Sean Connery and Richard Gere in FIRST KNIGHT(1995).
© Columbia Pictures
DVD Shopping Bag: Mom, Yes. Maniac, No.
By: Robert T. TrateDate: Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Mother’s Day is only a few days away (May 11th) and I thought I would suggest a title for Mom. First Knight is the story about the love triangle between King Arthur (Sean Connery), Guinevere (Julia Ormond) and Lancelot (Richard Gere). The film pays little in homage to the Arthurian Legend and focuses more on the love story between Guinevere and her two men. Mom will love seeing Ormond hold her own against both Connery and Gere and all the passion that boils on screen. Ormond is believable as the emotionally conflicted woman who brought down Camelot. Unfortunately Camelot falling, is something we never actually get to see. As Arthur has both of them on trial for infidelity (all they did was kiss) evil Prince Malagant, the scene stealing Benn Cross, shows up to burn Camelot to the ground. All is resolved in a big battle and Camelot, it seems, will go on. Mom will love it. The emotional turmoil feels real and without a doubt she’ll think it is a great movie.
For us Maniacs First Knight just doesn’t cut it. Its cookie cutter villains with their gritty sunburned faces mixed with the cleanest, most picturesque Camelot ever is mind numbingly dull. Where are the battles? Where is Merlin, Morgana and the dragon? How about the Lady of the Lake or Excalibur? By far the greatest tale of the Camelot love triangle is John Boorman’s Excalibur (1981). Sure the love story is present and it stings as all great epics should. However, in Excalibur the myths are interwoven with the love story exploring everything from Arthur’s origins to finding the Holy Grail. The battles are grand and filled, each time, with “O Fortuna” from Carmina Burana. All this makes a Maniac worthy movie.
First Knight is probably the most expensive and least fanciful rendition of the Arthur Legend ever filmed. This is a great bodice ripper of a movie for Mom on Mother’s Day but it lacks any real bite for those of us that never “grow weary of battle”.
Nigel Terry as Arthur in John Boorman's EXCALIBUR(1981).
© Warner Home Video
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