On C List of Movie Reviews
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Camelot (1967)
Rate:
5
Viewed:
1/16, 5/24
1/16:
Must Camelot be a musical?
And must it be three hours? At any rate, Camelot is an overlong bad picture although it's visually appealing. It
has no story. If there's one, it doesn't make any sense. I'm just taken from a random scene to another with no connection
in between. At least, the jousting scenes are fantastic and well-choreographed, and I like the costumes.
As terrible as everybody is save for David Hemmings, Richard Harris' acting is what got my attention. Sure, his deep eye
shadow can be distracting at times, enough to win a Brando look-alike contest. When it's time for Richard Harris to say
his lines or sing, he can be powerful and moving.
All in all, Camelot might have succeeded if it was much shorter and had a better script.
5/24:
Raising my rating from '4' to '5', Camelot is still too long.
Granted, it's Richard Harris' most famous film, and he's the best thing about it, having fought for the role after Richard
Burton was turned down because of his high salary demand. I got confused before starting the movie because I thought it
was Julie Andrews who played Guinevere, but, despite playing her on Broadway, she declined the role which went to Vanessa
Redgrave, probably due to not getting along with Richard Harris during the filming of Hawaii.
Two bonuses are the costumes and the cinematography; it's wise of the filmmakers to keep them simple to fit the Old English
style.
The biggest trouble, apart from the running length, is that little happens between the monologues or musical numbers.
It's a better idea to insert action to break up the monotony although most of it occurs in the final half-hour. Yeah,
I admit the story is dim-witted and not well-thought-out, but as long as Richard Harris is game for it, it's fine by me.
The next issue is the unconvincing display of love between Guinevere and Lancelot. It would help if Vanessa Redgrave and
Franco Nero had any chemistry, but they just don't. I wonder if David Hemmings would've done a better job with her since
they worked together in Blow-Up. By the way, his role is so short that it should've been
expanded more because of how much energy he brought to the show compared to Vanessa Redgrave and Franco Nero who are simply
flat.
All in all, without Richard Harris, there's no Camelot, period.