Knights of the Round Table (1953)

King Arthur establishes the greatest reign England has ever seen, and along for the ride are his indispensable Knights of the Round Table, particularly Sir Lancelot. Then, Arthur finds ... See full summary »

Director:

Richard Thorpe

Writers:

Talbot Jennings (screenplay), Jan Lustig (screenplay),

Stars:

Robert Taylor, Ava Gardner, Mel Ferrer

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Robert Taylor	...	Lancelot
Ava Gardner	...	Guinevere
Mel Ferrer	...	Arthur
Anne Crawford	...	Morgan Le Fay
Stanley Baker	...	Modred
Felix Aylmer	...	Merlin
Maureen Swanson	...	Elaine
Gabriel Woolf	...	Percival
Anthony Forwood	...	Gareth
Robert Urquhart	...	Gawaine
Niall MacGinnis	...	Green Knight
Ann Hanslip	...	Nan
Jill Clifford	...	Bronwyn
Stephen Vercoe	...	Agravaine

Storyline

King Arthur establishes the greatest reign England has ever seen, and along for the ride are his indispensable Knights of the Round Table, particularly Sir Lancelot. Then, Arthur finds himself a bride, the beautiful Guenivere. While she loves Arthur, she also loves Lancelot and though Lancelot repeatedly fights it, he loves her, too. Treachery is brewing as the evil Morgan le Fay and her knight Sir Modred work to trap them. So begins the decline and eventual fall of Arthur and Camelot.

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Plot Keywords:

lancelot | king | knight | england | camelot | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 January 1954 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Ritter der Tafelrunde

Filming Locations:

Dartmoor, Devon, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer British Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Britain's first CinemaScope production, and also its first widescreen feature.

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Goofs

A truck is visible in the background of a large battle scene.

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Connections

Version of Camelot (1967)

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Soundtracks

"A Lady White"
(uncredited)
Music by Clifton Parker

User Reviews

MGM tackles the King Arthur myth

Although Robert Taylor is top-lined alongside Ava Gardner in this MGM historical romp, he plays Lancelot, not Arthur. The King himself is played by Mel Ferrer with utmost seriousness. Despite a lot of bad reviews over the years, this movie from Richard Thorpe is actually quite enjoyable.

Taylor and Gardner (playing Guinevere, of course, and looking every inch the part) are particularly watchable, but there is sterling support from icy Brit Anne Crawford as Morgan Le Fay; Stanley Baker as Mo(r)dred; Felix Aylmer as Merlin; Maureen Swanson as Elaine (whose midsummer wish brings Lancelot into her life and into his first meeting with Arthur); and Niall McGinnis as the argumentative Green Knight.

Sumptuous colour and some exciting swordplay keep this film bumping along - just short of two hours and, if it veers away from the legend a bit, well, it is all in the spirit of 1950s cinema.