Each and every version of Camelot seems to have something different than the others...and this one is no exception. Pellinore is outrageously wonderful!!!
Pellinore is the late great Barrie Ingham. You can see him as the dad on the video of the musical 'Jekyll and Hyde' if you can stand David Hasselhoff. That at least used to be on RU-vid. He stayed with the show through all four years of its Broadway run. Also great in Shakespeare.
I like the stage version with Richard Harris more than I do the movie with him in it. I must admit that my heart absolutely breaks for Arthur, and he plays his role absolutely well. I can hear the pain he feels at the betrayal of Guinevere and Lancelot at the end.
I love the way he plays it in this version. I could watch it forever. Meg Bussert is very good in this too. But Richard Harris is the best. And is at his best in this version. Splendid. ^______^
I think he cries not for Lancelot and Guinevere, but for the marvelous kingdom threw apart by war. I cried with the boy and when Arthur found hope in him due the legacy of the wonders of Camelot and his knights who fought for the right things and ideals.
Not a critic of any sort, I am immensely enjoying the 1982 version on this as I have never seen it before. I like it that it is broken into the three acts, I can watch some and do something, and come back. Thank you so much for posting. I need to set aside difficulties of life today.
Karyl Entner Not being critical. Ofc you are acting as a critic here. Criticism as in literary, classical, etc is not pejorative. Negative criticism is, criticising a person’s behaviour might be.
I had the pleasure of seeing Richard Harris do this live a few years later. After Vanessa Redgrave, this Guenevere has no spark. Pelanore is delightful!!!
To watch this 1982 version is really a joyful experience after the disaster of the current version (2023) staged in the Lincoln Center, NYC. I had been waiting for a revival of Camelot so I went last week to the new production… It was a very sad night for me. Totally disappointed.
It is definitely not the same show. With a completely different script, they should at least give it a different title. To call it 'Camelot' is at the least false advertising.
I can I ask you something? How is the love triangle portrayed? And the relationship between Arthur/Guinevere-Lancelot/Guinevere? I’m afraid of what they’ve done
Gold fleur-de-lis on blue. Gold lions on red. And if I knew more about heraldry, I'd know the words to express that properly. I want their costumes. And their set. 😍
"Well, I will tell you what you obviously forgot. That's how a ruler rules a queen." Exactly. But he (Merlyn) *did* give at least one bit of good/useful/helpful advice on the topic after all. ^_____^
thank you so much for this! I have it on VCR but I am afraid if I play it again that my tape will break! The tape was a gift from my late Unc Billy. I have seen all versions of Camelot and this is the BEST! Did you know that Richard Harris held all rights to the musical Camelot? I wonder what has happened to thos rights? Anyone know???
I could be wrong, but believe Harris only held secondary rights - meaning he had the right to hold performances, but not exclusive rights. More importantly, there are VHS to DVD transfer services, even online. Idk if they'd be willing to convert this film if it is still under copyright or other protection, but it may be worth asking.
I'm enjoying this immensely and thanks for posting, but is anyone else getting thrown by all the camera angles and changes of perspective? I had seen a bit from the middle and honestly thought they were on a sound stage. This drives me nuts with dance that hasn't been specifically choreographed to be seen from multiple angles because part of the artistry of choreography is how you move people around your space---so, what would be blocking in theater, although there's a bit of dance in Camelot, too. Blocking is typically done for the stage type---in this case, proscenium arch---and I feel like it does no service to the production not to show it largely as it was meant to be seen. And did the production actually leave out "Take Me to the Fair"? Was it cut for time for the HBO production? That song is so iconic, and I've never seen it cut. The jousting scene makes a whole lot less sense without it. "Fie on Goodness" not so much, nor "7 Deadly Virtues" nor the song Morgan LeFey used to get about sweets. I really would have preferred to see some of the processional-type stuff cut if something had to go. (EDIT) Because 12:31 ff is a lot less poignant (likewise the whole joust scene) if you don't know Guinevere put the three knights up to battling Lancelot and more or less extorts them into it. Not that they're not complicit, because everyone seems to look at Lancelot as a piously obnoxious prat!
I read somewhere that “Take me to the Fair” was cut from the original production (1960) and added in the film version. If you observe, here Guenevere bring the handkerchiefs to the three knights at the end of “It’s May” reprise.
I'm old enough to have seen this production live on Broadway (a few times). 'Take Me to the Fair' was never in it. 'Fie on Goodness' was in a shortened version, but that was cut for this taped version that was shown on HBO, as well as other minor snips.
mikelheron20 he wasn't a Plantagenet. If he existed at all he predated the Norman and Saxon eras and was a Briton, i.e. a Celt, possibly aligned with Rome.
If you are the same Jeff Weiss whom I remember seeing in Hamlet with Kevin Kline in '86, in Macbeth with Plummer and in Present Laughter, you are certainly quite profound.
Thanks for this. Really enjoyed it, although I much preferred the film - and Harris is sooooo much better in the film, too: far more real and more affecting than he is here. Really don't like this Guinevere, though.Dull as dishwater...and with a Good Witch from Oz look about her.
Here’s a great idea for animals to play Camelot African lion -king Arthur Queen qwenivere a lioness Sir Lancelot a rhino Knights white rhino black rhino Gardeners giraffes Butcher crocodiles Acrobats monkeys Scribes chimpanzees Merlin mandrill Bee keeper bears Hunts men wolves Forester deer Rat catcher domesticated cats Night watchmen owls and jackals Court jesters hyenas Cadavers vultures Court musicians several bird species Minstrel ostrich Egglers chickens Milkmaids and milk men domesticated cattle Painters monitor lizards Butler penguin Arabs camels Sheiks sand cats Guards domesticated dogs Fisherman bears Carpenters beavers Farmers rabbits domesticated goats domesticated pigs
By this point in his life, Richard Harris is too old for the role. And, he seems to be over acting. If I recall correctly, the reviews at the time noted the same. I think critics referred to this production as Hamalot. That being said, go back and watch Harris’ portrayal of Arthur in the film production from the late 1960’s. His performance as Arthur was nothing short of spectacular; it is hard to imagine a finer and more compassionate interpretation of the role. Here’s another interesting tidbit when comparing Richard Burton’s portrayal of Arthur on B’way with Harris’ in the film. Burton presented Arthur as a man born to greatness; Harris’ interpretation is one of a man who has greatness thrust upon him.
I think you are overly critical! Richard Harris is every bit as wonderful as the movie version. Stage presentation is different. Comedy gets mixed in. Movie is more dramatic!!! Love him in both❤
