Plot: What’s it about?
I’ll be the first to admit that when I think of Camelot, my mind wanders to the song and dance routine from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Again, that’s just me and I’m sure I’ve seen one too many movies where every reference seems to reference another film. Ah, the perils of being a film critic (of sorts). But Camelot is a lot more than meets the eye and, let’s face it, it’s one of the legends that we hear as kids. King Arthur and his round table is about as prevalent in films as anything else. Granted this adaptation hit screens long before I was even born and it did manage to take home three Oscars back in 1968. And let’s talk casting! This epic story is headlined by some of Hollywood’s icons like Richard Harris, Lionel Jeffries and Vanessa Redgrave just to name a few. Yes, the movie is long, but is it worth it?
The story, admittedly, takes a bit of liberty with the tale that we all know and love. We meet Arthur as a young boy as he pulls Excalibur (the legendary sword) from the stone which sets forth a series of events that sees him crowned King. The adult Arthur (Richard Harris) is mentored by Merlyn (Laurence Naismith) and eventually meets Lady Guenevere (Vanessa Redgrave), his future bride. But it’s not all swords, sorcerers and ladies for Arthur. As King he must unite the provinces by establishing an order of Knights. These Knights will sit at a round table (so that there’s no “head”). We then lose focus a bit as Lancelot (Franco Nero) starts to swoon for Guenevere and Arthur suspects foul play. This triangle of sorts takes its toll on the round table and on the country of England.
As I mentioned earlier, this isn’t the classic tale that we all know and love and, truthfully, it’s not the most exciting version either. To be blunt, I’ll take Monty Python and the Holy Grail any day of the week over this film, but that’s not to say that Camelot doesn’t have certain positive traits. The casting is excellent, full of actors we’ll never see on film together again. However this Oscar winning musical does take us back to the so-called “Golden Days of Hollywood” with lavish sets, high production values and even camera angles and lighting that we simply don’t see any longer. Yes, it’s a bit cheesy, but in the age of films like Transformers, maybe this is something that we all need to see?
Video: How does it look?
This is the first time that Camelot has graced the Blu-ray format and the 2.40:1 AVC HD image looks pretty darn good for a film that’s 45 years old. The film is, by and large, very dark though the transfer seems to handle these scenes with relative ease. There are some moments with some grain and dirt in the image, but not many. Black crush isn’t an issue, contrast seems on the mark and overall black levels are within normal parameters. Flesh tones seem very natural, though a bit on the pale side and though detail has been improved, the image does seem a bit soft at times. Considering the age of the film and from what I’ve seen in the past, it’s not a bad effort in the least.
Audio: How does it sound?
A bit more impressive than the video is the newly re-mastered DTS HD Master Audio soundtrack (the sole option on this disc). We’re greeted with a preponderance of musical numbers which make full use of the surrounds that add a lot of ambiance to the already robust track. The film does tend to be a bit front-heavy, but everything seems very well-balanced with just the right mix (pardon the pun) of surrounds to make it very memorable. There are a few isolated instances of a slight “hiss”, though considering how strong the rest of the audio is – I’m willing to overlook these as they’re few and far between. This is one impressive and immersive mix.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Warner chooses which titles it gives the “Digi Book” format very carefully so when looking at the supplements for this film, we know we’re in for a treat. We start off with a commentary track by Stephen Farber who gives us a lesson in Camelot 101. He’s obviously very knowledgeable about the film, its stage adaptation and everything associated with it. The only caveat – it’s tends to get just a bit dull at times. Up next is “Camelot: Falling Kingdoms”, a new 30 minute featurette that shows us the history of this film and its significance at the time it was being made. We get some interviews, archived footage and more. This is the sole feature presented in HD, by the way. “The Story of Camelot” is a ten minute feature made to promote the initial release. It takes itself a bit too seriously, but when you consider the film it makes sense. We also get the “World Premiere of Camelot” showcasing how a clothing line was made to coincide with the film and the hopes that Warner had for the movie. We get some trailers as well as some notes about the film. The second disc contains a CD of the soundtrack.
