Knights of the Round Table (1953) Directed by Richard Thorpe
Action / Adventure / History / Romance / Drama
Film Review
The first CinemaScope film made by MGM is this lavish excursion into
Arthurian legend, which is distinguished by its sumptuous use of colour
and some marvellously well choreographed fight sequences.
Knights of the Round Table
was the second of three similarly garish period romps directed by
Richard Thorpe in England and featuring Robert Taylor, the other two
being Ivanhoe (1952) and Quentin Durward (1955).
Whilst the pageantry and grand battle scenes make for a pleasing visual
spectacle there is too little intrigue and character depth to hold it
all together. The film feels unevenly paced and overlong,
although it is difficult to remain bored for long with so much
happening on the screen. The cod religious ending jars a little
and invites more derision than respect, partly because Robert
Taylor never quite convinces as the conflicted French knight Sir Lancelot. Mel
Ferrer makes an excellent King Arthur and Ava Gardner is perfectly ravishing
as Queen Guinevere, but it is Stanley Baker who gives
the best and most interesting performance, clearly revelling in the
part of the evil Mordred. This a film that every schoolboy should
watch, before diving headfirst into Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, an essential
part of his education.
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Film Synopsis
After Rome has withdrawn her legions, England has descended into
anarchy, with rival factions constantly at war. Arthur Pendragon
and his half-sister Morgan LeFay have an equal claim to the crown of
England and it is Merlin, a renowned sorcerer, who settles their
dispute. By removing a sword named Excalibur from an anvil,
Arthur proves he is the rightful heir, but in doing so he acquires a
mortal enemy in Mordred, Morgan LeFay's ambitious son. Arthur
establishes a court at Camelot that includes some of the bravest
knights in the kingdom, the most honourable being Lancelot. When
Mordred discovers that Arthur's queen, Guinevere, is in love with
Lancelot, he sees an opportunity to break Arthur's rule and claim the
kingdom for himself...
Script: Thomas Malory,
Talbot Jennings,
Jan Lustig,
Noel Langley
Cinematographer: Stephen Dade, Freddie Young
Music: Miklós Rózsa
Cast: Robert Taylor (Lancelot),
Ava Gardner (Queen Guinevere),
Mel Ferrer (King Arthur),
Anne Crawford (Morgan LeFay),
Stanley Baker (Mordred),
Felix Aylmer (Merlin),
Maureen Swanson (Elaine),
Gabriel Woolf (Percival),
Anthony Forwood (Gareth),
Robert Urquhart (Gawaine),
Niall MacGinnis (Green Knight),
Ann Hanslip (Nan),
Jill Clifford (Bronwyn),
Stephen Vercoe (Agravaine),
John Brooking (Bedivere),
Michel De Lutry (Dancer),
Valentine Dyall (Narrator),
Gwendoline Evans (Enid),
Peter Gawthorne (Bishop),
Mary Germaine (Brigid)
Country: USA
Language: English
Support: Color
Runtime: 115 min
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