Brief and Shining Moments: The Films of King Arthur

Just when it seems that filmmakers have scrutinized every corner and cranny of the King Arthur mythology and exploited every angle and offshoot of the mystique, some corporate brain-trust came up with the notion for a movie devoted to the origin of Arthur’s fabled sword. Judging from the trailer, "The Last Legion" could just as well have been called "Excalibur: The Early Years." And coming to theaters in October is "King Arthur and the Order of the Dragon."

Wasn’t it only a few months ago (OK, it was 2004) that Camelot got the Dark Ages mud-and-blood makeover in "King Arthur," starring Clive Owen and Keira Knightley? Set in 467 A.D., the film purported to be an authentic re-creation of the legend’s historical origins, but the scanty wardrobe assigned to the feisty warrior queen Guinevere seemed more appropriate for a swimsuit issue of "Sports Illustrated."

Arthur, according to diehard Anglophiles, was an actual Roman-British leader who defended his homeland from invading Anglo-Saxons in the late 5th or early 6th century. There is a conflicting school of thought that convincingly insists there never was an historical Arthur. Regardless, from the 5th century to the 15th, the literary tradition of Arthurian romance grew to encompass the now-familiar elements of Arthur’s claim to the throne by drawing a sword from a stone, his mentoring by the wizard Merlin, the Round Table fellowship of knights in Camelot, the gift of Excalibur from the Lady in the Lake, the quest for the Holy Grail, the adultery of Guinevere and Lancelot, and the hope for Arthur’s future return. At the end of the Middle Ages, the "romance" faded but was revived in the 19th century, thanks in no small part to Alfred Lord Tennyson’s blank-verse narrative poem, Idylls of the King.

In a century of movies based on the oft-told legends of the knights of the Round Table, most Americans’ first exposure to King Arthur may have been early silent adaptations of Mark Twain’s 1889 novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. The time-traveling tale about a New England munitions manufacturer inexplicably transported to 6th century England (predating H. G. Wells’ The Time Machine by six years), was a double-edged satire, both of the author’s contemporary society and of popular idealizations of medieval chivalry, particularly romanticized in the works of Sir Walter Scott (Ivanhoe, Rob Roy). Twain, in fact, blamed Scott’s glamorized depictions of chivalrous combat for the South’s commitment to the Civil War.

Twain’s famous book went on to be adapted, revamped, updated and lampooned in over a dozen live-action and animated features, cartoon shorts and stage presentations, including a 1929 Rodgers and Hart musical. Popular folk humorist Will Rogers played the transplanted Yankee in a 1931 version, and in 1949, Bing Crosby starred in a Hollywood musical. More recently, Martin Lawrence starred in a 2001 comedy obviously inspired by Twain, "Black Knight." The Disney studio cranked out a number of modern twists on the tale, including "The Spaceman and King Arthur" (aka "Unidentified Flying Oddball"), "A Kid in King Arthur’s Court," and "A Knight in Camelot," starring Whoopi Goldberg.

It was to the boyhood of Arthur that the studio turned to in 1963 for the penultimate animated feature personally supervised by Walt Disney before his death in 1966. "The Sword in the Stone," loosely based on the first chapter of T. H. White’s 1958 novel The Once and Future King, is obviously dated by too many jokey references to the 1960s, but it is ultimately redeemed by poignant passages owing to Walt’s credo of "For every laugh, there should be a tear" (who can forget the little heartbroken girl squirrel?) and by the spectacular, climactic wizard’s duel between Merlin and Madam Mim.

T. H. White’s The Once and Future King also served as the source for the 1967 screen musical "Camelot." Lerner and Loewe’s anticipated follow-up to their smash stage hit "My Fair Lady" premiered on Broadway in 1960, starring Richard Burton as Arthur, Julie Andrews as Guinevere, and Robert Goulet as Lancelot. For the screen version, the explosive persona of Richard Harris was a satisfactory substitute for the equally volatile Richard Burton as King Arthur, while the meager vocal talents of Vanessa Redgrave as Guinevere and Franco Nero as Lancelot were muted by their Broadway predecessors, so much so that Nero’s songs were dubbed by a professional singer. At least the lusty chemistry between the latter two seemed genuine, since Redgrave and Nero, in fact, became lovers and remain so to this day.

"Camelot" lost a lot of money at the box office, and two years later, the same director, Joshua Logan, along with Lerner and Loewe, paralyzed the movie musical for years to come with "Paint Your Wagon," which succeeded in outdoing "Camelot’s" vocally challenged stars by casting non-warblers Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood, and Jean Seberg. This box office disaster motivated Eastwood to gain budget and schedule control over future films by starting his own production company.

The year 1975 ushered in something completely different with "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," an unpredictable (at the time) and hilarious (still) spoof of all things medieval, chivalrous and Arthurian, courtesy of the peerless comedy troupe Monty Python’s Flying Circus - five parts British, one part American (Minnesota-born illustrator-animator Terry Gilliam). As quotable a cult gem as "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and "Caddyshack," this classic comedy not only skewered cherished memories from earlier screen adventures but uncannily presaged moments from the yet-to-be-made "Excalibur," directed in 1981 by John Boorman.

A filmmaker with a singular, quixotic vision who alternately enthralled or confused - but never bored - audiences with a diverse resume that includes "Point Blank," "Zardoz," "Deliverance," The Emerald Forest" and "The Exorcist II," John Boorman created an eye-dazzling version of Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur. Malory himself seems a subject worthy of his own screen biography. Born early in the 15th century, he grew up to be twice elected to Parliament. He also racked up an impressive medieval rap sheet of criminal charges, including the stealing of cattle, horses and sheep, burglary, extortion, rapes, and attempting to ambush and murder the Duke of Buckingham. He escaped jail on two occasions and wrote the book he became famous for while languishing in Newcastle Prison before his death in 1471.

Boorman and screenwriter Rospo Pallenberg reworked Malory into an allegory of the life cycle in "Excalibur," from birth to decay, with Arthur as the mythical "Wounded King," whose realm has deteriorated into a wasteland that is revitalized through the Holy Grail. The unmistakable central figure here, however, is not Arthur (although Nigel Terry gave a memorable, underrated performance as the all-too-human king) but Merlin, brought to eccentric life in a gonzo-fueled characterization by Nicol Williamson, at his manic best in confrontations with Arthur’s sorceress-half-sister Morgana (Helen Mirren, future Oscar winner for "The Queen"). Williamson and Mirren had an affair years earlier that ended unpleasantly, and neither wanted to work together, but director Boorman purposely cast the two for the anticipated sparks. He, along with the audience, was not disappointed.

One wouldn’t expect a sweeping romantic fantasy about King Arthur from one of the creators of the zany farces "Police Squad!" and "Airplane!" but Jerry Zucker is the same director responsible for the tear-jerking chick flick "Ghost." In 1995 he gave the old tale a new spin with "First Knight," starring Sean Connery as Arthur, Richard Gere as Lancelot, and Julia Ormond as Guinevere. For a change, the film’s story was apparently based in part on the Arthurian literature of Chreten de Troyes, a French poet and troubadour who flourished in the late 12th century. Gone were such familiar trappings as Merlin and the Holy Grail, and in their place were unexpected twists and fresh surprises.

Speaking of refreshing outlooks, timeless elements from the various tales have been updated or modernized in such remarkable films as "Knightriders," director George A. Romero’s take on a troupe of present-day jousters on motorcycles; "The Fisher King," a contemporary slant on a particular Arthurian legend, from Terry Gilliam, co-director of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail;" and "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," wherein the intrepid archaeologist faces off against those evil Nazis once more in a race for the Grail.

Merlin became the star attraction himself in a 1998 Hallmark TV miniseries with Sam Neill ("Jurassic Park") in the title role. The production was so popular that Neill reprised his role in "Merlin’s Apprentice" (2006).

What do filmmakers portend for the once and future king? As mentioned at the onset, "King Arthur and the Order of the Dragon" is coming soon. In a plot that smells a lot like most of the fodder found on TV’s Sci-Fi Channel, Arthur and his knights of the Round Table must fight a "formidable spider-dragon" (huh?) on the quest for the Holy Grail. Also in the works is "The Seeker: The Dark Rising," based on a young adult book series inspired by Arthurian legends.

To wrap this all up, I believe the American fascination with King Arthur was sparked by the confluence of the Broadway production of "Camelot" and the presidency of John F. Kennedy. "Camelot" debuted a month after JFK’s election. Theodore H. White (not to be confused with The Once and Future King author T. H. White), author of the popular The Making of the President book series, interviewed Jacqueline Kennedy one week after her husband’s assassination for the December 6, 1963 issue of "Life" magazine. The article used the term "Camelot" for the first time in connection with the White House, contributing in a large part to that image of the Kennedy administration in the popular conscience. The President was particularly fond of the musical, so much so that the original cast recording was purportedly favorite bedtime listening in the White House.