Camelot

My sister saw this movie at the library and picked it up for me, knowing I like stuff about Merlin. Made in 1967, Camelot, a musical/drama adapted from the Broadway play, starred Richard Harris as King Arthur, Vanessa Redgrave as Guenevere, Franco Nero as Lancelot, and David Hemmings as Mordred, and was directed by Joashua Logan.

I'm sure you all know the plot - the movie sticks pretty much to Malory's tale - but it has many bits in it too from a book I liked, The Once and Future King by TH White. For instance, one scene from the movie that's taken from the book has Arthur asking Merlin what's the best remedy for being sad.

“The best thing for being sad,” replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, “is to learn something. That’s the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then—to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the only thing for you. Look what a lot of things there are to learn.”

If you're interested in the movie's songs, you can read more about them here at wikipedia.

And here are a few photos .....


- Merlin. He's resurrected by memory (he's been imprisoned in a tree by this time) to give his former pupil, Arthur, some advice



- Arthur



- Lancelot comes to Camelot



- Lancelot and the Queen begin a doomed affair



- thing go seriously south once Mordred, Arthur's illegitimate son, shows up at Camelot