THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 8, 1995 TAG: 9507080090
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E2 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Movie Review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, MOVIE CRITIC
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
``I ONLY KNOW one way to love, my lord, and that is with body, heart and soul,'' a character says in ``First Knight,'' a new retelling of the Camelot legend.
The title is unfortunately gauche for such a mature, sober and chaste treatment.
The characters talk as if they were Shakespeare wannabes, but what they actually want to be is a date movie. ``First Knight'' aims at romance rather than at action.
With a literate, script by William Nicholson, author of the even-more literate ``Shadowlands,'' this latest revision of mythology's most famous triangle is surprisingly aimed more at the ``Bridges of Madison County'' audience than at action seekers.
But ``First Knight'' has several strikes against it. It has well-done battle scenes but it lacks both the sweep and the gore of recent films ``Rob Roy'' and ``Braveheart.''
The most troublesome problem is the blatant miscasting of Richard Gere as Sir Lancelot. Gere's look and bearing suggests a modern punk loner instead of a European adventurer. This Lancelot is surely not French and not even European. Gere has a mischievous bent and a flair for managing the broadsword, but he is outclassed by the rest of the cast.
Still, Gere is a dashing romantic. His Lancelot is not the noble, idealistic aristocrat who comes to Camelot to join King Arthur's famed round table. This Lancelot sets out to seduce Guenevere, even though he knows she is engaged to marry King Arthur.
Sean Connery is a perfect King Arthur. His formal stance, which can become stuffy in some roles, is perfect for a king who yearns mightily to be fair and honest. In one of the film's most moving sequences, he gives the much younger Guenevere a chance to back out of their impending marriage. Sir John Gielgud adds further dignity as Guenevere's adviser.
Julia Ormond has yet another role as the woman over whom all males pant and fight (Brad Pitt and all his brothers coveted her in ``Legends of the Fall''). She is a feisty but bland Guenevere - hardly a beauty to rival Ava Gardner, Vanessa Redgrave and the other stars who have played this royal personage.
Jerry Zucker would seem an unlikely choice to direct this romantic idyll. He worked on irreverent things like ``Airplane!'' and ``Kentucky Fried Movie'' before directing the megahit ``Ghost.'' Yet his treatment of ``First Knight'' is sober. The romantic fervor is greatly helped by the full-bodied score of Jerry Goldsmith, and John Box's production design is a joy to behold - particularly the moody and admirably staged nighttime entry into Camelot.
One would think producers might have learned something from the disaster of ``Wyatt Earp.'' (The lesson: Don't tell the same story too often). Earlier versions of this yarn include ``Knights of the Round Table,'' ``Excalibur,'' and the musical ``Camelot.'' Here, the legend is greatly altered. Lancelot is now as conniving as the villain. The soul-wrenching turmoil of two men and a woman who all care for each other is gone. So are Merlin, Modred and all the magic of the original legend. The fantasy creations of T.H. White's ``The Once and Future King'' have been written out in favor of what sometimes looks like a ``Dating Game'' situation. MEMO: MOVIE REVIEW ``First Knight''
Cast: Sean Connery, Richard Gere, Julia Ormond, Ben Cross, John
Gielgud
Director: Jerry Zucker
MPAA rating: PG-13 (mature themes, violence)
Mal's rating: three stars
Locations: Chesapeake Square in Chesapeake; Circle 4, Main Gate in
Norfolk; Commodore in Portsmouth; Lynnhaven 8, Kemps River Crossing,
Columbus, Surf-N-Sand in Virginia Beach by CNB