Lancelot of the Lake (1974)
"Lancelot du Lac" (original title)

A million miles away from 'Camelot' or 'Excalibur', this film ruthlessly strips the Arthurian legend down to its barest essentials. Arthur's knights, far from being heroic, are conniving ... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Bresson

Writer:

Robert Bresson

Stars:

Luc Simon, Laura Duke Condominas, Humbert Balsan

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Luc Simon	...	Lancelot du Lac
Laura Duke Condominas	...	La Reine (The Queen)
Humbert Balsan	...	Gauvain
Vladimir Antolek-Oresek	...	Le Roi (The King)
Patrick Bernhard	...	Mordred (as Patrick Bernard)
Arthur De Montalembert	...	Lionel
Charles Balsan
Christian Schlumberger
Joseph-Patrick Le Quidre
Jean-Paul Leperlier
Marie-Louise Buffet
Marie-Gabrielle Cartron
Antoine Rabaud
Jean-Marie Becar
Guy de Bernis

Storyline

A million miles away from 'Camelot' or 'Excalibur', this film ruthlessly strips the Arthurian legend down to its barest essentials. Arthur's knights, far from being heroic, are conniving and greedy men who, just before the film starts, have failed miserably to find the Holy Grail. Aimlessly resentful at first, the developing relationship between Lancelot and Queen Guinevere focuses their rage, leading to inevitable tragedy...

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Plot Keywords:

knight | legend | decapitation | horse | bathing | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French

Release Date:

26 September 1974 (France)

Also Known As:

Lancelot of the Lake

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mara Films, Laser Production, Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française (ORTF)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story (2005)

User Reviews

Its not naturalism, so what is it?

A director that intentionally drains all the emotion and any interpersonal energies from his characters must have a point, but I can't get it. It does not increase the mythic quality that Pasolini was able to capture, nor does it provide us with abstract ideas and messages that are somehow universal. This movie is just plain silly. The gore at the beginning without faces or personality and the very unrealistic constant clinking of the men never taking off their armor suggests that the whole "message" here is about the ridiculousness of war. It certainly is not a love story. Why then does the plot revolve so much around the dry and empty encounters between Guinevere and Lancelot? Everyone is insignificant and vacant. Why would Bresson possibly believe the audience would want to sit through such pointlessness? This is almost the polar opposite of "Diary of a Country Priest," which was deeply compassionate and expressive.