Camelot (1982)

Arthur strives to fulfill his ideals for a just and peaceful kingdom

Camelot is a DVD rendition of Lerner and Loewe's Tony-nominated play of King Arthur's court, performed live on a Broadway stage and featuring legendary actor Richard Harris as King Arthur himself. In Camelot, King Arthur strives to fulfill his ideals for a just and peaceful kingdom, yet his dreams are betrayed when a doomed love arises between Queen Guenevere (Meg Bussert) and Arthur's closest friend, Lancelot (Richard Muenz). Close-up shots are judiciously applied to capture the distinctive moments of the stage performance; extras include production notes, the original Broadway playbill on DVD-ROM, and biographies of Lerner & Loewe as well as Richard Harris. A "must-have" especially for live theater fans. 147 min., closed captioned.
June 10, 2008

IT'S NOT THE CAMELOT I KNEW

THIS DANK, DREARY PRODUCTION is so very far from the original inspired concept and its brilliant execution! The Camelot I loved I saw twice in Boston prior to its opening on Broadway. Even sat through a few scene rehearsals.

The sets then were bright to dazzling, ditto costumes and staging.

The movie: I saw half and walked out. I sat through this version because
I was home and had popped for the DVD, so I suffered through.

And suffer I did.

This cheerless weepy rendition, with initially dark, mottled sets made worse by a fuzzy tape production, acted and directed without the energy and inspiration (or sadly talent/charisma) of the original cast and production was downright depressing.

Harris' fey and fumbling characterization makes Arthur into an wistful, insecure fool in stark contrast to Burton's blustering energy. The rest
of the initial cast was light years above this languid miscast bunch.

Add then the lost or abridged songs and dialogue, the direction and casting failures and this sad version shouldn't be seen; it'll leave
a bad taste in your mouth/mind - everything.

Simple suggestion: Buy the original Cast CD, kick back, close your eyes and feel its energy and optimism, its romance and rollicking good humor.You'll get all the songs properly sung, complete with proper inflections and a lot brighter orchestration.

Me, I'm going to be haunted now by Harris'
way-to-old face with his mascara running.

June 1, 2008

The Law May Have Been Made A Distant Moon Ago, But...

The 1980 Broadway revival provides several "Shining Moments". I was thirteen when my parents took me to see this on Broadway and I was completely enthralled throughout. Seeing it again re-affirms my love for Lowe's music and Lerner's lyrics and book. Seeing the impressive talent of Richard Harris is second to none. You can read his total desperation and his love for Guenevere. No doubt, this seemingly lost treasure had been brilliantly transfered to DVD. The picture quality is great and the sound is lush and full. I wish that I could rate this higher than five stars. May 19, 2008

CAMELOT ON BROADWAY

Richard Harris makes a splendid King Arthur. I saw Camelot as world premiere in Hamilton Canada and later in Boadway, with Julie Andrews, Richard Burton, Robert Goulet, unbeatable as Lancelot, (voice and stage presence). Richard Coote was cast as an amusing King Pelinore, and Roddy Mcdowall as a hateful, spiteful Mordred; his singing of the 7 deadly virtues was a little gem. This 1982 version of the play was nice but missing the fire and presence of the original cast. By the way Richard Burton sings worse than Harris. I bought the 1982 dvd of the play,it is very good and those who have not seen the original, but that was in the very early sixties. April 23, 2008

As Wonderful As I Remember It

I saw this Broadway version of "Camelot" on HBO, back in 1982, as did most others. The DVD took me back in time, so to speak, to when I made every effort to watch every showing I could--back in the days before VCRs and DVD players. The DVD of "Camelot" showed me a performance that was just as excellent, as I remember it from watching it back in 1982. In my opinion, this version of "Camelot" was done to perfection. With the performances rendered by Richard Harris, Meg Bussert, and Richard Muenz, I think we can safely say that "Camelot" has been done to perfection, and if you want to see the finest version of "Camelot" possible, just pick up a DVD of this 1982 version of "Camelot". April 20, 2008

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