Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, July 8, 1995 TAG: 9507110040
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: B-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KATHERINE REED STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
And the truth is, without her, "First Knight" would fall clanging to its knees, top-heavy as it is with a truly awful performance by Richard Gere and a mucky screenplay by William Nicholson, who wrote "Shadowlands."
Ormond as Lady Guinevere is the soundest, most interesting piece of rethinking in this "Camelot" retread. But there are so many odd character conceptions competing with her, it's hard to like this film.
Problem No. 1 is Gere, miscast as a not-so-young Lancelot who is wandering from place to place proving his prowess with a sword - and his loyalty to no man - when he happens to spy Guinevere's abduction.
She is on her way to Camelot, where she is to wed King Arthur (Sean Connery), but the countryside is crawling with the evil soldiers of an ex-Round Table knight named Malagant (read that Malignant), played by Ben Cross. Lancelot dispatches the bad guys without breaking a sweat and falls, we are supposed to believe, head over boots in love with Guinevere.
Actually, what he says is that he WANTS the fair lady (This verbal brashness is meant to be hot, by the way), but Guinevere is as honorable a woman as the kingdom has ever seen. So she takes offense and runs off to the safety of her escort.
Gere's scenes with Ormond are almost impossible to bear. His inscrutability looks like smugness and his affectations are embarrassing. It's a relief when Guinevere is safe in Arthur's arms at Camelot.
As Arthur, who has finally decided to wed after years of selfless service to his kingdom, Connery is not quite at the top of his game. It's not that he's bad; it's as if someone (director Jerry Zucker maybe?) pushed him to overplay his awkwardness in matters of the heart.
There are scenes, though, in which this is touching, as when he asks Guinevere if she truly loves him or is marrying him to gain protection for her own beloved kingdom, Leonesse. When he tenderly assures her that she can have his protection without becoming his wife, you can hardly blame her for bursting into tears, she is so moved.
Unfortunately, the plot requires Lancelot to come barging in to rescue Guinevere over and over. That means more of Gere's smug silliness. Luckily, the writer lets Guinevere participate in her own rescues. No standing around waiting to faint for this lady: She slams one bad guy's skull directly into an oncoming tree. Another abductor in another scene gets whapped overboard. It's kind of nice to see - violence aside - after years of wanting to scream at cinematic damsels in distress: "Don't just stand there, you idiot ... DO something!"
And throughout, Ormond makes Guinevere her own. Her strength is not exaggerated for cheap effect. Even her dresses are simple, tasteful - just barely queenly - well thought-out.
It makes it that much harder to bear that Gere's Lancelot actually whistles for his horse (sigh), that Cross' Malagant attacks his plate of poultry like Hagar the Horrible.
What's a nice character like Guinevere doing with a bunch of caricatures like these, anyway?
One hopes that Gere will go back to Tibet or wherever it is he hangs out these days. But Ormond can stick around as long as she likes, shamelessly wasting all of Hollywood's overwrought efforts to make her a Star. She doesn't need any help.
First Knight
** 1/2
A Columbia Pictures release showing at Salem Valley 8 and Valley View Mall 6 theaters. Rated PG-13 for graphic swordplay, 2 hours and 13 minutes.
by CNB