Camelot (1967)

The story of the marriage of England's King Arthur to Guinevere is played out amid the pagentry of Camelot. The plot of illegitimate Modred to gain the throne and Guinevere's growing ... See full summary »

Director:

Joshua Logan

Writers:

Alan Jay Lerner (based on the play "Camelot" book by), T.H. White (from "The Once and Future King"),

Stars:

Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave, Franco Nero

Won 3 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Richard Harris	...	King Arthur
Vanessa Redgrave	...	Guenevere
Franco Nero	...	Lancelot Du Lac
David Hemmings	...	Mordred
Lionel Jeffries	...	King Pellinore
Laurence Naismith	...	Merlyn
Pierre Olaf	...	Dap
Estelle Winwood	...	Lady Clarinda
Gary Marshal	...	Sir Lionel
Anthony Rogers	...	Sir Dinadan
Peter Bromilow	...	Sir Sagramore
Sue Casey	...	Lady Sybil
Gary Marsh	...	Tom of Warwick
Nicolas Beauvy	...	King Arthur as a Boy

Storyline

The story of the marriage of England's King Arthur to Guinevere is played out amid the pagentry of Camelot. The plot of illegitimate Modred to gain the throne and Guinevere's growing attachment to Sir Lancelot, whom she at first abhors, threaten to topple Arthur and destroy his "round table" of knights who would use their might for right.

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Plot Keywords:

knight | camelot | king arthur | marriage | unfaithfulness | 

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Taglines:

The Most Beautiful Love Story Ever!

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 October 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

Camelot - Am Hofe König Arthurs

Filming Locations:

Alcázar de Segovia, Segovia, Castilla y León, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Brothers/Seven Arts

Technical Specs

Runtime:

179 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (35 mm prints) 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Two separate Medieval castles in Segovia, Spain, were used in this motion picture; one as Sir Lancelot's Castle in France and the other as Camelot itself in various long shots. The Alcazar de Segovia, with its mansard roofs and numerous turrets reminiscent of Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty's castle, was depicted as Sir Lancelot's home in Gaul (France)in this film. The opening and closing scenes were also filmed on the grounds of this same castle which may be seen in the background in the light of the approaching dawn. For Camelot itself, the Coca Castle, also in Segovia, was used in long shots and background shots to depict the towers and battlements of Arthur's legendary kingdom.

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Goofs

About a half-hour in, a close-up of Guenevere shows her lying on a couch on her stomach, while Arthur is talking. Cut to a long shot of Arthur, still talking, while Guenevere, in the background, is suddenly sitting up, discreetly holding a blanket over her torso.

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Quotes

[first lines]
A Knight: The rules of battle are not for Lancelot Du Lac, Your Majesty! Let us attack now while they sleep!
King Arthur: [firmly] We will attack when I give the command - at dawn.
[the knight leaves, and Arthur begins to talk to himself]
King Arthur: Oh, Merlyn, Merlyn, why is Ginny in that castle, behind walls I cannot enter? How did I blunder into this agonizing absurdity? Where did I stumble? How did I go wrong? Should I not have loved her?
[sighs]
King Arthur: Then I should not have been born! Oh, Merlyn, I haven't got much ...
[...]

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Connections

References The Sword in the Stone (1963)

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Soundtracks

"Follow Me"
(uncredited)
Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Music by Frederick Loewe
Sung by chorus

User Reviews

'Very civilized' indeed...but where is the heart and soul in this presentation?

Expensive pomp and pageantry with somewhat of a tin ear. King Arthur of England knights prodigious jouster Lancelot, who has seemingly brought his deceased opponent back to life, vaguely aware that wife Lady Guenevere has fallen in love with the handsome hero; meanwhile, Arthur's illegitimate son Mordred schemes to bring down the fellowship of the Round Table. 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. The production is certainly an eyeful, but the (nearly) three-hour running time works against the film--it is just too long and lumbering. Vanessa Redgrave (with a whopper-crop of hair) enacts Guenevere with a slight sneer and a faraway look in her eyes; Richard Harris doesn't create romantic sparks with her, though he does fine with his soliloquies and wears his crown well. Franco Nero remains the biggest casting question-mark as Sir Lancelot...and his singing is by far the most painful. The passion of a sweeping epic is noticeably absent, however there are moments in the picture which do work, aided by the lovely choral orchestrations and the editing in the montages. ** from ****