Knights of the Round Table (1953)

King Arthur's rule is threatened by the adulterous love between Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere, a relationship the king's enemies hope to exploit.

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:

king arthur | lancelot | king | knight | queen | 

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Taglines:

All the glory and splendor of King Arthur's court

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | History

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 January 1954 (USA)

Also Known As:

Los caballeros del rey Arturo

Filming Locations:

Luttrellstown Estate, Co Dublin, Republic of Ireland

Box Office

Budget:

$2,600,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$9,849,240, 31 December 1953

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$17,649,280, 31 December 1953

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:

1.75 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The British release main title is slightly different from the US version. After the composer credit "Music by Miklós Rózsa," the British caption continues "London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Muir Mathieson." This is because whilst the main score was being conducted by Rozsa and Johnny Green in Hollywood, Mathieson also had to conduct it in London to satisfy demands of the English musicians' union. When Rozsa (who scored the same team's Ivanhoe (1952)) suddenly became available again, Clifton Parker was dropped and the LSO were out of a job, (only one Knights of the Round Table cue by Parker was retained). The Mathieson sessions were released on a Varese Sarabande album in 1980, although for legal reasons the performers were credited as the MGM Studio Orchestra and Chorus (UK). Some researchers in the Miklos Rozsa Society believe that the Mathieson sessions were used to score the simultaneously filmed Academy ratio version that went out to many British cinemas not yet equipped with CinemaScope. Possibly the Rozsa/Green recording (which was made available on a Film Score Monthly CD in 2003) may not have been sufficiently in sync to accommodate the two separate prints.

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Goofs

Lancelot knocks over one of the blocks of Stonehenge singlehandedly. He is not portrayed as superhuman.

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Quotes

Guinevere: I will not degrade myself before you again.

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Connections

Version of King Arthur (2004)

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Soundtracks

A Lady White
(uncredited)
Music by Clifton Parker

User Reviews

A stirring tale of knights, chivalry, and the days of the Round Table in the time of King Arthur is brought to the screen with full pomp and pageantry.

The legend of King Arthur has been told, and retold, by movie makers several times. This may have been one of the first tellings, using Technicolor coupled with Cinemascope and drawing heavily upon the pageantry of the days of chivalry and knighthood in England. The story is simple, relating the coming of the throne of his country by Arthur Pendragon, and his attempts to establish justice and peace in the war-torn, divided land he called England. His efforts are to no avail, as there is simply too much greed and distrust among the small kingdoms of the country to allow the rule of one person, but this film has some fun in the citing of the Arthurian legend.

The cast members for 1953 read like a star-studded list from MGM. Mel Ferrer portrays King Arthur, with the lovely Ava Gardner as his queen, Guinevere. Stanley Baker plays the villain in the piece, Mordred, a knight sworn to capture the throne for himself, even if it destroys the unity of England. Playing the role of the greatest knight member of the Round Table, Lancelot, was Robert Taylor, who seemed to relish the sense of justice, decency, and moral standards as no one else of the time seemed willing to do.

"Knights of the Round Table" is meant to be viewed as an enjoyable touch with the past and the days gone by. Worth a view or two.