Camelot (1967) is a musical about King Arthur, based mostly on T. H. White’s The Once and Future King. The film spans from Arthur and Guinevere’s marriage to the beginning of the Round Table’s downfall.
Starring the real Dumbledore Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave, and guy who looks nothing like Lancelot in the book.
VERDICT
This is one of those films you will either hate or love. Some prior reading of Arthurian legends is recommended, and definitely don’t expect an action-packed heroic epic like Lord of the Rings. The film focuses mainly on King Arthur’s inner growth.
Regarding the acting, everyone in here gave a strong performance, except for Franco Nero, who could come off as too strong sometimes that his scenes became almost theatrical.
*Spoilers ahead (but not really, since the film is 55 years old and the book, even older)
SO WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT IT
RICHARD HARRIS
The only films I had seen which Richard Harris starred in were the first two Harry Potter films and The Count of Monte Cristo. While I kept hearing that he was a legend, I never had the opportunity to check out his other works.
UNTIL NOW.
And let me tell you, this man deserved every award there was/is for his portrayal of King Arthur.
Before I go on with this rant, it is worth pointing out that I base my review on T. H. White’s version of King Arthur, which serves as the source material for the characters in this film. The Once and Future King mostly portrays Arthur as a benevolent leader with ideas to enforce civility and peace, not the phase in Arthur’s life when he is a fierce warrior who goes around killing dragons and all that.
Moving on.
T. H. White had a unique way of describing the warrior king, and one of the things that stands out in the book is that Arthur has “a stupid face”. Yeah, thanks. But he also looks generous, warm, and the one thing that the book conveys without stating directly: he’s powerful yet too compassionate to use his power more.
Arthur’s personality is so well defined and his transition from a young, optimistic king to a man deep in tragedy is written in a way that you just don’t know how any actor could deliver it on the screen.
Well, Richard Harris, that’s how. He even made the singing scenes tolerable.
The king is all adorable, constantly biting his lip (no, really, he does this a lot for some reason) and trying to behave in a civilized and chivalrous manner when he first meets Guinevere.
Hurt, yet forgiving and sympathetic as he watches his wife fall in love with his best friend. Regal and majestic when he assembles the Round Table. And wiser and kinder than Lancelot and Guinevere can ever understand.
Look at that face when he knights Lancelot. THE MAN KNOWS.
But Arthur’s most impressive moments are during the scene with his crappy son Mordred.
He’s a father full of guilt about his past, full of hope that his son can be educated, his power is as palpable as his compassion. To put it plainly to Mordred: I can kick you to the curb any time I want to. And the only reason you’re still talking is because I feel guilty.
And yes, Mordred…
“You will leave when you are dismissed.”
Richard Harris’ every movement and expression brings to life this king who is the embodiment of chivalry, who shines with unspoken strength, and whose legend goes far beyond any one book.
The above scene is very similar to how I imagine the conversation in the Astronomy Tower with Malfoy would go (if you haven’t read Harry Potter 6, you might want to do so before looking this one up).
Look, people, this is the Dumbledore that Potterheads would cry for in Movie 6 is all I’m saying. And if you’ve ever doubted that Richard Harris could have handled the later HP films when Dumbledore is required to be a combination of wisdom, power, and dark secrets, there’s your proof.
End of rant.
ARTHUR AND GUINEVERE
Yes, I’m sorry, Lance, but Wart and Gwen are all kinds of cute and a few scenes of you swimming with her just can’t compete.
ARTHUR AND LANCELOT
If you think Queen Guinevere is Lancelot’s first love, think again. It’s the king.
Lance brings his boyish hero-crush on Arthur all the way from France to England, and their moments together are hilarious with Lance always finding something more to do to prove himself to his hero, and Arthur trying to rein in the younger man’s passion.
And because their time in the beginning is so much fun, their farewell in the end is extra tragic.
MORDRED IS DESPICABLE
Exactly as he should be. Cowardly, sneaky, and should not be anywhere near Arthur. So what can I say? I hate this guy’s guts, which means the actor did a wonderful job and the writing does this villain character justice.
WHAT’S NOT SO GOOD
THE FASHION OF GUINEVERE
Vanessa Redgrave is all grace and beauty, but for the love of all wizards and owls, what is going on with Guinevere’s hair and entire wardrobe?
So… I know that this film is American-made, but can we at least try to pretend like we care to be medieval English?
Guinevere has a few acceptable hairstyles here and there, but most of the time, she looks and dresses like she’s about to walk the red carpet. And don’t even get me started on those bangs when she’s in bed, OK?
Is this the style of this film? I’m not so sure. All the men’s costumes are full medieval, though. Or at least they are not so modern that they become a distraction.
LANCELOT AND GUINEVERE
They are… not very convincing. Lance and Gwen hate each other in the beginning since they kind of compete for Arthur’s attention and Lance is a Frenchman whose behaviours are too foreign for the English court. Then Lance cries over a dying dude whom he accidentally struck too hard with his jousting stick, and suddenly Gwen is all in.
And them going at it like a couple of teenagers doesn’t really help their case.
Not that anything can excuse their mistake, but a few things in White’s book enable us to sympathize with Lance and Gwen’s struggle. Lancelot’s personal journey, for instance, or his moments of inner torture, or Gwen’s reflection on her betrayal. Yes, it is implied that Gwen finally gives Lancelot the time of her day because she realizes his humility, but the film doesn’t devote enough time to this development.
So, while in the book, we understand Gwen’s dilemma because it’s explained clearly that she loves Arthur like a friend and she loves Lancelot like a man, in this film, we are just left wondering what exactly is the connection between her and Lance.
THE FILM’S VISION IS… WELL, UNCLEAR
This film seems to have trouble deciding what it should focus on. It spends minimal time on the development of the Round Table and Mordred’s plan while those are the key elements of this tragedy. Meanwhile, there’s way too much discussion on Lance and Gwen’s affair but not enough actual story.
Sometimes the atmosphere is serious, but other times it feels like a parody. Like that one scene where Gwen throws herself at Arthur and starts smooching him in public, for example. Yes, it’s the “lusty month of May”, but you two are still King and Queen, and we’re trying to get into the medieval setting here. So rein it in!
And you know the real culprit that eat up all the precious time of this film? The songs.
THIS SHOULD NOT BE A MUSICAL
Don’t get me wrong, most of the songs are lovely. But maybe they should have just been used as background music.
You have a story of a most visionary king who builds a court of dream, gets betrayed in a painful manner, then has to watch years of his work collapse. And that king bursting into songs throughout the film just makes everything less serious. The same for Lancelot, instead of having him sing about how devoted and pure he is, maybe actually show us his life.
It’s not that Camelot is terrible as a musical, but with Richard Harris’ acting and the tragic tone of the original novel, a regular film would have been more effective. And even though the actors put their hearts and souls into the songs, I would rather just see those performances in a stage play.
BOTTOM LINE
Despite all its flaws, I still strongly recommend Camelot to anyone who loves Arthurian legends. The best time to watch it would be right after finishing The Once and Future King.