Powerful

good back-story, and good acting

As Good As It Gets

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

This is a fantastic adaptation of the King Arthur legends. Being a musical it focuses more on the tragic love between Lancelot and Guenevere/Philosophy of the Knights and isn't heavy on magic. It has gorgeous sets and is overall beautiful. The songs can be sometimes cheesy and even silly like in any musical, but it all kind of fits. It's also funny like the scene where Arthur tries to explain Civil Law to Pellinore, and dramatically powerful when Arthur monologues to Excalibur.. Richard Harris is absolutely fantastic as Arthur!

Like the earlier reviewer, the film gets full marks for costumes, sets and photography. The light, the textures, the colours - especially if you see a well-projected version or a restored DVD version - are absolutely ravishing in conjuring a faux-medieval fantasy land. Some moments, such as the candlelit wedding or the early scenes in the snow, will linger long in the memory.I will always remember seeing this film at a young age and being amazed at one of the later scenes when Vanessa Redgrave is so emotional that her nose drips snot. It made the moment raw, real and true - and I followed her career ever afterwards. That deeply-felt acting sometimes feels at odds with the conventions of a film musical - at least in the 1960s - but it is NOT at odds with the source material - TH White's Once and Future King. In that mighty tome the whimsical mingles with the tragic in a very teasing fashion - all the more brilliant for that.I wonder whether this film will not be revered in generations to come and its over-wrought acting (with too many disconcerting closeups) might be seen as psychologically penetrating. There is a later filmed version - a stage version starring Richard Harris which captures the "musical" side of the musical better (more even singing, for example) but nothing beats this 1967 version for DESIGN.

I watched this movie first when I was a little girl, and especially the sequences in the magic winter forest in the beginning have been with me all these years. I always think about them when I walk in a wintry forest! I think this production has captured the magic of the Arthur legend better than any other, on screen, stage or in a novel. I love the wonderful photo, the lavish exteriors, interiors, clothes and props, the beautiful people who are all exactly right for their roles, and last but not least the captivating songs and the stirring music!The love triangle is for ever intriguing, because I suppose we all live it at some time of our lives - if not in reality so in imagination. There cannot be many people, who have never had feelings for anyone else than their spouse... and been faced with the horrible understanding of the consequences, if you give in (and if it is mutual of course). Many people, who "do the right thing", still live all the rest of their lives with a longing and a regret: "what might have been"...There are a couple of things I would like to change though. First of all, the movie is much too long. If you watch it all through in one sitting, you cannot concentrate or care anymore when the ending finally comes.Also, it focuses on too many subplots of the Arthurian legend. It would have been enough with only the love triangle, and the things that naturally come with it: such as Arthur's decision to form his round table. Having Mordred, Merlin, Pellinore and King Arthur as a child in it too, makes the movie too long and, in the end, tedious. Also, I think a few of the weaker songs should be cut, first of all "Take me to the fair" and "What do simple folks do".Another thing: it is a pity that all the best songs and scenes should be at the beginning of the movie. After Lancelot's and Guinevere's confession of love to each other, after the tournament, there is nothing much to look forward to.*****Now I have watched the movie again, and I have to add something: my impressions have changed a little this time. Yes it IS a long movie, but this time I did not think that any scenes were superfluous, or should be cut. On the contrary, I found everything worked together very well. I think you need to watch this movie several times before you can really take it in and understand the greatness of it! My tip is: take a break in the middle (when the intermission is), stretch your legs a little, let in some fresh air maybe go for a walk... and then go for the second half!

I don't wish to do the usual review of the movie as many do, but would rather then just repeat the story once again. I can not imagine for a moment 2/3's of the Broadway stars being in the role. Richard Burton is so opposite Richard Harris. Burton didn't have the unassuming side that Harris did, thus it is difficult to believe that despite the words he says and sings that he is at all surprised that he is king, where as Harris always seems in awe of all that has happened to him. When Julie Andrews played Guinevere granted she could sing, but not at all an actress I could accept, at that age, as having a physical relationship with Lancelot. And, the director, or she, saw fit not to put on a hair extension to allow her to have long hair. No woman in that day would have hair as short as hers other than Joan of Arc perhaps. Robert Goulet was the only actor that past muster and even his appearance was a bit too perfect, but his voice was amazing.Richard Harris had the vulnerability to be a realistic Arthur. Granted his singing isn't superb, but it also has the same vulnerability. Vanessa Redgrave was an amazing Guinevere and a far superior actress to Julie Andrews. The nuances of her acting are amazing. And, contrary to what most believe, she did sing the role. Finally, what Franco Nero lacked in singing ability, which was dubbed, he made up for in looks. At that age he was truly a beautiful man. He played the arrogant and humble sides of his role with finesse. Even today, in his 70s, he's a very good looking man.I would most certainly take the film actors over the stage ones anytime, but that is just my opinion.