Review of Knights of the Round Table (1953) by Scott R — 25 Jul 2016

Robert Taylor was not loved by the Academy, so for all the classic films I've seen, I think this is the first I've seen starring him. MGM teamed up director Richard Thorpe, producer Pandro S. Berman, composer Miklós Rózsa, cinematographer Freddie Young, and Robert Taylor in the lead, all the same men who made Ivanhoe the previous year, for this Cinemascope film of pomp and drama.

This is not based on The Once and Future King novels, but on the older Le Morte D'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory, the same source that John Steinbeck adapted for his unfinished novel on King Arthur and his noble knights, which I recently read.

Arthur establishes his one united kingdom not so much by magic but by political fighting amongst the various factions of many smaller kingdoms. He meets the beautiful Guinevere who also loves Lancelot.

Arthur's half sister Morgan Le Fay and her son Modred enact treachery to expose Guinevere and Lancelot's wandering hearts. Despite all this centered around Arthur, Mel Ferrer as Arthur takes a back seat somewhat.

The focus is firmly on Sir Lancelot, his heroics and his troubled soul as he fights to control his desire for Guinevere as not to betray Arthur, the king he has sworn to defend and uphold. Robert Taylor's deep voice commands attention, but the sword fights are not very exciting, the writing is mediocre, and MGM's imagined version of what is supposed to be the very early Middle Ages is quite far from the reality of life.