First Knight (1995)

Lancelot falls in love with Guinevere, who is due to be married to King Arthur. Meanwhile, a violent warlord tries to seize power from Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.

Director:

Jerry Zucker

Writers:

Lorne Cameron (story), David Hoselton (story)

Stars:

Sean Connery, Richard Gere, Julia Ormond

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sean Connery	...	King Arthur
Richard Gere	...	Lancelot
Julia Ormond	...	Guinevere
Ben Cross	...	Prince Malagant
Liam Cunningham	...	Agravaine
Christopher Villiers	...	Sir Kay
Valentine Pelka	...	Sir Patrise
Colin McCormack	...	Sir Mador
Ralph Ineson	...	Ralf
John Gielgud	...	Oswald
Stuart Bunce	...	Peter, King's Stableman
Jane Robbins	...	Elise
Jean Marie Coffey	...	Petronella
Paul Kynman	...	Mark
Tom Lucy	...	Sir Sagramore

Storyline

Lancelot lives by the sword. In fact, they're next door neighbors, so teaming up to fight for money comes pretty naturally. Lady Guinevere, on her way to marry King Arthur is ambushed by the evil Sir Malagant. Fortunately, Lancelot is lurking nearby and he rescues his future Queen. They fall in love, but Guinevere still fancies the idea of wearing a crown, so she honors her promise to Arthur.

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Plot Keywords:

based on legend | king arthur | love triangle | period piece | period drama | 

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Taglines:

An Empire Lies in the Balance.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some brutal medieval battles

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 July 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der erste Ritter

Filming Locations:

Snowdonia, Gwynedd, Wales

Box Office

Budget:

$55,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,856,442, 9 July 1995

Gross USA:

$37,600,435

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$127,600,435

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, First Knight Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby SR Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Though receiving top billing, Sir Sean Connery does not appear until thirty minutes in.

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Goofs

When Lancelot, trying to save Guinevere, talks to the Marauder, the metal loop at the end of the Marauder's crossbow changes from loose and facing the ground to rigid and sticking straight out.

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Quotes

Guinevere: If there is any honor in you, promise me never to do that again.
Lancelot: I don't know about honor. But I promise you, I won't kiss you again till you ask me to.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: First Knight/Party Girl/Species/Batman: Mask of the Phantasm/Il Postino (1995)

User Reviews

A Wonderful, well-acted and produced escapist story

I have watched this movie countless times over the years and it never fails to impress. Unlike lwjoslin, I don't purport myself as a historian. But then, the story of Camelot, King Arthur, Guinevere, and the rest are NOT historical figures in any true sense. They are all fictional characters in a fictional setting.

So why write such a derisive review? To me, it seems clear that the reviewer is incapable of simply viewing this as pure escapist fare. He (or she, but I doubt it) most highly thinks very highly of himself. I hope that people were not put off by his diatribe. He, and those who may be influenced by his critique, need to remember that the entire story is fiction. It is not based, in any way, on historical fact. To make the comments he did, he must have forgotten that simple idea. It is fiction, and the story has simply been embellished in a new way.

For me, this was a wonderful story of a wonderful time. It is a story which has been told many times on film within the past century, and has almost always been presented as a tragic event in an otherwise idyllic time. Why does he insist on tarnishing this telling by citing irrelevant facts? Do not be influenced by his trash. This is simply a wonderful, new twist on an old story, and it's very well done.

Enjoy!