Page vs Screen: Cursed

Born in the Dawn - To pass in the Twilight

As I write this, I'm still hesitating between writing a single post about the Thomas Wheeler (author) & Frank Miller (illustrator) book Cursed and the corresponding Netflix series, or keeping page and screen separate. Even with the series - cover each episode as I have done for other series? Or because it's Netflix and I marathoned through it treat it as a single 10h film? So many decisions... I guess I'll just have to start writing and we'll see what comes out of it.

Cursed is a feminist retelling of the Arthurian myth, written by Thomas Wheeler and illustrated by Frank Miller. It's a young adult fantasy novel that reframes the Arthurian legends by telling them through the character of Nimue, famously known as the Lady of the Lake in the traditional versions (sometimes an ally of Arthur's, others the keeper of Excalibur, and in yet others a protégé of Merlin's who steals his magic and leaves him trapped in a tree). In Cursed she is a young Fey woman (the Fey are various clans of humanoid beings with a connection to the spirit world that probably inhabited Britain before humans came, and have been slowly being pushed out of their lands by humans, more recently persecuted by  fanatics called Red Paladins sent by the Church), whose mother Lenore is the Arch-Druid and healer of her Sky-Folk clan. The story begins as their village is attacked by Red Paladins, and Lenore entrusts Nimue with a powerful sword and asks her to deliver it to Merlin.

Since books have trailers now (?!), here's a look at the book and show trailers:

 

I thought it would be interesting to contrast the book and the show, as they were pretty much created at the same time (Wheeler and Miller hadn't even finished writing it when Netflix optioned it for a series adaptation, and the book hadn't been released yet while the show was filming) and Wheeler is showrunner of the Netflix series. Well, book 1 and season 1 (in case others come out in time).

Obviously spoilers for both book and TV show below! (and potentially for a follow up book if they pick up some of the threads from the show that weren't in the book)

The Kid Who Would Be King (2019)

Where to start... Based on the trailers (and the fact that it's Arthurian-related!), I had been really looking forward to seeing The Kid Who Would Be King last winter, except it came and went in the cinema so fast I missed out on my chance. And now I'm kind of glad I didn't see it because owww... I don't know if it was because I wasn't in the right mind frame when I watched it last night (and half asleep), or I've finally outgrown kids' movies (boo!) or it's just not that good? I will say that the lead kids themselves were pretty good with their roles, and fit well together as duos and then the team. Particularly Louis Ashbourne Serkis, whose Alex is a fitting stand in for a young King Arthur.

For me the reference points from previous Arthurian tales for this movie are clearly T.H. White's The Once and Future King, or for the kids watching but who haven't read it Disney's The Sword in the Stone, and also the film A Kid in King Arthur's Court (for the mix of medieval and modern warfare tactics, but in the present instead of the past). You could imagine it as a centuries-later sequel to the animated film. It even starts out with an animated retelling of the main points of the Arthurian legend - with an added level of fantasy with a stronger and more evil sorceress Morgana who swears to return to claim the land once Arthur is gone and no longer remembered and basically the world has gone to shit (wars, famine, greed etc. in abundance - so basically present day).

Obviously, spoilers below!