HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: First Knight (Special Edition)

Richard Gallagher · 04-27-2008, 08:56 PM

First Knight (Special Edition)

Studio: Sony/Columbia

Year: 1995

Rated: PG-13

Program Length: 134 minutes

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 1080p
AVC/MPEG-4 codec

Languages: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, French Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Portuguese Dolby TrueHD 5.1; Spanish Dolby Digital, Thai Dolby Digital; Japanese Dolby Surround

Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Korean, Portuguese, Thai, Chinese, Arabic, Japanese

The Program

The legend of King Arthur has been a staple of British culture for nearly a thousand years. In fact, some scholars believe that there are even earlier references to Arthur, dating back to the 6th or 7th century. Whether a historical King Arthur ever existed is a matter of debate, but the legend of Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table continues to fascinate us. The character Arthur has appeared in countless films and television shows over the years. The Internet Movie Database lists 94 entries for King Arthur dating back to 1909. Among the actors who have portrayed Arthur are Cedric Hardwicke, Mel Ferrer, Boris Karloff, and Richard Harris.

One of the most convincing depictions of King Arthur is turned in by Sean Connery in First Knight, the 1995 film directed by Jerry Zucker. Ironically, even though Connery gets top billing, the main character of the film is actually Sir Lancelot (Richard Gere). The central theme of First Knight is the oft-told love triangle, with both Arthur and Lancelot pursuing the same woman, Guinevere of Leonesse (Julia Ormond). The love story plays out against the backdrop of unrest in Britain, as the ruthless former knight Malagant (Ben Cross) is determined to usurp Arthur’s crown.

First Knight portrays Lancelot as an aimless wanderer who supports himself by challenging peasants to sword fights. He first observes Guinevere as she is traveling by carriage to Camelot, where she is to marry Arthur. She and her large, armed entourage pass Lancelot on the road, where he has stopped to rest. Shortly afterwards Guinevere’s party is attacked by Malagant, whose intention is to kidnap her and force Arthur to submit. Lancelot rescues her (after a thrilling chase and sword fight), but it is at this point that the film’s weaknesses become apparent.

Richard Gere, unfortunately, is miscast as Lancelot. Although he looks the part and certainly puts a great deal of physical effort into the role, his speech and attitude are wrong. When he rescues Guinevere he treats her as though she is a commoner, even though he has only minutes earlier seen her escorted and protected by a significant fighting force, so she obviously is a lady of importance. Gere portrays Lancelot as a man of casual irreverence, a character more suitable to the 20th century than to the 5th century. It is also jarring to hear Lancelot speak with an American accent (director Zucker explains that Gere was prepared to speak his lines with a British accent, but his accent did not sound convincing).

On the other hand, the other principal actors are excellent. Sean Connery is utterly convincing as Arthur, and Julia Ormond is radiant as Guinevere. Ben Cross is chillingly effective as the murderous Malagant. The story is compelling enough, although there are some contrivances which do not ring true. In one scene a burning tower tips over for no apparent reason. When Arthur and Guinevere approach Camelot at night, the city is lit up like Las Vegas (Camelot’s candle maker must have had a thriving business). In another scene Arthur orders that a public trial be held in Camelot, and inexplicably the walls to the city are unprotected and the gates are left open.

Those problems aside, First Knight is a feast for the eyes. The sets designed by John Box are exquisite, the battle scenes are exciting, and the swordplay is fun to watch. Many of the exteriors were filmed on location in Wales and the landscapes are beautiful. The love triangle plays out quite nicely, as a devastated Arthur tries to come to grips with the fact that Guinevere loves him with her head, but Lancelot with her heart.

First Knight bombed at the box office, and in his commentary director Zucker jokingly calls it a “debacle.” On balance, though, there are enough positive elements about First Knight to recommend it, with reservations, for those who enjoy the genre.

The Video

The 1080p Blu-ray widescreen transfer is gorgeous. Color fidelity is superb and the picture is consistently sharp (although there is one brief moment during a shot of Lancelot when the image turns soft for a couple of seconds). There is some grain, which does not detract from the viewing experience. Much of the movie was filmed outdoors on location, and those scenes are stunning in their depiction of the lush countryside. Black levels are excellent and shadow detail is quite good, which is important because much of the action takes place at night or under low-light conditions. I did not observe any annoying artifacts or edge distortion. All in all this is an excellent Blu-ray release by Sony.

The Audio

The Dolby Digital TrueHD 5.1 audio is very good and packs a considerable amount of punch. There are lots of swords clashing, arrows flying and hooves pounding, and the surround channels and subwoofer are used effectively to create a satisfying sense of immediacy. The superb musical score by Jerry Goldsmith is particularly noteworthy, and it sounds terrific (director Zucker says that Goldsmith might have been nominated for an Academy Award if First Knight had been a better film). Dialogue is rendered clearly and intelligibly, making every word understandable.

The Supplements

This Blu-ray release of First Knight includes a number of worthwhile extras.

There is a self-deprecating commentary track with director Jerry Zucker and producer Hunt Lowry. As noted, Zucker calls the film a “debacle” and points out that he really did not have a great deal of enthusiasm about directing a film which includes a considerable amount of violence. A second commentary track features Cory James Rushton, a professor of medieval literature, who discusses the legend of King Arthur and how it was adapted for this film. He points out some anachronisms in First Knight, such as the fact that the crossbows featured in the film did not come into use until hundreds of years after the era of Camelot.

Also included are three featurettes.

“The Quest for Camelot” is a 19-minute “making of” featurette which includes interview sequences with Sean Connery, Julia Ormond, Ben Cross, and production designer John Box. The actors primarily discuss the motivations of their characters. One interesting note is that Richard Gere performed his own stunts, his own horse riding, and his own swordplay. Most of this featurette seems to have been pieced together from promotional materials which were made while the film was being made.

”The Creation of a Kingdom” is an informative 18-minute featurette about the design of the film, including sketches, set models, how the costumes and colors were chosen, etc. Production designer John Box is prominently featured.

“In Shining Armor: Knights in Training” is an examination of medieval swordplay, and how the real thing differed from how it is normally portrayed in films. Members of The Association for Renaissance Martial Arts demonstrate how an actual medieval sword fight would have looked. This featurette runs for 19 minutes.

Finally, there are four deleted scenes (a couple of which look a bit ragged) and trailers for The Water-Horse: Legend of the Deep and A Knight’s Tale.

Other Features

The pop-up menu allows the viewer to change audio selections, turn sub-titles on and off, and turn the commentary on and off while the film continues to play.

The Packaging

The single disc comes in a standard Blu-ray keepcase.

The Final Analysis

While First Knight has its weaknesses, it is wonderful to look at, sounds terrific, and has some engaging performances. Fans of Sean Connery will certainly want to see his definitive performance as King Arthur. There are also some excellent action scenes and lots of vigorous swordplay.

Equipment used for this review:

Panasonic DMP-BD10A DVD Player
Sharp LC-42D62U LCD display
Yamaha HTR-5890 THX Surround Receiver
BIC Acoustech speakers
Interconnects: Monster Cable

Release Date: April 29, 2008