Not very well known Arthurian tale from star-director Cornel Wilde, but it makes some attempt to be a bit more realistic than earlier versions: combat can be quite brutal, Lancelot actually speak in a French accent, crowds snigger as a woman is being burned at the stake, Lancelot and Guinevere actually get it on. When Lancelot escorts Guinevere to get married to Arthur they decide to go for a swim and pretty soon are soaping each other up and touching each other as they play around – no wonder they are soon in bed. (When later on they’re getting their knickers in a twist over whether to see each other you can’t help thinking “how about you didn’t take that swim together in the first place?”).
Brian Aherne is sympathetic as King Arthur, but Wilde and Jean Wallace aren’t terribly interesting in the leads. I always have a problem with this story when they try for sympathy with these two – Guinevere is selfish and Lancelot can’t keep it in his pants. Though to be fair, Wallace gets better at the end when her character takes a journey – her religious conversion is quite believable.
The action sequences are well done – two spectacular battles, Lancelot fighting his way out after being busted with Guinevere and Wilde cutting loose in a duel at the end. Wilde decides not to show Ahern’s death just to have it reported – I think something lacks as a result. And the other supporting charters aren’t really given much screen time, even Merlin. But this is a pretty good version of the tale, much better than MGM’s Knights of the Round Table.
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