Camelot

Plot synopsis:
During the opening credits, like the Broadway production, the studio orchestra plays a potpourri overture that features the "Camelot March" and the title song. The action begins in early morning darkness as a chorus sings a few lines from "Guenevere." Arthur (Richard Harris) talks to his unseen teacher, Merlyn (Laurence Naismith), asking him why everything that has happened to them happened. Before a battle begins at dawn with Lancelot (Franco Nero) and his Joyous Gard knights, Arthur, talking as much to himself as to Merlyn, tries to determine where he went wrong. Merlyn appears and urges the mighty King to think back to one of the most important days of his life. Almost all of the rest of the film is a flashback. It first flashes back to Arthur as a youngster (Nicholas Beauvy); he is walking in the woods in the early morning when he encounters Merlyn, who calls Arthur "Wart." Then suddenly, Merlyn interrupts to chide Arthur for going too far back in his memory. The important day Arthur is supposed to remember, Merlyn says, is the day he met Guenevere (Vanessa Redgrave).The following scene shows Arthur in a large snow-laden tree watching people pass on the road beneath. From his perch, Arthur sings "I Wonder What the King Is Doing Tonight?" He imagines that his subjects are pondering what he is doing in the final hours before his arranged marriage. Arthur admits that even though he has faced battle bravely, he's terrified of facing his bride-to-be. As the song ends, a procession approaches ("Camelot March") carrying Guenevere. She is not at all thrilled that her wedding is an inconvenient marriage of convenience. In despair, Guenevere sings "The Simple Joys of Maidenhood." The lyrics question how she missed the normal life of a maiden and all its simple pleasures like knights tilting for her and "kith not kill their kin" for her. The procession halts for a rest so the royal hairdresser can prepare Guenevere to meet her mate. While everyone is busy, Guenevere sneaks away into the woods. She kneels in the snow and prays (sings) to St. Genevieve, her patron saint. Arthur, who is listening from a nearby tree, steps on a rotten branch and falls to the ground. Startled, Guenevere starts to run away, but Arthur promises he won't harm her and asks her not to leave. When Guenevere expresses her reluctance to go through with this arranged marriage, Arthur claims Camelot is unique and in the song, "Camelot," describes the joys of life in his kingdom, including an extremely equitable climate. He claims it is an excellent place to live happily forever. When some of Arthur's attendants and Guenevere's entourage find them, Guenevere is shocked to discover that Wart is the King. Once all the attendants withdraw, Arthur tells Guenevere the story of how, at the age of eighteen, he pulled the sword from the stone and became king. He admits he never wanted to be king, but when he saw her for the first time, he wanted to be the wisest, most heroic, most splendid king who ever sat on any throne. Arthur offers to find someone to accompany her back home, but she slowly and tenderly sings a short reprise of "Camelot," which was her way of agreeing to marry him. As they enter the city, a chorus sings a reprise of the song, which continues through their wedding ceremony.Four years later, Arthur laments to Jenny that England is made up of a mess of ill-begotten kingdoms ruled by immoral lords. He tells her that might shouldn't always mean right. After a considerable amount of thinking to himself and talking to Jenny, Arthur formulates the idea of creating a new order of chivalry where might is only used for right. Jenny is skeptical that knights would ever agree to do peaceful things, so Arthur decides to make it a great honor to be in the order. To avoid jealousies and superiority, Arthur further decides to use a round table so there is no head. Then in a reprise of the melody of "Camelot," Arthur and Guenevere sing about spreading the word of this new order of knighthood. As the song continues to play in the orchestra, heralds and carrier pigeons are dispatched to carry the news.Soon the first recruits arrive at Camelot. When news of Arthur's new knighthood order reaches France, Lancelot du Lac sings a short reprise of "Camelot" from his castle walls as he fervently anticipates going to England to join Arthurs order. That short reprise segues into the song "C'est Moi!" Lancelot, who is far from modest, intends to use his considerable invincibility to serve the Round Table. He claims to be so pure, so godly, that if he had been Eve's partner they would still be in Eden. During the song he embarks on his journey to England. When he nears Arthur's castle, he dismounts, kneels and praises Arthur for creating a new order of life.Suddenly, a horseman rides by so closely that Lancelot topples over. He quickly gets up and challenges the horseman to a fight and knocks him off his horse; it is King Arthur. Once Lancelot realizes that he almost killed the King, he begs Arthur's forgiveness, but Arthur congratulates Lancelot for his fighting skills. Arthur wants to knight him immediately, but Lancelot begs to be allowed to prove himself first. A bit embarrassed, Arthur tells Lancelot that since it is the beginning of May the Queen and the Court have "gone a-Maying." Lancelot is incredulous that knights are doing such civilized things as attending picnics and gathering flowers.Guenevere and the Knights and Ladies of the Court are thoroughly enjoying the spring weather. In "The Lusty Month of May," Guenevere recommends defiance of gentility in deference to giving in to ones amorous whims. The Knights and Ladies join her song and perform a spirited dance. At the end of the song, the revelers see an elderly man in rusty armor in the woods. He appears to be lost, so they offer assistance. The old man introduces himself as King Pellinore (Lionel Jeffries). He has mislaid his kingdom and can't find his way back. When Pellinore learns he is in Camelot, he remembers having spent a lovely day there years ago with a young lad name Wart. Guenevere informs Pellinore that Wart is now King Arthur of England and her husband. The Queen invites the old fellow to spend the night so he can see Arthur again. Pellinore quickly accepts; he hasn't slept in a bed since he left whatever the name of his kingdom was.Shortly after Pellinore leaves, Arthur arrives and introduces Guenevere to Lancelot. When the King asks Lancelot to explain some of the plans they have been discussing, Lancelot can't believe a woman would find the details of chivalry interesting. Guenevere assures him that she never tires of anything chivalrous. Lancelot proceeds to explain a training program for knights, but quickly points out that he would never expect any of the knights to live by his exalted standards of physical and spiritual perfection. When Lancelot claims to have achieved physical perfection, Guenevere doubts his boasts. She also questions his spiritual quest since he obviously has no humility.When Arthur and Lancelot depart, Guenevere begins to plot to have the three best jousters challenge Lancelot. The Queen sings "Then You May Take Me to the Fair" while she visits with Sir Lionel, Sir Sagramore and Sir Dinadan (Gary Marshal, Peter Bromilow, & Anthony Rogers respectively) individually to incite each of them to teach Lancelot a lesson. Pellinore doesn't trust anyone who doesn't drink, doesn't have a lady and talks to nobody but God and the King. He can hardly wait to see if the Frenchman's claims of physical prowess can withstand the three knights in the joust the next day. When Pellinore retires for the evening, Arthur discovers that the Queen has agreed to allow the three Knights to carry her kerchief in the tournament. Exasperated, he begs her to withdraw her permission, but she refuses unless he commands as King.When she exits, Arthur curses Merlyn for not teaching him how a ruler rules a Queen. He paces and sings "How to Handle A Woman" as he tries to remember Merlyn's advice pertaining to women. He finally remembers: "The way to handle a woman is to love her." The following day the jousting arena has a circus-like atmosphere. Lancelot easily defeats all three knights and appears to kill Sir Lionel with his jousting lance. Jenny rushes to Lionel's side. Lancelot cradles his defeated rival in his arms, weeps, bows his head in prayer and begs over and over again for the lifeless body to live. Suddenly, Lionel gasps for breath. Guenevere walks over to Lancelot and kneels before him with her hand over her heart, weeping over his rescue of her from the guilt of having caused Sir Lionel's death. Lancelot then kneels and kisses her hand. The look on Arthur's face suggests that he instinctively senses his wife's and Lancelot's mutual attraction. As Lancelot rises and walks away, the entire crowd kneels in homage to him for resurrecting Sir Lionel. The next few scenes show Guenevere sleeplessly thinking about Lancelot, Lancelot in torment as he thinks about Guenevere, and Arthur talking to Pellinore about being in love. When Lancelot comes to Jenny's room expecting to find Arthur, he can't hide his feelings for her and she confesses her feelings for him. Arthur interrupts when he arrives to inform Lancelot that he has proved himself worthy of being knighted.After a very regal knighting ceremony, Arthur walks into an adjacent room where he ponders what to do about the problem he senses. He readily admits that if he could choose any woman on earth, it would be Jenny. He also admits that if he could choose any man on earth as his brother, his son, or his friend, it would be Lancelot. He loves both of them, but he feels they must be punished for betraying his trust. At first, Arthur wants vengeance, but when his temper subsides, he realizes that it would not be civilized to destroy what he loves. He also begins to sense their pain and torment. Since they are both completely devoted to him and the Round Table, Arthur resolves that they will face whatever the future holds together. The Intermission comes at this point with Entracte music featuring an orchestral version of "Camelot."As the action commences again, Lancelot bests another knight in a sword fight. The defeated knight accuses him of having been the Queen's lover for years. Lance demands the knight defend his accusation, but the knight stands by his statement. Later, Lance and Jenny sneak into a secret garden for a clandestine meeting. Lance assures her that Arthur knows about them and, therefore, will never leave the castle without one of them with him. Lancelot realizes that he should leave at once and never return, but in "If Ever I Would Leave You," he sings that the right moment never comes. Jenny feels a great deal of shame and guilt, but can't help remembering their past (while the orchestra plays more of the song, the film shows several significant scenes of their romance which apparently spans years; when Lancelot sings again, there are appropriate scenes for the seasons of the year that match the lyrics to the song). At the end of the song, they are back in the present and they embrace.Pellinore tells Arthur if he does not face the truth his Round Table is doomed (the King has been banishing every knight who accuses his wife and Lancelot of adultery). Suddenly, they are interrupted by a pompous young fellow named Mordred (David Hemmings). Arthur seems to be shaken when he learns the man's name because he realizes the young man is the son of a woman with whom he had a one-night stand, Queen Morgause of Orkney, making him Arthur's illegitimate son. Arthur invites Mordred to become a Knight of the Round Table, but the unpleasant youngster quickly admits to detesting swords, spears and horses and he is suspicious of virtues.Mordred has come to Camelot after discovering he is Arthur's bastard son in hopes of gaining the throne for himself. Lancelot advises Arthur that Mordred is trying to destroy the Round Table and is raising an army consisting of the banished knights, but the King is already aware of Mordred's deceitfulness. Lancelot wants to kill him, but Arthur forbids it. Arthur continues to hope that somehow he can make his only son worthy of the throne. After Lancelot leaves, Arthur tells Jenny he needs to talk about trivial things. This wish leads into the song "What Do the Simple Folk Do?" When Arthur says the simple folk find relief in whistling, he and Jenny try it, but quickly give up in frustration. Then when Arthur describes a young lad who sings when he is sad, they launch into a happy madrigal-style song. That doesn't work either. Next, Arthur says he had heard that the simple folk dance a fiery dance until their minds are blank. So they spin and twirl, but dancing is no more of a cure than whistling or singing. By the end of the dance they are distraught that these peasant remedies haven't work to relieve their strain Arthur can't escape the problems of ruling England and Guenevere can't forget Lancelot or abandon Arthur. In the following scene, Mordred's army arrives to battle the remaining Knights of the Round Table. During the fight, the Round Table itself is broken into pieces. Arthur and Lancelot watch helplessly in disbelief. Arthur leaves while the fight continues and goes into the legendary forest where Merlyn schooled him.The song "Follow Me" is sung by an off-screen chorus as the King rediscovers some of the woodland creatures that Merlyn had taught him about many years before. When he pretends to be Wart again, he imagines that Merlyn is there. Arthur and Wart, who is suddenly standing in front of Arthur, ask Merlyn for a remedy for sadness. Merlyn tells him (or them) to learn something. A little later, Merlyn turns Arthur (or Wart) into a fish and a hawk to help him learn (the film audience doesn't actually see a fish or a hawk). Arthur's lesson is interrupted by Mordred's arrival in the forest. Mordred continues his wickedness by slyly accusing the Queen and Lancelot of deception and infidelity. To test Lancelot's and Guenevere's loyalty, Mordred convinces Arthur to remain in the forest all night. Mordred returns to the court to tell them that Arthur will be hunting all night and will return by mid-morning the next day. Shortly after Mordred delivers his message, Lancelot visits Guenevere in her chambers and begs her to go away with him. Even though she loves Lancelot, the Queen still loves Arthur and is determined to stay with him as long as he wants her. Under those circumstances, Lancelot promises never to ask her to leave again and promises to never come to her again. Jenny similarly swears and she and Lancelot sing "I Loved You Once in Silence." As the song concludes, they kiss and walk together wrapped in each other's arms.Mordred and several knights confront them and accuse them of treason. Lancelot manages to escape, but Guenevere is captured. As Lancelot rides away, he encounters Arthur, who is attempting to return to the castle before something happens. Arthur immediately senses the truth and Lancelot covers his face in shame. When Arthur returns to the castle, he stands by helplessly as Guenevere is lead away to prison. An unseen chorus sings "Guenevere," which narrates what happens in her trial and sentencing to be burned at the stake. As preparations for her sentence are being carried out, the chorus questions if Lancelot will be able to save her. Early in the morning Guenevere is marched to the stake. Everyone except Mordred hopes for her rescue. Mordred, on the other hand, mocks Arthur by saying, "Let her die, your life is over. Let her live, your life's a fraud. Kill the Queen or kill the law."Just as the fire is touched to the wood, Lancelot and the knights of the Joyous Gard arrive. Arthur is tremendously relieved! Mordred is pleased to see Lancelot and his troops slaughtering Arthur's knights. Lancelot rescues Guenevere and heads for the channel to take her to France. Lance sends a note asking Arthur to meet him in the forest at sunup (this section returns to the film's opening when Arthur is in pre-dawn darkness). Lancelot and Guenevere offer to return to England to face their punishment, but Arthur will not allow Guenevere to be burned at the stake or Lancelot to be beheaded. Instead, he urges Lance to take Jenny to Joyous Gard where she will be safe. Lancelot informs him that she has joined a convent. Arthur bids them goodbye, and seems to have forgiven them.As Arthur returns to his camp to prepare for battle, he encounters a young boy named Tom - the future Sir Thomas Malory, who really existed and who wrote "L'Morte d'Arthur", the definitive text on the King Arthur legend in 1471. The boy has only heard stories of the Knights of the Round Table, but those tales have inspired him to want to become a knight. Arthur is encouraged that the ideals of Camelot and the Round Table live on in this young lad. So he orders the lad to return to England to perpetuate the ideals of chivalry and tell future generations that once there was "a fleeting wisp of glory called Camelot" (Arthur sings his orders in a reprise of "Camelot"). When Pellinore arrives with Arthur's sword, Excalibur, Arthur knights Tom and orders him to return home and carry out his orders. Arthur feels victorious. What he accomplished with the Knights of the Round Table and his civilized government will be remembered. As the closing credits scroll across the screen, a chorus sings a climactic reprise of "Camelot." The Exit Music consists of an instrumental version of "Camelot."

Tags: violence, action, romantic, historical fiction

Review:
Can you imagine a cast led by Richard Burton, Julie Andrews and introducing Robert Goulet as Lancelot?So why couldn't Warner Brothers sign the original cast from Broadway for the movie?
And Richard Burton was one half of the most noted show business couple of the Sixties with his wife Elizabeth Taylor.Jack Warner, usually a smart guy, said that he didn't think that anyone would believe that two guys like Arthur and Lancelot would put a kingdom at risk for the love of Mary Poppins.
Harris later in his life toured extensively in various productions of Camelot as Arthur, virtually taking over the role originated by his close friend Burton.The biggest hit from the Camelot score was If Ever I Would Leave You, sung by Robert Goulet.
Baker's interpretation of Mordred is light years from Hemmings, he's a schemer, but he's definitely no coward.I love the score of Camelot and when it was filmed I only wish the singing was half as good as the Broadway show..
Warner had asked stage stars Richard Burton and Julie Andrews to reprise their roles as King Arthur and Queen Guinevere.
While they liked Burton, Andrews & the music, they disliked the second act, when Camelot is under siege by Arthur's illegitimate son, the evil Mordred, and the disclosure of the the queen's infidelity.
An appearance by Julie Andrews and Richard Burton on the Ed Sullivan Show, singing Camelot and What Do the Simple Folk Do?, in full costume, helped the box-office sales, too.Camelot, the motion picture, has its strengths, primarily perhaps the best adaptation of any Broadway score in the history of motion pictures.
Now that movie musicals are in vogue again, maybe somebody at Warner Brothers will give the green light to remake this Lerner & Loewe spectacle that was poorly filmed in 1967.This version is really a shame, considering how beloved the original 1960 Broadway musical is.
Richard Harris and Vanessa Redgrave ARE great actors, and in their dramatic scenes, they are quite effective, but they most certainly are NOT singers, especially poor Ms. Redgrave (although, her orgasmic rendition of "The Lusty Month of May" has to be seen to be believed).
David Hemmings manages to bring some mirth to the film, but he's only in the last third, and by that time it's nearly too late (plus, they cut his only song!).On the plus side, the film DID deserve the 3 Oscars it won:  Best Scoring (if you take the voices out, the music sounds magnificent), Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, and Best Costume Design (the flick IS sumptuous).
(If you do watch it, try to see it on DVD, where it's letterboxed.)So, if anybody from Warner Brothers, or any other studio for that matter, is reading this, give it another go:  go back to T.H. White's original source novel and Lerner's original B'way script, keep ALL the songs intact, and hire actors who are proven singers, say, Ewan McGregor (he demonstrated his pipes in Moulin Rouge!) as Arthur, Kate Winslet (who scored a British top 10 hit last year) as Guinevere, and Hugh Jackman (who got his start in a West End production of Oklahoma!) as Lancelot.
CAMELOT is, of course, the story of King Arthur (Richard Harris), his Queen, Guenevere (Vanessa Redgrave), and Sir Lancelot (Franco Nero), the best and brightest knight of Arthur's treasured Round Table.
(The too many 'Run, boy, run!'s also wears on the nerves after a while.) CAMELOT is caught uncomfortably between being a stage production and a film, and that shows in how it rigidly keeps to the 'Overture/Intermission/Entr'Acte/Ending Music' structure...
Neither Harris nor Redgrave are singers by profession, and it's rather a shame that Julie Andrews (who created the role of Guenevere on Broadway) didn't reprise her role for the film, but neither of them hinder the beauty of the Lerner/Loewe music.
Richard Harris is quite simply magnificent as arthur,the best actor to play the role on stage or screen.
yes, at times it gets a bit long but its well worth it for the final inspiring scene when arthur passes on the camelot story to young tom of warwick.
Richard Harris stars as King Arthur, with Vanessa Redgrave as Queen Guinevere and Franco Nero as Sir Lancelot.
Richard Harris and Vanessa Redgrave did do their own singing.Overall, Camelot has a melodious score by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe and some first rate production values but it drags in spots.
Vanessa Redgrave, although a good actress lacks the beautiful vocal renderings Julie Andrews gave the part and Franco Nero is hopelessly wooden as Lancelot.
David Hemmings is a delightfully devious Mordred and almost steals the film from the rest of the cast.Camelot is ultimately a very good example of the over-produced, over-stuffed musicals the studios were turning out during this period..
When King Arthur (Richard Harris) sings the line "Each evening from December to December before you sleep upon your cot think back on all the tales that you remember of Camelot.." there was just no holding back.
Lerner & Loewe's Tony-winning Broadway musical, adapted from T.H. White's book "The Once and Future King", feels heavy-hearted on the screen, weighted down with ornate songs (unevenly performed) and endless talk.
Richard Harris and Vanessa Redgrave act convincingly as Arthur and Guinevere, but their singing is flat mostly.
There's a reason why Hollywood in the late 1960s went into its worst recession since the direst years of the Depression in the 30s--it was lavishing ridiculous amounts of money on bloated musicals like this that totally *tanked* at the box office.For some reason, the studios kept handing these big-budget adaptions of hit Broadway musicals to Joshua Logan to direct, even though they always ended up complete failures (check out the horrible use of color filters in "South Pacific" [1958], or Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin *singing* in "Paint Your Wagon" [1969])).
Like that later film, "Camelot" seems to go out of its way to cast its musical with stars who can't sing or dance to save their lives.
Beautiful music and strong performances from Richard Harris and Vanessa Redgrave, however they are not singers and it hurts the picture mightily, leaving you wondering how much better it could have been with Richard Burton, Robert Goulet and especially Julie Andrews.
True Burton wasn't a singer either using the talk singing method that Rex Harrison employed on My Fair Lady so Harris' replacement isn't as glaring as Redgrave/Andrews or Nero/Goulet.
It stars Richard Harris as Arhur and Vanessa Redgrave as Guinevere, two great British actors, but not really the type of actors you would see in a musical such as this.
Julie Andrews was one of the greatest musical stars of all time and had the part on Broadway, so why didn't she do this instead of Vanessa Redgrave?
She got a Tony nod for her part in the Broadway version, but one of the executives on this film (I don't remember which one) said "Can you picture two men going to war over Julie Andrews?"  Maybe they would if they had let her sing-you know, that thing she does better than anyone in movie and stage musicals of that era.
The Broadway production with Julie Andrews and Richard Burton had made its mark a few years before, and the film was attempting to revitalize the waning coat tail interest in that production.And that's just how the film feels; a somewhat rushed effort that was spared no expense to bring the fantasy world of Arthur, his castle "Camelot", queen, knights and all the rest.
In short, people were hoping for Andrew, Burton and Goulet, but got Harris and company instead.The musical numbers, as can be expected from a filmic translation of a Broadway play, are altered.
This leads to a flashback where castle "Camelot" figures prominently Richard Harris (as Arthur) meets and marries Vanessa Redgrave (as Guenevere).
They are blissfully happy, but she and newly knighted Franco Nero (as Lancelot) are unable to control their mutual attraction The best thing about this film is the superb music, by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe.
But the best way to enjoy it is by obtaining a copy of the soundtrack featuring Richard Burton (as Arthur), Julie Andrews (as Guenevere), and Robert Goulet (as Lancelot) - the stars of the original Broadway cast...The last time Jack Warner corralled a musical team was for the film version of "My Fair Lady" (1964).
Andrews, Burton and original "Camelot" residents like Roddy McDowall, Robert Coote and David Hurst are sorely missed.***** Camelot (10/25/67) Joshua Logan ~ Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave, Franco Nero, David Hemmings.
I really like the music in this film, it is very relaxing to listen to and Richard Harris played a good King Arthur.
Lavish settings and cinematography cannot save this film version of the 60's Lerner and Loewe musical with Harris doing a decent job as King Arthur.
Richard Harris is great as King Arthur and Vanessa Redgrave is the best Guenevere ever to grace the silver screen.
When you have three acting leads with such wonderful faces as Vanessa Redgrave, Richard Harris, and Franco Nero, how can a film go far wrong?
I am barely able to believe this film is produced by careers.The cast is good.The story tries to say about theme of ethics in its unique way presented by Perfectionist King Arthur and all human beings around him.But why?
To have the answer, see this three-hour collection of close-ups and costumes, a musical ponderously directed by Josh Logan starring three actors who can't sing.In England's early medieval period, King Arthur (Richard Harris) and his new bride Guenevere (Vanessa Redgrave) bring together the flower of knighthood to establish a new golden era of "might for right." But Arthur's most powerful ally, Lancelot (Franco Nero) becomes the undoing of the realm when he and Guenevere begin a passionate, painful affair."How did I blunder into this agonizing absurdity?" is the question Arthur poses in his opening scene.
The film does lack at times in its adaptation and its length but still remains an enjoyable film.The leads of the film aren't of the caliber of their Broadway counterparts (Richard Burton as Arthur, Julie Andrews as Guenevere, and Robert Goulet as Lancelot) but Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave and Franco Nero all do well enough.
Well, yeah, Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave, and Franco Nero aren't the world's greatest singers, and in their hands the songs aren't especially memorable, but they're still pretty good songs.
The cast is very good but will always be overshadowed by a 'what if': what if the movie had included original Broadway leads (Richard Burton and Julie Andrews).
Who knows but Vanessa Redgrave and Richard Harris are fine as the queen and her cuckold and Franco Nero is excellent as Lancelot.
Camelot has wonderful performances from the leads, Vanessa Redgrave (who wouldn't fight for her!), Richard Harris (perfect as Arthur) and Franco Nero.A delight amongst the saccharine other 60's Musical that were produced at the same time, "CAMELOT" wins hands over "My Fair Lady" "Doctor Dolittle" "STAR!" "Hello Dolly" anf "The Sound of Music".Give it a try if you haven't seen it or take another look at the great musical.
Camelot is definitely spared the dead on arrival "filmed stage play" treatment of My Fair Lady, but only to fail in a stranger way.The stage to screen translation suffers in the way that musicals almost always did in the 60s, via the running time, which is over two hours.
The casting is wonderful (Dispite Nero who fills in the shoes of Lancelot as a handsome man) Richard Harris is the BEST King Arthur I've ever seen, (I've seen every movie about him.) His singing voice is far better than the talk sing, of Richard Burton.Vanessa Redgrave is the BEST Guenevere to have ever been played, (I've seen every actress, on film, to play her.) Although Julie Andrews has a beautiful voice, I feel that Vanessa did better with the songs than Julie.
Richard Harris and Vanessa Redgrave are believable as Arthur and Guenevere albeit in a musical.
Richard Burton, Julie Andrews, Robert Goulet, etc.) And if some of the characters in the broadway show had been in the movie as well (Nimue, Horrid the dog, etc.) The casting of Vanessa Redgrave, Richard Harris, and Redgrave's husband at the time- Franco Nero gave the movie a dimension of falseness.
In the end, the dramatic side of the equation seems to get bigger play, particularly the last half-hour where nary a song is heard, as the climax of the dastard / bastard Mordred's plot against Arthur unfolds using as its fulcrum the ill-fated romance of the Queen with Arthur's champion knight, Sir Lancelot.I'm a big fan of Richard Harris, the singer as well as the actor and felt he carried the film well.
Franco Nero as third-wheel Lancelot didn't fit my imagined appearance of the great knight with his mop of curly hair and youthful, clean-shaven appearance but improves as the movie goes on as his beloved king's reluctant love-rival.The sub-plot of Arthur's establishment of the code of chivalry and the introduction of a legal system throughout his kingdom is used and abused by the scheming Mordred, played with conniving cunning by David Hemmings to trap his father between the proverbial rock and a hard place, the film ending inconclusively on that point although the doomed king has the satisfaction of learning, in the character of his youthful fan and protégé, young Tom, that his royal legacy will endure down the ages.Director Joshua Moore certainly allows the stories the time to develop, like many other big musicals of the time, it has a long, probably overlong running time.
The settings (especially the recreation of the castle and the celebrated Round Table) and costumes are fine and there were some imaginative scenes (Arthur's dream sequence in particular) but as stated earlier, I found the songs tended to hold up and indeed rather let down the drama somewhat.Now considered one of the last of the old-time big-budget musicals, "Camelot" seems to be somewhat anachronistic, released as it was in the late 60's as film-goer tastes changed, "The Sound Of Music" having caught that movement's last wave but it is nevertheless worth watching at the very least for Harris's multi-layered portrayal of King Arthur, even if it won't have you humming many of the tunes after it finishes..
Neither film is good as Camelot because not once do I believe Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot really care for each other.
Camelot is a wonderful movie with great actors.The statuesque Vanessa Redgrave,the ruggedly handsome Richard Harris and the gorgeous young Franco Nero with the most beautiful blue eyes ever to grace the silver screen!The sets are ethereally beautiful.The costumes are breathtaking.The songs are hauntingly lovely and you'll be humming them for days to come.The funny numbers are very good,too with lots of wit.The writing is witty,I think Roald Dahl wrote the screenplay(of James and the Giant Peach fame)so maybe that's why it's so good.Although the story is about infidelity,there is a moral to the ending.And everything is done so tastefully and the birdcage- like scene with the two lovers is heartwrenchingly beautiful.I watched it on New Years Day of this year and I enjoyed it so much,I plan on making it a yearly tradition!Once you visit the magical land called Camelot,you'll never want to return.Camelot!Say it loud and say it clear!Camelot!!Yes,my boy....
To my mind, anything that throws Arthurian legend, gorgeous music, and amazing actors into one place is bound to be a wonderful movie, and consequently, Camelot is one of my very favorite films of all time.
The characters are well-cast, and Arthur in particular manages to pull of the wistful, slightly comic and always noble king of Camelot, and while Vanessa Redgrave certainly lacks Julie Andrew's (who played Ginny on Broadway) vocal talent, she brings a sort of minxish delight to the role that Ms. Andrews was unable to pull off.
Notice especially the subtle and powerful force in the number, "What Do Simple Folk Do?"....The film's power, I think, is in the close-up intimacy of the acting and the sensual non-professional singing voices of the actors--qualities one does not of course witness in the stage productions of this great story of King Arthur, Guenevere, Lancelot Du Lac, and the Roundtable..
Based on a hit 1960 Broadway show which starred Richard Burton (who declined to resume the role for this film adaptation), Camelot is a mixed bag of a movie.
The musical made bankable stars out of Richard Burton as King Arthur (in his pre-Liz days), Julie Andrews as Queen Guenevere (in her pre-Poppins and Sound of Music days) and Robert Goulet as Lancelot du Lac in his pre-anything days.However, where the director of the film (Joshua Logan) goes totally and utterly wrong is by casting not one of the Original Broadway Cast in the film version.
On stage, Julie Andrews and Richard Burton starred as Guenevere and King Arthur and Robert Goulet was Lancelot.
The film sees King Arthur (Golden Globe winning Richard Harris) briefly meeting Merlin (Laurence Naismith) as a young boy, before getting to the real start, where he has been taught well to rule England from his kingdom of Camelot, and he meets Guinevere (Golden Globe nominated Vanessa Redgrave), who he soon marries to become his Queen.
It earned three Academy Awards – for Art Direction-Set Decoration, Costume Design, and Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment – in addition to Oscar nominations for Cinematography and Sound.However, its lead actors: Richard Harris as King Arthur, Vanessa Redgrave as Guenevere, Franco Nero as Sir Lancelot, and David Hemmings as Mordred leave something to be desired (acting-wise, but especially singing when) compared to the original production's Richard Burton, Julie Andrews, Robert Goulet, Roddy McDowall (respectively).
Richard Harris plays Arthur superbly, but then again he should as its a role he made all his own several times on stage and then in this production.