First Knight (1995)

Camelot needs a new costume designer and head of security!

After the brutal first few minutes of the film, I thought it was going to be a more realistic telling of the Arthurian legend; it turned out to be quite the opposite, but I still enjoyed it.

The Good: The (unrequited) love between Lancelot and Guinevere is more understandable given that Arthur is depicted as being a contemporary of Guinevere's father, and easily old enough to be her father, if not her grandfather, whereas Lancelot is young and very heroic and dashing. Even so, there is genuine affection between Arthur and Guinevere, and she never breaks her marriage vows, either during the betrothal or during the marriage. I also like the way Lancelot is depicted. He is more human; he is not the font of virtue he is depicted as in other versions of the legend. His association first with Guinevere and then with Arthur has an enobling effect on him, making him a better man at the end of the film than at the beginning. Also, the evil knight Malagant is played wonderfully by Ben Cross.

The Bad: Where in the world did they get those hideous royal blue uniforms? They look like something out of a Star Trek movie (or TV series). It is unusual that costuming makes or breaks a film, but these awful costumes almost single-handedly destroyed the film and any credibility it might have had. I was trying to watch the film and I kept being distracted by how terrible those blue uniforms were. The other thing was, Camelot seriously needs a new head of security. First, they nearly let Guinvere be captured on her trip to Camelot to be married, then they let her be effortlessly kidnapped from Camelot, whisked away as if by magic, then they let Malagant's army waltz right into the city without a fight. Hello? King Arthur wouldn't have lived long enough to have gray hair if he was this sloppy about security.

Still, I felt the good outweighed the bad in this interesting retelling of the Camelot legend. September 2, 2008

I love Blu ray

I have a weakness for Sean Connery. Watching him in Blu Ray is devine. Now I have to wait for the blu ray releases of the early Bond movies. But no kidding. First Knight is a good movie. The performance of the actors is OK. I personally don't like Richard Gere and I think Julia Ormond could be included in more scenes. It's good entertainment, nothing more, nothing less.
The image quality is excellent for a movie of this age. Sound is very good. All in all a good blu release. June 15, 2008

First Rate

First Knight, First Rate!

Arthurian tales run the full gamut. From poor to exceptional, the various Camelot retellings share commonalities. King Arthur, Camelot, Lancelot, Excalibur, Merlin (usually), and Guinivere. There have been exeptional casts, but "First Knight" is an unusually wonderful ensemble.
Sean Connery, Richard Gere and Julia Ormond portray Arthur, Lancelot, and the lovely Guinevere respectively. Connery makes a wise, fatherly Arthur with his love for the beautiful lady of Lyonesse his only blindness, and Gere gives an outstanding performance as a 'hero' torn by his passions. Julia Ormond projects joy, passion, and pertubation as the love triangle between Lancelot, Arthur and Guinever grows more complex. From a young mistress destined for marriage with Arthur, to a woman inflamed with passion for one she cannot have, Ormond projects joy, pertubation, and desperation from a pure heart. Gere is a cad in the beginning, making obvious advances towards the queen to be with no discernable results. Even as he joins the round table as knight, his inner struggle takes a toll during his rescue of Guinevere in the lair of Malagant. The only distraction other than his perfect hair is his lack of any Anglo accent, which Connery and Ormond deliver so seamlesssly.

The turmoil in the film is not only between Lancelot and Arthur, but also the devious Malagant whose border raids into Lyonesse grow more bold as the wedding between queen to be and Arthur draws near. Malagant was at one point, a knight of the table, actually the first knight until his path for power forces him to leave the group. The commentary states that Malagant is the first angel/Satan image in the film as he leaves Camelot to be ruler in his own hell. At the same time, Arthur is Gods' servant, seeking His will before his very own, putting the needs of the kingdom ahead of his own. Lancelot is transformed from wayward wanderer into a devoted knight of the realm, taking over as Arthur falls in battle during the trial of Lancelot and Guinevere for treason. Biblical examples and themes run through the whole film.
The beauty of the film is not only in the story, but also the scenery. Wherever the filming took place, it reflects the glory that `was' Camelot in our minds. The natural scenes are breath-taking, and the cave formations that Malagant uses as his headquarters (fittingly underground), are wonderful. Truly dream-like architecture characterizes the city that was Camelot, the ideal.

My only concern is the documentaries used in the film. Only one delves into the Arthurian legends, while the others are based on the film itself. I guess I am more of a history buff than a medieval romantic.
[...]

May 1, 2008

Fantastic! One of the Most Enjoyable Movies We've Seen in a While

We watched this movie with two teens and three young adults -- we all LOVED it. "First Knight" now ranks as one of our favorite movies of all time. Sean Connery is perfect in his role as King Arthur. And we were happily surprised with the versatile, athletic performance Richard Gere pulls off in this film as Lancelot -- a far cry from several of his later movies where he typically portrays a "stiff" businessman figure. There was ZERO cussing in this movie -- that in itself was refreshing! And enough action and daring to keep the four men in our group satisfied...

Guinevere, as Princess of her tiny province, is unable to defend her people from the marauding Malagant whose ultimate goal is to usurp Arthur from Camelot. Out of love and duty to her people, Guinevere accepts an offer of marriage from King Arthur -- who had been a great friend of her father's. While this is a marriage of joy for Arthur, it is a marriage of expedience on Guinevere's part -- not one of the heart. While she is sincerely attracted to Arthur's character strengths and political beliefs, he is old enough to be her father. Before Guinevere reaches her wedding day, she is kidnapped and single-handedly rescued twice by the daring young Lancelot -- who succeeds because he cares for no one, not even himself. But his bitterness with life is about to change. As his heart burns for Guinevere, Lancelot's growing respect for King Arthur brings him to the honorable decision of leaving Camelot... The magnificence of King Arthur's lifelong concern for the welfare of others over himself comes through in a grand finale of forgiveness and blessing. March 12, 2008

"No Dream Lasts Forever" ~ More Milton Than Merlin In This Arthurian Pursuit Of The Ideal

The '95 film `First Knight' is a romantic and adventurous reinventing of the timeless tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. As already mentioned in several previous reviews, the script takes a very different approach to the subject matter than one would expect. There are no personal appearances nor mention of Merlin, Morgan le Fay, or Mordred. Even more unexpected is the manner in which the identities of the 'Knights of the Round Table' remain anonymous.

As if that wasn't enough to send the Arthurian purist screaming into the night there are more surprises ahead. You will find no Holy Grail, no pagan deities or prophetic utterances and no mention whatsoever of the sword Excalibur in this film. When all is said and done the movie resembles the '38 classic `The Adventures of Robin Hood" more than anything else.

Oddly enough, in eliminating the usual esoteric elements long associated with Gnostic Christianity and Celtic paganism the developers of the film saw fit to replace the time honored storyline and symbols with a strong, more traditional Christian allegorical subtext. Relying heavily on the vivid, literary themes and imagery found in John Milton's 'Paradise Lost' and Dante Aligheri's 'Divine Comedy' the film centers on the ages old battle waged between good and evil, the war between God and the rebellious Lucifer, once the greatest of all the heavenly host.

Ben Cross does a superb job of exploring the persona of Lucifer in the role of Malagant, the "first knight" (hence the title of the film). Now banished from the hallowed walls of Arthur's realm, Malagant (i.e.: malignant, maligned) is definitely the embodiment of the "Great Adversary" bent on overthrowing the ideals of Camelot (Heaven) and its fatherly ruler King Arthur (God). As he waits impatiently for the right moment to attack, this black armored knight dwells with his followers in a dark, dank fortress appearing more cavern than castle. The passageways within his abode are poorly lit with an occasional torch here and there. This nocturnal environment was most certainly designed to conjure images of a Dantesque Hell.

This suggested association of Malagant with the Luciferian archetype is made crystal clear when he makes a dramatic appearance before King Arthur and his knights during a Round Table gathering. In true Milton fashion his arrogant demeanor and boastful rhetoric are straight out of `Paradise Lost'.

While `First Knight' lacks the depth and substance the more mythical Grail elements would have supplied, the loss is more than made up for with a tender romance acted out beautifully by Richard Gere (Lancelot) and Julia Ormond (Guinivere). The two forlorn lovers are perfectly matched. Gere is at his best, delivering in my estimation his most memorable film performance and Julia is mezmerizing as the strong-willed, yet hesitant Queen of Camelot. Not one to miss the obvious, Julia looks absolutely beautiful which always helps to maintain the complete, undivided attention of the males in the audience.

I certainly wouldn't consider this to be the definitive Arthurian film, but it's certainly an enjoyable one. I could watch 'First Knight' over and over again and when all is said and done isn't the repeatability factor the litmus test for any movie?

My Rating: -4 ½ Stars-. February 25, 2008

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