Recently I started pulling down season 1 of Merlin from eMule to watch.
Ugh, SGA5 is getting less and less interesting, so I just dropped it and switched to a fantasy-themed show to pass the time. Merlin is good, it’s currently airing, lots of people are downloading it, so it’ll come fast. So far I’ve found 3 versions on verycd. As for good-looking subtitles, I think the ones from YYeTs are relatively better. But I watched the first two episodes with Fengruan’s subs, so I’ll just stick with that all the way through.
Introduction provided by the YYeTs review team:
- O great king, the gods have granted you extraordinary wisdom and courage, raising you to heights no king of England has ever reached, letting you see the splendor and purity of this world, and letting you lead your people out of the darkness.
- O great king, the goddess of the fairy realm is won over by your courage and wit; the sword is granted to you, and wherever you swing it you are invincible.
- O great king, Excalibur is unstoppable, cutting through gold and jade wherever it goes. But you must remember: even a divine sword that slices iron like mud has its weakness — its scabbard, which you must never lose.
In a dark cave, the young magic-bearer holds a torch, facing off against a pensive dragon; inside a castle built by the water, the physician in his chamber knits his brows; a princess in a magnificent blue dress leans against an ornate four-poster bed, consumed with worry; before the castle, a golden-haired prince in a red cloak and silver armor swings his sword, and the bearing of a king is there for all to see; in the gloomy palace, the old king’s brutality grows ever more fierce — the kingdom’s peaceful forests, clear lakes, magnificent castles, everything, dissolves into emptiness within his furrowed brow…
Yes, this is the fantasy blockbuster Merlin, a fantasy drama series produced in Britain. Who says the British are stodgy? They have never lacked for wild imagination. That stammering, refined gentleman in a tall hat appears before the Queen, smiling shyly over his witty, humorous [Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland]; he bows his head and presents his new work, A Detailed Explanation of the Four Arithmetic Operations, only to find that the Queen understands nothing of the complex calculations of mathematics, so he just keeps smiling, blushing even harder. This is a much-told tale in the history of fantasy and fairy tales. Two old professors in their sixties, in a pub by the university, each scribbling on a blank sheet of paper, talking about the ideas in their heads — those two sheets of paper later raised the curtain on a new chapter of fantasy in the literary history of Britain and of the world. One of the two old professors was named Tolkien, who wrote the Lord of the Rings trilogy; the other was named Lewis, who wrote the Chronicles of Narnia. The sheets of paper filled with ideas in that pub became a scene worth remembering in literary history.
Rings, halflings, elves, princes, and lions and witches — all have become part of the magical adventures Britain has given the world. And now Arthur, the king with the strongest mystico-religious aura, has been brought to the screen as well. Aided by a sorcerer, helped by the fairy goddess, wielding a divine sword, he makes enemies flee at the mere rumor of his coming. Only this time, we’re not just watching the king; we also get to see that spirited young magic-bearer — it is his hand that changes the fate of the young prince. Because of him, the fate of the whole kingdom is transformed; you could say the sorcerer Merlin is the lever that pries up the kingdom.
On screen, the young sorcerer Merlin finally makes his entrance: red collar, blue robe, deep gaze, arms outstretched toward the distance. At this point in his youth, he is driven only by his own ideals — because his ideals are bound up with the prince’s ideals, and with the kingdom’s. He is an indispensable arm in a golden age. Merlin, the greatest sorcerer of Arthur’s time, now comes to the small screen this autumn to spend the most memorable morning hours with each and every one of you at your computer. So let’s look through the sorcerer’s eyes at the great age inaugurated by England’s wise king; in these turbulent times, you will see unforgettable people and events.
On September 21, 2008, we all look forward to Merlin’s magical journey together!
Introduction provided by 星辰, 晓贝紫, 却舞, Radio4, and 雨潇@FRNEWS:
This series is adapted from the story of King Arthur and the sorcerer Merlin. Unlike the legend, Merlin in this series is no longer a white-haired old man but a fledgling youth; the story focuses on how the young Merlin comes to understand his mission, turns an enemy into a friend in Prince Arthur, and saves the world of magic. As the plot unfolds, legendary figures such as the Knights of the Round Table and the Lady of the Lake will appear one by one. In March 2008, Merlin began filming in Wales and France. Co-produced by BBC Wales and the production company Shine, its executive producer Julie Gardner previously worked on the classic BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who. The series has 13 episodes, premieres in the UK on September 21, 2008, and will air on NBC in the US next year.
A few other introductions:
====This introduction comes from 破烂熊====
These old stories are etched in our minds: King Arthur, the Sword in the Stone, the Knights of the Round Table… And how was each of these legends forged? The key figure is the famous sorcerer and prophet — Merlin. This time there is no white-haired, long-bearded sage; BBC Wales, the team behind such fine productions as Doctor Who and Life on Mars, takes us back to the little-known youth of the legendary sorcerer Merlin. This thirteen-episode fantasy production sets its story in the ancient city of Camelot, a world of magic where the tyrant Uther forbids people to practice sorcery. Young Merlin, though he has already mastered magic, can only keep it hidden as a secret. Hot-blooded, he comes to Camelot to temper himself, and there he meets Arthur, still a prince. Merlin could never imagine that this is the master he will one day help become king; the two young men go from stumbling friction to inseparability, fighting side by side against their enemies, walking their fated path and forging a legend of medieval myth.
====The following introduction comes from 天涯小筑=====
NBC has decided to pick up the historical-mythological legend “Merlin the Great Sorcerer” adapted by the British BBC — how surprising and delightful. Many people must have heard of “Merlin”, along with “King Arthur”, “Lancelot”, “the Knights of the Round Table”, “Camelot”, “Avalon”, “the Lady of the Lake” and “Morgan le Fay” — famous figures from English historical legend. This new Merlin will interpret the traditional story from a distinctly modern perspective. It is set in the legendary holy city of Camelot (Camelot, the fabled site of King Arthur’s court), and the story takes place before Merlin and Arthur became legendary figures. At that time they were just ambitious young men, eager to explore the wider world, eager to win their families’ recognition, eager for beautiful romance, eager to realize their ideals, eager to explore their future destiny. They were green and inexperienced, and they stumbled over many things. The young, hot-headed Merlin does not treat Arthur as a supreme master, and the two often clash.
According to NBC’s description, this is an “innovative”, “groundbreaking”, “gripping” action drama. It depicts something TV audiences are familiar with but have never seen before — the early lives of Merlin and Arthur.
BBC’s ability to adapt and remake historical drama is plain for all to see; in recent years it has successively remade Jane Eyre, Oliver Twist, Pride and Prejudice and Robin Hood, and adapted Bleak House, Sense and Sensibility and many other series. But these are mostly faithful to the original works, or to the traditional stories people generally accept. Merlin is the exception — it has almost nothing to do with the white-bearded old sage in our heads. Is this change a good thing or a bad thing? Time will tell.
============================== Yesterday’s Bionic Woman, Today’s Evil Sorceress — Merlin Begins Filming ◆ Author donatino ◆ Category Important US TV News, TV Series Merlin ◆ Date 2008-07-23
After lying low for quite a while, Michelle Ryan, formerly the star of “Bionic Woman”, has taken a role in the much-watched BBC mythological drama — Merlin. Unlike her “righteous through and through” image in Bionic Woman, this time her character is the evil sorceress Nimueh. Fate works in strange ways: after Bionic Woman was cancelled by NBC, a heartbroken, frustrated Michelle Ryan (related report) went all the way around in a big circle and ended up back in NBC’s arms — NBC had announced as early as last summer that it had picked up this BBC One series, and would air it at a suitable time next spring.
The production has kept things fairly well under wraps — this is the first news about the series in months. Besides Michelle Ryan, the latest additions to the cast are John Hurt and Santiago Cabrera. John Hurt will voice Merlin’s mentor, the “Great Dragon”, while Santiago Cabrera, who played Isaac Mendez in Heroes, will play the famous leader of the Knights of the Round Table, Lancelot. Another cast member is Katie McGrath (“The Tudors”), whose role is unknown.
Earlier this year the production announced that Northern Irish screen newcomer and 22-year-old Colin Morgan (“Doctor Who”, “Catherine Tate Show”) would play the lead, Merlin; Bradley James would play Arthur; Anthony Head (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) would play Arthur’s father, King Uther (Uther Pendragon); Richard Wilson (“A Passage to India”, “One Foot in the Grave”) would play the court physician Gaius; and Angel Coulby would play Guinevere, the queen who comes between Arthur and Lancelot.
This 13-episode series tells of the early friendship between the great sorcerer Merlin and Arthur (as a prince). If you’re unfamiliar with the show, you can check out the earlier introduction: http://donatino.skygate.cn/post/21/2441.
The series will first air on BBC One this September, in the Saturday-night slot — that is, Doctor Who’s slot. One can predict that the show, like Doctor Who, will suit all ages and won’t have too much adult material. The visual effects are handled by The Mill, the studio behind Doctor Who and the film Gladiator, which has won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.
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