Cornel Wilde has a reputation as a independent writer, director, actor type, in the vein of Sylvester Stallone, Woody Allen, and others. He did some fine pieces of work; the best of which was Naked Prey. He also did a pretty good job with Beach Red. But this effort was a little too big for his britches. He tried to pull off a Kirk Douglas or Mel Gibson (both successful as independent producers of Spartacus and Braveheart), but he could not do it. There was too much ham in the film from the supporting cast. More ham than in a German deli. The battle scenes were rife with mistakes (one guy is standing around with an arrow in his heart). The early love scenes are very good, and believable, but Merlin reminded me more of a rabbi than a wizard or magician. All he did was give advice. The secondary characters, except for Arthur, were just not that believable. All in all, a watchable film, but be ready to wince every once in a while.
Review of Sword of Lancelot
