Watched it over two sessions on the previous two days. First Knight (1995) is yet another retelling of the King Arthur story. Sean Connery is a middle-aged-growing-old Arthur of Camelot. Julia Ormond is a young-enough-to-be-his-daughter Guinevere of Lyonese. and Richard Gere is a handsome young Lancelot. In a departure from tradition, however, this Lancelot is not born an aristocratic knight. Instead, he’s a ronin warrior, one of the original free-lances, a hired gun (so to speak), of a murky background. Ben “Chariots of Fire” Cross is the evil Malagant, rogue fugitive from the Knights of the Round Table.
I’ll give you the whole Wikipedia plot summary because you need to know the whole sorry story and I don’t want to waste keystrokes making up my own summary:
King Arthur of Camelot, victorious from his wars, has dedicated his reign to promoting justice and peace and now wishes to marry. However, Malagant, a former Knight of the Round Table, desires the throne for himself.
Lancelot, a vagabond and skilled swordsman, duels in small villages for money. He attributes his skill to his lack of concern whether he lives or dies. Guinevere the young ruler of Lyonesse, decides to marry King Arthur out of admiration and for security against Malagant, who has been raiding local villages under the guise of "upholding the law."
While traveling, Lancelot chances by Guinevere's carriage on the way to Camelot, and spoils Malagant's ambush meant to kidnap her. He falls in love with her, but she refuses his advances. Though Lancelot urges Guinevere to follow her heart, she remains bound by duty. She is subsequently reunited with her escort. Later, Lancelot arrives in Camelot and successfully navigates an obstacle course on the prospect of a kiss from Guinevere, though he instead kisses her hand. He also wins an audience with her husband-to-be, Arthur. Impressed by his courage and struck by his recklessness and freewheeling, he shows him the Round Table, symbolizing a life of service and brotherhood, and warns him that a man "who fears nothing is a man who loves nothing".
That night, Malagant's henchmen arrive at Camelot and kidnap Guinevere. She is tied up and carried off to his headquarters, where she is held hostage. Lancelot follows, posing as a messenger from Camelot. He requests to see Guinevere alive before he delivers the message, then overpowers the guards and escapes with her. Once again, Lancelot tries to win her heart, but is unsuccessful. On the return journey, it is revealed that he was orphaned and rendered homeless after bandits attacked his village, and has been wandering ever since.
In gratitude, Arthur offers Lancelot a higher calling in life as a Knight of the Round Table. Amidst the protests of the other Knights (who are suspicious of his station) and of Guinevere (who struggles with her feelings for him) he accepts and takes Malagant's place at the Table, saying he has found something to care about.
Arthur and Guinevere subsequently wed. However, a messenger from Lyonesse arrives, with news that Malagant has invaded. Arthur leads his troops to Lyonesse and successfully defeats Malagant's forces. Lancelot wins the respect of the other Knights with his prowess in battle. He also learns to embrace Arthur's philosophy, moved by the plight of villagers.
Lancelot, guilty about his feelings for the queen and loyalty to Arthur, privately announces his departure to her. Not able to bear the thought of his leaving, she finally asks him for a kiss. It turns into a passionate embrace, just in time for the king to interrupt. Though Guinevere loves both Arthur and Lancelot – albeit in different ways – they are charged with treason. The open trial in the great square of Camelot is interrupted by a surprise invasion by Malagant, ready to burn Camelot and kill Arthur if he does not swear fealty.
Instead Arthur commands his subjects to fight, and Malagant's men shoot him with crossbows. A battle ensues, and Lancelot and Malagant face off. Disarmed, Lancelot seizes Arthur's fallen sword and kills Malagant, who falls dead on that same throne he so desired. The people of Camelot win the battle, but Arthur dies of his wounds.
On his deathbed, he names Lancelot his successor and asks him to "take care of her for me" – referring to both Camelot and Guinevere. The film closes with a funeral pyre raft carrying Arthur's body floating out to sea.
What the plot summary doesn’t say is that the punishment for treason is death. Lancelot does not deny the kiss, nor does Guinevere. Good fellow that he is, Lancelot pleads with Arthur to let him take the fall. Just then Malagant saves the day by invading Camelot. Arthur is saved from having to pass sentence on his wife [daughter] and valiant warrior [romantic rival] and Guinevere gets to wed her young stud while still treasuring the memory of her father [husband].
Of course, that’s not how the story frames Malagant’s arrival. It frames it as unambiguous evil, which it is, of course. But I’m talking about the underlying psychodynamics, which is about fathers and sons and fathers and daughters and husbands and wives and how those roles are so easily mixed-up, confused, and conflated. First Knight brings the whole mess to a head, then sweeps it away through this invasion in which Arthur gets killed. Problem solved. Arthur gets a grand send-off at sea and Guinevere and Lancelot hustle off to the bedroom at Camelot.
The Wikipedia entry notes: “The film is noteworthy within Arthurian cinema for its absence of magical elements [...] and the substantial age difference between Arthur and Guinevere.” A big YES to that last. As for the first, perhaps it’s that very lack of magical elements that makes Arthur’s speechifying about the ideals of Camelot seem like pious hokum. I liked Connery much better as Danny Dravot in The Man Who Would Be King. Heck, I liked him better as Bond, James Bond, where he didn't have to mouth any nonsense, just get the bad guys and bed the ladies.
On the whole, a most peculiar film.
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