Camelot (1982 TV Movie) User Reviews

Not Camelot, Not Spamelot, but Agedalot.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 29 July 2016]

I see this as a view of King Arthur as an aging king looking back on his past, not as he was, but as he is. In 1984, I sat at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood, not knowing what to expect out of Richard Harris, repeating his film role of King Arthur that he had played as a handsome young man more than 15 years before. Still commanding and filled with spirit, Harris was still physically too old for this part. Richard Burton had repeated his role of King Arthur on tour on Broadway a few years ago, but ailing, he had to step down, asking Harris to take over. Burton may not have been well, but stills show him to look younger than Harris did in this part, playing London and Broadway, and touring extensively.

But aside from his physical appearance, Harris does command respect for really believing in this part, and hiding behind sincerity. Meg Bussert sings beautifully as Guinevere, while handsome Richard Muenz is hysterically funny as the egotistical Lancelot who believes himself to be too saintly to be as pretentious as he is. Richard Backus, a veteran of many soap operas, is very Caligula like as the sinister Mordred.

A handsome but dark production gives a hint of things to cone with the invasion of the British musicals just a few years later. The large Wintergarden Theater (about to get invaded by cats) is amply stuffed with forests and castles and countryside sets, occasionally brightened up with big production numbers and flamboyant humor.

"Camelot" is best appreciated for its luscious score, if not its problematic book. Almost operetta like, it seduces the viewer with its divine score, beautifully sung by Harris, Bussert and Muenz. So if this is far from a perfect show, it does have much to admire, and it gives light to how the show could improve or be changed for any future Broadway revivals yet to come.

A seat at the Round Table.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 8/10 · 16 June 2012]

During a recent discussion that I had with a friend about the 1967 film Camelot,I was surprised to find out that an actually performance of the stage show had been filmed for HBO in the early 80's!.

Searching round on Amazon,and almost finding myself knee deep in non-Camelot related search results,I was at last rewarded for my long searching,when I eventually stumbled on DVD featuring the stage performance.With having looked for the film for a long while,and also finding out that Richard Harris had returned to star as King Arthur,I decided to pull a chair up,and witness the performance taking placing around the round table.

The plot:

Finding himself about to send an army to battle,King Arthur starts to think back to lesions he was taught in his childhood by a teacher called Merlyn.Having taken all of Merlyn's lesions to heart,Arthur starts to plan with his newly married wife (Guenevere) a system which would represent all of the ideas and dreams of the residents of Camelot.

Struggling to decide on how everyone can be represented,Arthur's "writers block" is broken,when Guenevere tells him about an old round table that her father owns,which would allow for no one to be seen as the "head" of the table.Getting deeply inspired by Guenevere groundbreaking idea,Arthur starts to gather up a group of knights who will represent everything that is good of the country.Nearing the completion of the group,a knight called Lancelot suddenly suddenly appears in Camelot.

Displaying an immaculate intelligences and cunning skills,Arthur soon warms to Lancelot as someone who shares all of his dreams and inspirations for the future of Camelot.Shortly after official welcoming all the newly appointed Knights of the Round Table,Arthur begins to feel uneasy when he notices his wife and Lancelot sharing some "stolen" glances,which leads Arthur to remember a terrible warning from Merlyn many years ago about how a person called "Lancelot" would cause Camelot to fall.

View on the film:

Whilst this enchanting "stage" take on Camelot has a strong witty comedy touch,that helps to make it feel much warmer than the more serious 1967 version ,the screenplay by Alan Jay Lerner sadly suffers from this version being given a much shorter running time,with the passage of time in Camelot feeling far too sped up,and the developing relationship between Guenevere and Lancelot not being given enough "silent" moments to allow a more natural feeling to their intense,conflicted relationship.

Impressively hiding almost all of the flaws in the screenplay,director Marty Callner, (who would later go on to direct some of the most well "stand up" specials of the last 20 years) smartly keeps away from presenting the film/stage production in a "still" setting,and instead uses a live audience and a number of perfectly framed close ups to make Camelot shine and to also give it a deep emotional feel.Being the only returning performer from the original 1967 film,Richard Harris gives an astonishing performance which shockingly exceeds his original brilliant take on Arthur.

Using the comedy moments in the film to display Arthur's heartfelt hopes of doing what is best for his fellow countrymen,Harris uses Callner's close ups to their full potential,as he almost wordlessly shows the agony and pain that Arhur experience's,as he begins to relies that he is unable to stop the destruction of Camelot.

Great- But not always best cast

[chris-inobsession · 9/10 · 27 March 2007]

Having been a fan of the Legend, book and film before hand, I was always going to have a bit of a treat when watching this, but i really did love it. The shows look is beautiful and captures the mood of the story almost perfectly throughout with as good a script the musical has ever had accompanied by some groovy stage effects.

I think its probably easyer and fairer to compare this to the Camelot experienced on stage in London and around the world a few months after filming (how it compares to the live experience) than to the film, which though also great was never going to be exactly the same as this rendition. On this account it comes out beautifully, it was the first time Camelot was turned into an effectual fairytale, and it really worked, adding a mythical quality that really strengthn'd it. The only negative slant i have on this plain, looking at both the film and London staging is how the cast is cirtainly a big weaker on some accounts in terms of performance. Richard Harris is absolutely brilliant as the kindly yet deeply troubled king torn apart by his wife and son. However, though perfectly acceptible, Meg Bussert is to me never really anything more. She is fair looking, and convincing enough, but you never really believe her Guinevere is worth tearing a kingdom apart over. Her voice is also a big operatic for me (though always note perfect) loosing any emotion in the more touching songs like 'before i gaze at you again'. Fiona Fullerton was definitely more suited in that sense. Muenz is also a little lacklustre in his portrayal of lancelot. Although the blind pride and arrogance is there, he really misses the charmming and charismatic side held by Franco Nero in the film, appearing a bit wooden in the emotional scenes. However, these, although a little upsetting, are only blemishes on this gleaming version which (also overlooking a completely OTT Merlin) displays the play in all the majesty and beauty once invisioned by Learner and Lowe.

Another compelling quality lies in how the play starts upbeat and very comic before stripping this slowly away until in the under three hours you spend watching it you get up thinking you've just witnessed a full blown arthurian tragedy.

Great Stuff, I believe its on DVD this month

Great stage play when you can't see it live

[honsingers · 10/10 · 5 January 2005]

It's obvious that the previous reviewer doesn't like musicals (stated by him) and has never seen live theater. This is a video of live theater, not a movie version. It is an entirely different style of acting and Harris was one of the best stage actors of our time! Richard Harris does a lot of "song speak" instead of actual singing, but then again so did Rex Harrison in "My Fair Lady". It is not distracting and he does actually sing parts of songs. I think it's wonderful that HBO made it possible to see a stage revival of this great Lerner & Lowe musical for people who couldn't see it in New York. I did see a touring show in Detroit of "Camelot" with Richard Harris and loved it!! Fabulous actor who is missed.

The Most Congenial Spot!

[peacham · 10/10 · 21 January 2002]

This 1982 Stage production of 'Camelot" as filmed for HBO is about as perfect an adaptation of the Lerner and Loewe musical as you will ever see. The set design and lighting captures the magic of the piece brilliantly. Richard Harris was born to play King Arthur and he is even better here than in the 1967 film version. Full of passion,wistful humor and majesty His performance borders of the Shakespearean. Meg Bussert is a perfect Guenevere,Pretty,impudent and later heartbreaking. Her singing voice is wonderful and is excellently used in the production. Richard Muenz makes Lancelot funny at every turn during his well delivered "Ces't Moi" number and has some masterful double takes,Later he is touching as the dream of Camelot unravels due to his infidelity with the Queen. Barrie Ingham is the epitome of the the comical King Pellinore and nearly steals every scene he is in.Richar Backus is evil personified as Mordred (His "7 Deadly Vitues' number is one of my favorite moments) and James Valentine is a hammy and thunderous Merlyn.

Highlights of the production are Harris' touching "Hoe To Handle A Woman" Bussert's show stopping "Simple Joys Of Maidenhood" and The rousing 'Guenevere" chorus lead by William Parry's Sir Dinadin. Although I like the film version quite a lot,this Broadway production captured on tape is a gem to be treasured. To bad its not available on Video or DVD.

Great Musical!

[Boland · 10/10 · 22 January 2002]

I love this Cable T.V. broadcast of "Camelot"! Richard Harris was outstanding and Meg Bussert was Beautiful! The singing far surpases the Original film version and the supporting cast is wonderful.Barry Ingam's Pellinore is a riot! Find this production if you can! Its not on Video yet!

By far the best!

[Stroudnyrfan · 10/10 · 29 May 2002]

I have seen many performances of Camelot, and this is by far the best. I hope it will soon be released on DVD so everyone can enjoy this truly fabulous production! The "film" versions of Broadway musicals have always lacked the special feeling of "live theater"- but this production truly captures the unique feeling of the New York stage.

A wonderful film

[Dawn511-1 · 22 November 2004]

I saw this version back when it first appeared on HBO and have never forgotten it. I hope they release it on DVD some day as I much prefer it to the earlier film version, which was much too dark and weighty. The added scenes enhance the continuity of the play, and the convoluted relationships of the story are much easier to grasp.

Ms. Bussert portrays a delightful Queen Guenevere. Her interpretation makes the role genuine and sympathetic as she matures from a naive romantic to a woman who is torn apart by her loyalty to Arthur and her passion for Lancelot.

My only regret is that I had not taped this 20 years ago.

Fantastic

[Vandreyer · 10/10 · 10 February 2004]

I love the Arthur story in all its incarnations and I love musicals so what could be better?! This movie is great way to see all the nuances of the performance. I saw this tour on stage and doing it live they left out some of the little tidbits that were captured in the taped version. Now if someone could tell me where to get a copy I would be indebted!!!!!!

The Best Version of the Musical Play

[hellbrunn · 9/10 · 18 June 2007]

The opening includes beautiful glowing night-shots of Manhattan with the overture of Camelot, as if Manhattan was the legendary kingdom itself, and the Wintergarten is the palace. Behind the curtain is a lavish production with gorgeous costumes and sets. Better singing and acting with real emotion. In this version Guinevere and Lancelot are not portrayed as lust-driven traitor-friends... but quiet lovers who suffer greatly because they both love the King, and each other. It is passionate, sad, and shows the vulnerability with much grace. Not to mention, the comical lines are laughable in this version... unlike the movie musical. The joyful spots are truly memorable and funny. All-in-all the best version I have ever seen and the performances are wonderful. SO grateful this is finally out on DVD!!!!!

Aged Ham On Stage at the Wintergarden

[bbmtwist · 3/10 · 3 June 2019]

CAMELOT - 1982 HBO

This filmization of the Broadway show for an HBO broadcast in the 1980s leaves a great deal to be desired. I have truly seen better staged, sung and acted productions in rural playhouses. The sets are slim and have little stage depth. Costumes are unimaginative and skimpy. The performances are very spotty. Richard Harris, reprising his film role, overacts terribly, embarrassingly, as Arthur and was at that point in time far too old to attempt the role again. Yul Brynner did the same with his king, playing it almost to old age, but at least Brynner's understanding of King Mongkut was superior to Harris' take on Arthur.

Meg Bussert is a merely competent Guenevere, with no sparkle, no personality to speak of. Richard Muenz is a marvelous Lancelot, very funny in his buffoonish early scenes and properly romantic, serious and ardent as the lovelorn Lance in his later ones. Stealing the production is Barrie Ingham's Pellinore, who comes on at high speed and suddenly fills the production with life and magic. We never want him to leave the stage. James Valentine's Merlyn is even hammier than Harris - we see now where Arthur got it. Richard Backus as Mordred is all milquetoast and no "dread." He is merely mischief, where evil is intended.

This production is hardly complete. Many scenes and songs have been cut so that it fit into a two and a half hour broadcast time. The original Overture is gone, so is the Parade (March), Then You May Take Me To The Fair, and Fie On Goodness. The jacket of the dvd version lists all the numbers in the show, unfairly leading to an expectation that you are actually going to see the complete work. It is not clear whether the performance was complete and the songs simply excised from the final print, or indeed never included in this particular performance.

What it does have that the film did not are: Follow Me in its proper place, sung by Nimue to Merlyn, Before I Gaze At You Again, and The Seven Deadly Virtues.

The dvd print is fuzzy, out of focus, and with bad color bleed. It seems to have been transferred from an old VHS version with no attempt to "clean it up." Filmed before a live audience who seems to be enjoying itself, despite poor direction and a great deal of running about the stage from one end to the other with no apparent purpose other than to dodge lobbed cabbages from more discerning theater goers.

All in all a cheat and a cheap one at that. If you are a fan of Muenz, it is worth a purchase. Likewise of Ingham - it's almost criminal how easy it is for him to steal the production. No one puts up the least resistance. Perhaps the rest of the cast was looking forward to his entrance to relieve the tedium and boredom as much as the viewer. Bravo Barrie!

A good comment, not a bad one..Great!!!

[MEEdmo42 · 13 July 2004]

I am disappointed, when I like something, to immediately come upon a bad comment the first thing I read comments. I loved this version much better than the movie as the lady who did Guinevere really had a beautiful voice and was much lovelier than the screen version. Richard Harris was delightful and would have only been surpassed by Richard Burton, who originally did the play on Broadway. (Julie Andrews should have been in the movie) The man who did King Pellinore did a wonderful job and Merlin was also played well. I got a lot more enjoyment out of the play. Somehow it was like being in the theater. Since I never get to go to plays, this is a marvelous way to view them. I think that anyone who does not like musicals should never review them as it will always be with criticism. See it if you get a chance, although it is difficult to get a copy.

Why watch the 1967 film when you can watch a better version?

[HotToastyRag · 8/10 · 6 March 2022]

When you watch the HBO telecast of the 1980 Broadway revival, you wonder why the 1967 film version of Camelot was ever made. Why didn't Hollywood wait fifteen years and just release this taped live performance instead? Meg Bussert had a far superior soprano voice than Vanessa Redgrave, the tempos of the songs and dialogue were perfectly up to speed, and Richard Harris has never been better. It's a case of "Plato's cave"; now that I've seen this excellent version, I'll never watch anything else when I crave Lerner and Loewe's classic musical.

If you've never seen it performed live, you might be surprised by how comedic the first half tries to be. It's a dramatic story, but there are endless jokes. Don't get used to them; the second half is just as tragic as you're expecting it to be. I don't know if the performance taped was closing night, or if Richard Harris was thinking of something particularly sorrowful, but his finale was so full of emotion, I was almost embarrassed to be watching. He was practically weeping, and great kudos must be given to his waterproof makeup. In fact, his curtain call was given with a somber face, as if his emotions ran so deep, he couldn't snap out of it to take a well-deserved bow.

I highly recommend watching this live performance. Sometimes the movie version adds extra quality to the story, but in this case, it's better to see it on the stage. Sure, the jousting competition is a little corny, echoing the horserace scene in My Fair Lady, but the Guinevere number is just as exciting as the celluloid version. The Sound of Music beautifully transported the audience with film cameras, but in Camelot, no cameras are needed. Richard Harris does the transporting. He loved playing King Arthur, and he's extremely good at it. With his transformation from young, insecure bridegroom to mature, well-intentioned king makes you feel you've spent far more than three hours with him. In 1967, most audiences felt he was just giving an excellent Richard Burton impression in the film, but by 1982 (although you can still see the other Richard in there), he owned the role as his own. Adorable during "I Wonder What the King is Doing Tonight", passionate in "Camelot", and showstoppingly tender with "How to Handle a Woman". Many thanks to HBO for taping this show!

Masterfully done!

[Sherpakhan · 10/10 · 30 July 2007]

My mother saw this version of Camelot live and had been telling me for years how great it was. When it finally came out on DVD, shortly before we went to see it ourselves, she ordered a copy.

This version lived up to all of my expectations. Having seen it live shortly before, I noted that Richard Harris's King Arthur was very different than Michael York's and Meg Busset's Guinevere was very different from Rachel York's, but it was nonetheless a wonderful edition. The omission of certain songs--"Take Me to the Fair" and "Fie on Goodness" are the two that come to mind--definitely surprised me, but I won't say that the musical wasn't all the better for not having them; "Take Me to the Fair" was my least favourite song in the production. Harris's tortured Arthur made for a truly emotional experience, and Richard Muenz's Lancelot du Lac actually made me care about the character, something no other Lancelot has quite been able to do. His rendition of "C'est Moi" almost made me fall over laughing at its casual brilliance.

10 out of 10 stars. I will definitely be watching this again.

Marvelous

[cal1946 · 10/10 · 7 May 2011]

I am one on the fortunate ones, I watched this musical on stage in 1962 in New York, William Squire as Arthur, Patricia Breddin as Guenevere, Robert Goulet as Lancelot, Roddy McDowell as Mordred and Robert Coote as Pellinore, I own the original cast recording, this play is part of me. Needless to say, when I watched the movie from 1967, I was devastated, it was nothing like the stage play, it lost all the charm. When I found that this revival was available on DVD, I jumped at it and was not disappointed! Richard Harris was Arthur, a wonderful performance. And yes, it is a filmed stage production so the action seems strange when watching it as a movie until one puts ones self in the audience of the theatre and the odd angles and not looking at each other make sense. I truly enjoy Lerner & Loewe's music, the lyrics are so clever, word play and double entendres, such a joy. I was disappointed that one song was left out of the production, the one in which Guenevere enlists Dunadin, Sagamore and Lionel to "barbeque" Lancelot. I cannot recommend this more highly, it is a marvelous story, a joy to behold. Enjoy

for there was never a more enchanting love spot

[georgeredding · 9/10 · 24 May 2022]

One of many dramas based on the King Arthur/Sir Lancelot legend, but to me it is a favorite of this "genre."The basic story has not been altered: After King Arthur sends out invitations by way of "fliers", for knights to join his Round Table, and one of them then goes across the English Channel to France, and the arrogant Sir Lancelot receives one and then goes to Camelot in England. After arriving there, he meets, of course, King Arthur, and the unforgettable Queen Guenevere (sp.) (?)For all who know the story, Sir Lancelot cannot keep from falling in love with the queen. (Of course, you can't blame him, since the queen is so beautiful, drawing, sweet, and mesmerizing, and in this production the beautiful Meg Bussert plays the part of the queen so well.

The love affair soon goes out in the open, unfortunately, for all three parties: King Arthur is understandably angry, Guenevere is accused of being a base, unfaithful lady, and Sir Lancelot is not so happy himself, especially when he knows he must leave England. Naturally, it is at best frightening for the queen when she is condemned and must be burned at the stake: though Arthur is angry with his queen, he still loves her, but cannot change any law or punishment, not even for his own wife.

And there is another basic character, Arthur's illigitimately-born son Mordred, who is instrumental in having the Round destroyed.

It is always a surprise to me that Guenevere becomes a nun.

In addition to the Bussert lady playing her part so well, Richard Muenz angers anyone, since he plays the part of Lancelot so well. Richard Harris is very adept at portraying the hot-tempered and saddened King Arthur excellently; he is the greatest King Arthur this side of Richard Burton.

The songs are all-too-well known. "Camelot", "I Loved You Once in Silence", "I Wonder What the King is Doing Tonight", among others.

A truly outstanding production.