting skills and their horsemanship." "The original Hadrian's Wall was 80 Roman miles long, ...about 73 modern miles." "The legendary King Arthur was supposedly born at Tintagel Castle ...in Cornwall, England." "Director Antoine Fuqua got his big break after directing ...the Coolio video "Gangsta's Paradise" for Dangerous Minds in 1 995." "The "Woads" were inspired by the real-life tribe of the Picts." "Roman cavalry used a double-edged slashing sword ...called a spatha." "The Picts were the predominant population ...within the multi-ethnic nation now called Scotland." "A cuirass is a piece of body armor made of metal or leather ...covering the chest and sometimes the back." "Latin was the common language of the Roman Empire." "The Woad language created for King Arthur ...was derived from ancient Scottish and Welsh." "The first cohesive presentation of the legend of King Arthur ...was written by Geoffrey of Monmouth in the 1 2th century." "Joseph of Arimathea came to Glastonbury in 63 AD ...on the first Christian mission to Britain." "Italian actor lvano Marescotti (Bishop Germanius) worked hard ...at making his English sound natural." "In the traditional King Arthur legend, Merlin is a prophet and magician, ...who advises Arthur throughout his life." "Clive Owen (Arthur) did not know how to ride a horse before this film." "The replica of Hadrian's Wall that was built for the film ...measured one kilometer in length and was built by a crew of 300." "Hugh Dancy's character, Galahad, is the youngest of the knights." "Joel Edgerton (Gawain) starred in the popular Australian television series ... The Secret Life Of Us." "Mads Mikkelsen (Tristan) is one of Denmark's most famous actors." "The fort in the movie is based on the Roman fort at Vindolanda, ...built around 80 AD." "People living near the Wall were from many distant lands ...including Eastern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East." "Commanding officers' homes were modeled after the villas ...they would have had closer to the Mediterranean." "The round table here is 28 feet in diameter with 40 chairs." "Robert Wace, a French monk, introduced the round table ...to the King Arthur legend in his 1 1 55 AD poem, Roman de Brut." "Pelagius was a British monk whose beliefs about free will ...put him at odds with the Christian Church, who called him a heretic." "The Romans occupied Britain from the 1 st to the 5th century AD." "The Saxons started invading Britain circa 450 AD ...and eventually established permanent settlements." "Christianity became the official state religion of Rome in 380 AD." "Desertion in the Roman Army was punishable by death." "The word "decimation" comes from the Roman practice ...of killing one in ten soldiers in a unit as a form of punishment." "The Roman soldiers in Britain stationed along Hadrian's Wall ...were paid a ration that included money and food." "Most Roman soldiers were forbidden to marry, but they did anyway." "The most common beverage during the Roman Empire was wine, ...which was often mixed with spices, water or honey." "The Roman Army often conscripted their defeated enemies ...and assigned them to posts far from their homelands." "Antoine Fuqua studied engineering at West Virginia University." "Romans considered beer a drink for barbarians." "It has been calculated that in the last 3,500 years, ...there have only been 230 years of peace throughout the civilized world." "Clive Owen and Ray Stevenson (Dagonet) first acted together ...in the 1 994 television movie The Return Of The Native." "Melbourne-born actor Joel Edgerton studied drama ...at the University of Western Sydney." "Clive Owen and loan Gruffudd (Lancelot) both graduated ...from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London." "loan Gruffudd's Welsh name is pronounced "YO-an GRlFF-ith."" "loan Gruffudd is best known for playing Horatio Hornblower ...in the AE series of the same name." "A common form of Romano-British burial was cremation ... in which the ashes would be buried in a common kitchen pot." "The Saxons were originally from Northern Germany." "Stellan Skarsgard (Cerdic) has appeared in over 80 films." "Til Schweiger (Cynric) worked with Antoine Fuqua on his first film, ...1 998's The Replacement Killers." "The set for King Arthur was the largest ever built in Ireland." "The main gate built for the movie measures 20 feet wide ...and 1 6 feet high." "Slawomir Idziak, the cinematographer for King Arthur, ...also shot the Bruckheimer-produced movie Black Hawk Down." "The legendary Arthur supposedly fought 1 2 great battles." "The Saxons invaded northern Britain with another Germanic tribe, the Angles." "They eventually became the Anglo-Saxons." "Some believe Merlin was a Druid named Myrddin ...who moved Stonehenge from Ireland to its present location." "An ambush is a sudden attack made from a concealed position." "The knights' horses in the film were brought in from Spain." "Horns and flags were used for communication between soldiers, ...since their ears were often covered by their helmets." "In Arthurian legend, Merlin was the child of a human mother ...and an incubus, or demon." "Sarmatians were a matrilineal culture, ...tracing descent through the mother's line." "Ray Winstone (Bors) was an amateur boxing champion in London." "Fuqua decided that the horses in the film should always be moving ...to create energy and drama." "The Roman army contained about 40,000 troops in the 5th century." "Respectable Roman men wore only one piece of jewelry, ...a personalized signet ring." "Swords were very expensive weapons ...passed down from generation to generation." "Plato was one of the first philosophers ...to examine the idea of free will." "The average number of snowfall days in Britain varies ...from fewer than 1 0 near the coast to over 50 in mountainous areas." "Mads Mikkelsen's tattoos were inspired by Mongolian warriors." "In the legend, Arthur becomes king when he is the only one ...who can pull a magical sword out of a stone." "Jerry Bruckheimer's career began ...as an award-winning commercial producer in Detroit." "Originally, the practice of Christianity was in violation of Roman law." "Pagans were those who did not convert to Christianity ...in the early Christian church." "Keira Knightley (Guinevere) is the daughter of actor Will Knightley ...and playwright Sharman Macdonald." "Richard Harris and Vanessa Redgrave played King Arthur and Queen Guenevere ...in the 1 967 Oscar-winning film Camelot." "Roman country villas possessed piped water, central heating, sanitation, ...and luxuries like pottery, frescoes and mosaics." "The film was shot over a five-month period ...outside of Dublin, Ireland." "Jerry Bruckheimer's first producing credit was the 1 975 film Farewell, My Lovely - ...an adaptation of Raymond Chandler's novel." "At age 9, Keira Knightley's first role ...was in Moira Armstrong's 1 994 film A Village Affair." "The human hand has 27 bones." "There are approximately 1 60 locations in Britain ...that claim to be associated with the legend of King Arthur." "Stellan Skarsgard's cape is 1 4 square feet of wild bison hide." "Stellan Skarsgard is often mistaken for Liam Neeson." "All the extras used in the Saxon military were local lrishmen." "Scafell Pike, England's highest point, is located in the Northwest ...with an elevation of 3,21 0 feet." "Ethnically mixed marriages were common in Romano-Britain." "A simple fracture occurs when a bone breaks cleanly ...and usually takes 6-8 weeks to heal." "Falconry is the sport of hunting wild quarry in its natural habitat ...using trained birds of prey." "Chretien de Troyes' 1 2th century stories of Arthur ...introduced the theme of courtly love." "Humans spend about one third of their lifetime sleeping." "Because of their resemblance, Keira Knightley played the role ...of Natalie Portman's handmaiden and decoy in Star Wars Episode i." "Stephen Dillane (Merlin) won a Tony Award for Best Lead Actor ...for his role as Henry in Tom Stoppard's play The Real Thing." "It was a Sarmatian tradition to bury a warrior's sword ...in the burial mound." "Snow can be made for movies using a variety of methods ...including plastic flakes, snowfoam and shaved ice." "In the traditional King Arthur legend, the magical sword Excalibur ...is given to the Lady of the Lake upon Arthur's demise." "Roman foot soldiers often used a short stabbing sword ...called a gladius." "Russell Crowe rode the same horse in Gladiator" "...that Ray Winstone is riding here." "Horses from different geographical regions must be housed separately ...due to laws regarding animal rights." "Barbarian invaders sacked Rome early in the 5th century." "The special effects team took a trip to the French Alps ...to get images to use as inspiration for the snow scenes." "Ice that is 1 2-1 5 inches thick can support a small pick-up truck." "The frozen lake scene was shot in a green valley ...on artificial snow-covered gravel." "The prop department made about 200 longbows ...for use in the film." "St. Sebastian is the patron saint of archers." "The crew used 5,000 arrows during the filming of the movie." "The crossbow was first used in China in the 4th century BC." "Flag standards were used as a means of identifying people ...on the battlefield." "Ice skates were found at the bottom of a Swiss lake ...dating back to about 3000 BC." "than pond or lake ice." "Head wounds were the most common form of injury at this time." "Jerry Bruckheimer-produced films have earned over $1 3.5 billion." "Despite the enormous number of extras and weapons, ...no one was seriously injured while filming." "Til Schweiger is currently writing, directing, producing ...and starring in the 2005 German film Barfuss." "Almost every fort in the Roman Empire was identical in layout." "Most soldiers serving at Hadrian's Wall were not Roman citizens ...but would become so after serving 25 years in the army." "Hans Zimmer won a 1 994 Academy Award (r) for Best Original Score ...for Disney's The Lion King." "Keira Knightley's role as a determined soccer player in the British hit ...Bend it Like Beckham earned her numerous accolades." "Celtic women were regarded as equals to men, ...unlike ltalian-Roman women who had the same status as children." "Hadrian's Wall was built in 1 22 AD by Roman Emperor Hadrian ...to mark the northern frontier of the Roman Empire." "Women lived in the village outside the fort, called a vicus, ...but were typically not allowed in Roman forts." "Costume designer Penny Rose made 4,000 tunics, ...2,000 pairs of trousers and 3,000 capes." "Soldiers at Hadrian's Wall lived in eight-man barrack blocks ...where they kept their equipment and did their own cooking." "Roman commanders were highly schooled in battle strategy." "Cupid was the Roman god of love." "A passionate kiss uses up to 6.4 calories per minute." "The modern equivalent of riding a horse in battle ...would be driving a Sherman tank." "The Roman Army started pulling out of Britain around 402 AD." "Sarmatian horses, legendary for their speed and endurance, ...were relatively small, but could cover over 1 00 miles a day." "The final battle scene takes place in the same field ...where portions of Braveheart were filmed." "Outside most Roman forts were several ditches and mounds ...that created a military zone to control access." "Forts along the wall had small garrisons, ...but Roman troops preferred fighting in the open, even when outnumbered." "The origin of King Arthur is also portrayed ...in the 1 963 Disney animated film The Sword in the Stone." "It was considered bad luck ...if a Saxon sword was drawn but not used." "400 extras were trained in three days ...to become the Saxon military unit." "Saxon war drums were used to intimidate their enemies." "The Greek legend of the Amazons was inspired by Sarmatian women warriors, ...who fought alongside their men." "The Sarmatian Draco banner supposedly had a wooden reed in its mouth, ...so that when the wind blew it made a roaring sound." "Saxon shields were used for defense and as weapons ...because they could double as metal boxing gloves." "This battle sequence was inspired by the Battle of Badon Hill ...where Arthur's final victory supposedly took place." "The bow and arrow were invented in Africa as early as 50,000 BC." "Modern-day re-enactors are also called ..."experimental archaeologists."" "The Picts used animal imagery, including snakes, dragons and birds, ...in decorating their weapons." "Romans tested the strength of a shield wall, called a testudo, ...by running it over with chariots." "By the time of Hadrian, the Romans had copied the Sarmatian tradition ...of fighting on horseback with lances." "Pain travels through the body at 350 feet per second." "Historically, the spear was the principal weapon ...of armies around the world." "A team of nine people worked for almost four months ...to create the battle scene special effects." "A college essay left on a table in the Los Angeles Public Library ...first inspired David Franzoni to write this story." ""Woad" refers to a plant that can be used to make skin dye, ...or as a treatment for wounds." "The final battle scene required a 350-foot-long ...and 20-foot-high wall of fire." "The Picts historically ran naked into battle." "A large Roman catapult, called an onager, ...required eight soldiers to winch down the arm." "To film certain scenes, Antoine Fuqua used up to 1 8 cameras." "Sarmatian horses were trained to bite during battle." "Harry Humphries, a retired Navy Seal, trained all the fighting extras." "Keira Knightley trained for 3 months and did most of her own stunts." "The most effective use of a Saxon sword required wielding it from above." "For the best results, you had to be over six feet tall." "loan Gruffudd said that the hardest part of playing Lancelot ...was learning to use his left hand to sword-fight." "Several polls in Danish magazines and newspapers ...have voted Mads Mikkelsen "sexiest man in Denmark."" "During the medieval period, falconry became the "sport of kings."" "A squib is an explosive device containing fake blood ...which bursts upon detonation, simulating the effects of a wound." "In 2001 , Clive Owen and Stellan Skarsgard appeared ...in the same installment of the BMW ad series, called The Hire." "Clive and Stellan performed this fight scene using real swords." "Some Roman forts had hospitals to treat the wounded." "In the traditional legend of King Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere ...have a passionate affair that starts Camelot's decline." "King Arthur is supposedly buried at Glastonbury Abbey in Somerset." "The final battle sequence took five weeks to shoot." "Pagans, who did not worship any organized religion, ...used both cremation and burial." "In the traditional legend, King Arthur married Guinevere at Camelot, ...the famous castle where he reigned." "Britain did not have a unified identity until medieval times." "Modern attempts at identifying Camelot ...place it at the ruins of Cadbury Castle in Somerset." "King Arthur is sometimes called "the once and future king"" "...because of the belief that he will come back to rule again."