Rating: G
Genre:
Musical
Release Date: 07/29/1998
SubTitles: English/French/Espanol
Dubbed: English
Sound: DD5.1
Run Time: 180 Minutes
Flags: Questionable for Children
Distributor/Studio: Warner Home Video
Joshua Logan directs this lavish version of the
Alan Jay Lerner and
Frederick Loewe Broadway success with
Richard Harris,
Vanessa Redgrave, and
Franco Nero in the lead roles originally portrayed on Broadway by
Richard Burton,
Julie Andrews, and
Robert Goulet. The
musical, based on
T.H. White's
The Once and Future King, chronicles the legend of
King Arthur (
Richard Harris) and his tortured love affair with his queen
Guenevere (
Vanessa Redgrave).
Arthur first encounters
Guenevere, on the day of their wedding, in the enchanted forest surrounding Camelot. After the wedding,
Arthur's bliss at his marriage to the lovely
Guenevere prompts him to establish the Knights of the Round Table, a lofty order of chivalry in which all the member knights are bound by a desire the help the oppressed, keeping faith with trust and honor. Such is the fame of the Knights of the Round Table that a young French knight,
Lancelot Du Lac (
Franco Nero), seeks to join the order.
Lancelot quickly becomes the most celebrated of all the knights, and
Guenevere, aloof at first, falls in love with him. Although both have a deep love for
Arthur, their passion knows no bounds, and they begin an illicit love affair behind
Arthur's back.
Arthur ignores the rumors circling around him, but when his illegitimate son,
Mordred (
David Hemmings) arrives at Camelot, he exposes
Lancelot and
Guenevere during a tryst.
Lancelot escapes, but
Guenevere is sentenced to be burned at the stake.
Lancelot rescues her at the last minute, and
Arthur prepares for battle, his dreams of an idealistic Camelot shattered.
~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
;)
