Stories of King Arthur have engaged audiences for centuries. The ideas of chivalry, knighthood, quests for mythic objects and visions appeal to the romance in our souls.
We love the thought of Camelot, a shining example of human civilization and courtly manners, a zenith in our progress towards becoming the best we can be. And then the story of Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere is one of the most tragic love triangles imaginable, as there is no villain amongst the three.
It is what it is, but we are compelled to watch it played out each time the story is presented hoping that perhaps something will be different.
Some people may feel the way a friend of mine does about seeing this tragedy numerous times, she says of people who go to see Titanic more than once, “hey, the boat is going to sink every time you see it.” And this is true about King Arthur stories as well.
Arthur and Lancelot will both love Guinevere and Guinevere will love both Arthur and Lancelot, and nothing will change that eternal triangle. Yet we watch it repeatedly, mesmerized and distressed, built up by the nobility of the cause and torn down by the fact that human emotion had such a devastating effect on a bright light in a dark world.
The Special Edition of First Knight is an excellent addition to any King Arthur collection. First of all, the cast is sublime, with Sir Sean Connery as King Arthur, Julia Ormond as Guinevere and Richard Gere as Lancelot.
The second very interesting thing about the film is that it takes its story from several medieval texts, and is not the usual more familiar telling from Mallory’s Le Morte D’Arthur.
Different from other recent King Arthur films, there is no “magic” element included in the story of First Knight. We see no Merlin or Morgan Le Fey or even a hint of a mythic quest. Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table are all about justice and protection of the innocent, rather than searching for the “Holy Grail” and other such Knightly pursuits.
Perhaps because of this, the principal characters are allowed to act as human beings rather than the playthings of fate or fae, and there is an ending that sits well with 21st century audiences.
First Knight (Special Edition) is presented on a single disc, remastered in high definition, and in widescreen format. The playing time is 134 minutes and it is available in both English and French language and subtitles.
The Special Features for this edition are excellent. First there is a film commentary with Director Jerry Zucker and Producer Hunt Lowry. I found the Arthurian Legend Commentary given by Professor Corey James Rushton of St. Francis Xavior University in Nova Scotia to be most illuminating.
His commentary points out the relationship of the film to the medieval texts, and where it embraces or falls away from other medieval traditions. For scholars of Arthurian Romance literature, or for those who just want to know more, this is a fabulous opportunity.
There is also The Quest for Camelot featurette, which is the making of First Knight, and In Shining Armor: Knights in Training. There are deleted scenes included, and “The Creation of a Kingdom” which is a production design featurette. Lots of treasure for those who love King Arthur and Camelot!
The story of King Arthur has been told and retold with additions, changes, more of some things and less of others dependant upon the style of the times. It is great fun to see the story told in this manner, with three completely sympathetic main characters and with a resolution that offers a different point of view, or course of history.
First Knight (Special Edition) is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for this version of the DVD in the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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