moonspinner55 Review of Camelot

Camelot (1967)

'Very civilized' indeed...but where is the heart and soul in this presentation?

[5/10 · 13 February 2011]

Expensive pomp and pageantry with somewhat of a tin ear. King Arthur of England knights prodigious jouster Lancelot, who has seemingly brought his deceased opponent back to life, vaguely aware that wife Lady Guenevere has fallen in love with the handsome hero; meanwhile, Arthur's illegitimate son Mordred schemes to bring down the fellowship of the Round Table. Lerner & Loewe's Tony-winning Broadway musical, adapted from T.H. White's book "The Once and Future King", feels heavy-hearted on the screen, weighted down with ornate songs (unevenly performed) and endless talk. The production is certainly an eyeful, but the (nearly) three-hour running time works against the film--it is just too long and lumbering. Vanessa Redgrave (with a whopper-crop of hair) enacts Guenevere with a slight sneer and a faraway look in her eyes; Richard Harris doesn't create romantic sparks with her, though he does fine with his soliloquies and wears his crown well. Franco Nero remains the biggest casting question-mark as Sir Lancelot...and his singing is by far the most painful. The passion of a sweeping epic is noticeably absent, however there are moments in the picture which do work, aided by the lovely choral orchestrations and the editing in the montages. ** from ****