Magic events that were cut in this new version:
Merlin is a magician who lives backward in time and has seen the future.
When Arthur was growing up, Merlin was his tutor, and he literally changed the boy into a variety of animals, fish, and bird, etc., so that Arthur could learn about rulership, statecraft, nationsl boundaries, and prey.
Arthur was, unbeknownst to himself, the son of Uther Pendragon, and so his pulling the sword out of the stone was a miracle of fulfillment of prophecy.
Morgause (and/or Morgan Le Fay, in this version) bewitched and seduced Arthur when he was a boy. These two were sisters who had actual magic powers and were somewhat evil in their ambitions.
Lancelot’s purity (chastity) enables him to perform a miracle (this event which was powerful in the original, has, in Sorkin’s version, been messed with and undermined.). Lance may be insufferable to Guenevere and the knights for his seeming pride, but he is the real deal.
Nimue is a magical creature (nymph?) who seduces Merlin to steal his powers (song: « Follow Me ») and then tricks him into sealing himself up in a cave. |
