Solving The Mystery of King Arthur . . .
The real story of King Arthur is not about medieval knights in shining armor slaying dragons or rescuing fair damsels in distress and not about chivalrous deeds and romantic quests. Of course, these are the pictures we have in our minds, in our books and on our TV and movie screens, but the appeal of these tales runs far deeper.

They have struck a chord within us that has continued to resonate over the centuries and continues, today. The Arthurian stories present us with an ideal of truth, virtue and honor to be strived for in a world where lies, lusts and treachery seem to be ever ascendant. We get the sense that there is, or was, a place where wrongs were always righted by courage, through strength, and we are attracted because these desirable qualities seem somehow diminished in our time. Some believe that this place can be, once again.

But, there is more to the Arthurian material than simply serving as an elaborate series of morality tales. There is also a historical reality behind them. That's not to say that they are all true in every aspect, certainly they are not, but they do have, at their core, grains of truth, elements of reality, memories of real people, places and events.

The Mystery of King Arthur DVD/VHS series explores this historical reality in detail, but doesn't get stuck in the past. The Arthurian material has continued to evolve through time and has taken on new outlines, shapes and guises, some of them political, some spiritual, some artistic and some commercial. Our host will guide us through Britain, continental Europe and the US in search of the many manifestations of this pervasive legend and, in the process, unlock The Mystery of King Arthur in a way that has never been done, before, on-screen.

Mick Fowler Productions, a veteran Hollywood-based company working in the film and television industry, is currently in pre-production for episodes two and three of "The Mystery of King Arthur" due out in fall of 2004 and 2005, respectively.

British History Club.com's British History Club is the leading site on the internet specializing in content related to the history of Britain and has the #1-rated King Arthur site on the internet in terms of audience popularity, depth of content and demonstrated commitment to further growth.

Read the Interview with film-maker, Mick Fowler!

The Programs:
Program #1 - Sketches the historical outlines of the Arthurian period and introduces us to the essential work of Geoffrey of Monmouth, King Arthur's biographer. Shot entirely on location in England, our host tours the ruins of Tintagel Castle on the rocky coast of north Cornwall and lays a firm foundation for the investigation to come. An interview with well-known Arthurian and writer, Geoffrey Ashe, and a cameo appearance by William Petersen of TV's #1 series, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation provide highlights.

Click to view "The Mystery of King Arthur" trailer           Download QuickTime Player [MacOS/Windows]

Subsequent programs will cover the following topics:

History of the Arthurian Period - The historical milieu which produced "Arthur" will be discussed in detail; the withdrawal of the Romans and their eventual disintegration as a political empire, the Pictish invasions from the north, the famines and plagues, the advent of the Saxons, their treacherous uprising against their hosts, the westward evacuation of the Britons and mass migration to Lesser Britain, the resistance against the Saxon invaders, the landmark Battle of Mt. Badon, the 50 year remission period, the moral weakness of the Britons and their internal collapse, the eventual Saxon victory, etc. Also in this segment, we will examine the sources that tell us what we think we know about this period.

Identifying the Historical Arthur - Some people believe that Arthur was a medieval king, some a dark age tribal chieftain, some a brilliant field general and/or cavalry commander. Was he a real, historical individual whose given name was Arthur or was there someone with a different name who did "Arthurian" things or were there several people who were blended into a composite figure who was then called Arthur or is he a purely imaginary character made up long ago by creative medieval writers? Some of the many theories about Arthur have solid, scholarly support, some are the work of creative fantasists, some are put forth by people who just want to sell books. But, whatever the case, all are interesting and will be explored.

Outgrowths of the Legend - The Holy Grail, Glastonbury, Joseph of Arimathea, Arthur as Avatar of the New Age. In this investigation, we explore Arthur's persistent connection with certain locales and to visit other places with less traditional association with him (ie. Wales. Brittany, Scotland), but with, perhaps, more relevance to the development of his legend.

Arthurian Literature & Art - From their beginnings, the series traces the development of the many literary and artistic works based on Arthurian themes such as his court, his knights, his deeds, his kingdom and shows how the romances fleshed out the Arthurian picture with additions such as Lancelot, the Round Table, Camelot, the Holy Grail, etc. Our guide visits with painters, illustrators, game designers, musicians, poets, film makers and dramatists to find out what motivated their use of Arthurian themes in their art, how they used them and for what purposes.

Arthur as Symbol - King Arthur is a powerful and useful symbol and the series explores the many ways that his name and the names of his knights, his castle, his sword, his magician and his wife have attained the status of icons which have been used throughout the centuries to instill national pride, to legitimize kings, to fulfill prophecies and even to market businesses.

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Run Time: 35 minutes
Viewing Formats: Available on DVD & VHS (NTSC & PAL)
Delivery: Shipping first week in January, 2004