First Knight - Arthurian Betrayal at Its Finest

I cannot remember when I first saw the movie First Knight, but it was quite awhile ago. This wonderfully Medieval movie full of royal betrayal came out in 1995 and I know I saw it when it first went to VHS. I own it now on DVD, and have watched it many times since... indeed, I have just finished watching it yet again. This tale of King Arthur and Lancelot is not a perfect movie, but it draws you in, and has a very strong story and strong actors.

First Knight claims to be a story of Camelot and King Arthur, of Lancelot and Guinevere... and yes, the characters are named that, but that's pretty much as close as it gets, unless you count that big ol' round table. You will not find Merlin here, or Morgain... or any of the rest.

What you will find is a tale of a young Lady betrothed to a King Arthur who is twice her age, yet very virile still. You will find a young, brave Lancelot, who falls in love with the soon-to-be Queen....then later falls in love with the idea of Camelot too. Therein lies the rub. What's a man to do? Go for the woman he loves and damn the kingdom, betray his best friend Arthur? Should he flee the realm to avoid temptation? Not to give the story away....but he is male.. heh. (that was a joke! get yer hackles smoothed back down)

Sean Connery is King Arthur, dashing as always. Arthur is middle aged now, and has seen much war trying to see his dream of Camelot come to fruition. Now is a time of peace (so he thinks...) and now he wishes only to settle down and enjoy life with the woman he loves. Connery is and always will be one of the best leading men ever. He is handsome, witty, distinguished... and one of the best actors you will ever see. He has such stature! I mean, it is like he totally immerses himself in every role he plays. You know exactly what his character is feeling whether he says anything or not. Expressive is an understatement. The accent doesn't hurt either.. . I just wish they'd cast him in role where he can wear a kilt again...

Richard Gere is the torn knight, Sir Lancelot. Now, Lancelot is a free-wheeling scamp. He has no ties or loyalties to anything. He is very good with a sword and lives by it. Then he meets Arthur and his foot-loose days are over. He finally believes in something, and joins the Knights of the Round table. But all is not well. Lancelot has a secret, you see... he is in love with the Queen. Richard Gere has taken a whole lot of thrashing, mainly from the male community. Why? Are men jealous of him? It can't be because of his acting, because Gere can act... and does so in First Knight. Gere is extremely good looking... ok, no he isn't - it's the personality though. ok.. it's both! He is fairly good looking and the personality pushes that perception into the extreme area. I like him because he has a strength about him, a spine if you will, and yet he also has a softness... and an orneriness that is simply irresistible. Gere gives Lancelot just the right amount of angst in this, shown thru facial expression, body language, you name it.. Gere leaves nothing out. You can dis him all ya want, but he is what most of us women want... you guys paying attention here?

Julia Ormond is the fair Guinevere, who has inherited a small kingdom of her own from her father... a kingdom beset with troubles in the form of the evil Malagant, an ex Knight of the Round table. She marries Arthur, in spite of having been intrigued by a seemingly wild Rogue name of Lancelot. Then, oh me oh my, but who should pop up in Camelot to disturb her wedded bliss and light those fires? Well duh! Girly, let me tell ya here... ya do not marry one if yer haffin' ta bury yer feelins fer another. Tsk Tsk. Ormond is on my top 5 actresses list... of all time. Hell, ya know what? She may be number 1 on that list if I stopped to actually order it. Few have the depth that she has. She lives and breathes Guinevere, she is Guinevere. How many actresses can convey each and every emotion known to man believably? Ormond can, and does. There are many actresses I enjoy watching, but this is one that I admire. Even though Guinevere is terribly wrong in her actions between Arthur and Lancelot, you will sympathize, because Ormond's performance demands it.

Ben Cross is that dastardly Prince Malagant, who was Arthur's premier knight at one time. He left the round table to pursue his greed and his love of pillaging and power. Boo! Hiss! He plans the demise of Guinevere repeatedly... giving Lancelot many chances to prove his studliness. Malagant is a cur to the Nth degree, and you will hate him. You will hate him because Cross is also a fantastic actor and is superb in the role of the bad guy. I think his stance is what I liked best. Standing at the round table making an absurd demand... he is just so durned cocky in the way he's standing. Even the way he sits his horse belies his attitude.

Jerry Zucker (My Best Friend's Wedding, Rat Race) directed this fine tale. He did real good. Masterful performances from a stellar cast. The pacing is perfect in First Knight. He gets passion without having to resort to any sex scenes. That is talent.

DVD
*Runtime: 134 min

*Has both widescreen and standard formats

*Multiple languages and subtitles

*Choice of Dolby Digital 5.1 or English 2-ch (whatever that is!)

*Supports the Parental Control feature that some DVD players come with

First Knight is Rated PG-13 for some brutal medieval battles. Ya know what? I would let any aged child watch this. There is no sex, no foul language.. the only thing I might explain is that NO, adultery is NOT a good thing. The violence is sword play, and yes there is blood... but you can not and should not completely shelter a child. Talk to them about it, be a parent.

Last 2 Pence
While First Knight is not an Arthurian piece strictly speaking, and while the costuming is more Hollywood than medieval, it is still a 5 star movie, and holds a dear place on my collection shelf. It is in the Medieval/Renaissance area of my DVDs because it holds the feel of the times, not because it is in any way historically accurate. At around $7 for the DVD, it is a very safe buy. I highly recommend this movie.