Reviews

I had such high hopes when I found out about this one: it was filmed in Gwynnedd (Wales), it had Sean Connery in a leading role, so what could go wrong?

In the end, it was a sorry example of an Arthurian failure! The intrigue was flat, the characters were flat, the acting (yes, even Sean Connery) was flat. For those with anything more than a shred of knowledge of Arthurian legend, this one was a travesty! No known Round Table heroes (Sir Patrise? Sir Magan?), apart from a Richard Gere so out of place, even my Granny noticed. I sorely missed Merlin, which would have been a better part for Sean, with Richard then as Arthur.. The fighting was ridiculous, the bad guy ("Malagant"? Why not simply Mordred!) unbelievable in his stupid obsessiveness. Camelot (it's only a model!) seems not to have been guarded at parties, too stupid for words.

This very nice Disney Classic was based on the children's novel by TH White. This was not yet that very well-known, heavy novel titled "the Once and Future King" that so many later movies were based upon, but the lighthearted earlier version. Many agreed that the later novel has disfigured the first, so that we may be thankful for the Disney version!

Though it does not quite follow the book (this is hardly possible, at times) it is a very good version as animated movies go. Not tedious, though of an age where children were meant to learn something from a movie...

A collectors item!

Well, of course it's not knights, castles (only models!) and heroic stuff, but I bet after 25 years, even YOU know someone who can quote whole passages from this evergreen! Though not meant as an actual Arthurian movie, it is the very best parody of all Arthurian movies, those that were and those that will come. A must for Arthur-lovers, a must for Python-lovers, hey; a must for the lot of you!

Ni!