Press Release Warner Archive Collection Press Release: Knights of the Round Table (1953) (Blu-ray) (2 Viewers)

[Ronald Epstein]

COMING FROM THE WARNER ARCHIVE COLLECTION ON JULY 29th
New 2025 1080p HD Master from 4K Scan of the Original Camera Negative!

KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE (1953)
BD 50
NOT RATED
COLOR
Aspect Ratio: 16x9 2.55:1 Letterbox
Audio Specs: DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo
Subtitles: English SDH
Running Time: 114 Minutes
Cast: Robert Taylor, Ava Gardner, Mel Ferrer
SPECIAL FEATURES: Intro by MEL FERRER, Newsreel footage of GALA PREMIERE, CinemaScope short: MGM JUBILEE OVERTURE (HD), CinemaScope cartoon ONE DROPPY KNIGHT (HD), Original Theatrical Trailer

Long live King Arthur and Camelot! Yet in all of ancient England's newfound peace there is "a fraying link in Arthur's chain:" the growing passion between heroic knight Sir Lancelot and beautiful Queen Guinevere. One of history's most beloved legends is vibrantly retold in an adaptation downplaying fantasy elements and giving 6th-century England a new kind of fantasy: a dazzling Hollywood sheen bursting with the CinemaScope-sized pageantry (this was M-G-M’s first feature utilizing the new and popular widescreen process), with conflicts and imposing citadels of location-lensed 1950s spectaculars. Robert Taylor is Lancelot, sworn to serve his king (Mel Ferrer) but devoted to his queen (Ava Gardner). Richard Thorpe, who teamed with Taylor for eight films, directs this colorful epic of bravery and honor.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

This space reserved for Amazon preorder link

 

[mark brown]

Wasn’t this originally 4.0 mag stereo?

 

[Dick]

Not a great film, but it has a great Miklos Rozsa score!

 

[richardburton84]

Yeah, this film isn’t as good as Ivanhoe, but it does have some good early CinemaScope photography from Freddie Young, and of course, that Rózsa score is marvelous. Therefore, I might pick this up later down the line (if it came out sooner I might have picked it up as a birthday present). Hopefully, Quentin Durward isn’t too far behind to complete the trilogy of Medieval films with Robert Taylor.

 

[Alan Tully]

Yeah, this film isn’t as good as Ivanhoe, but it does have some good early CinemaScope photography from Freddie Young, and of course, that Rózsa score is marvelous. Therefore, I might pick this up later down the line (if it came out sooner I might have picked it up as a birthday present). Hopefully, Quentin Durward isn’t too far behind to complete the trilogy of Medieval films with Robert Taylor.

Yup, I was thinking about Quentin Durward. I reckon next year we'll have all three.

 

[Robert Harris]

First British CinemaScope film.

 

[RICK BOND]

Not a great film, but it has a great Miklos Rozsa score!

Did Miklos Rozsa ever do a bad score ? He's #1 in my Top 5 Favorite movie score composers. ...

 

[richardburton84]

Wasn’t this originally 4.0 mag stereo?

I haven’t found the comment where Tim Millard says this, but apparently George Feltenstein will be addressing why the Blu-Ray’s audio is 2.0 rather than 4.0 on the Extras podcast for the July announcements.

 

[Virgoan]

I look forward to this release. All the comments match my own feelings about the film. Not well-directed and, funnily enough, when I first saw it and the costumes, I thought "so that's what they did with the feathers the Furies wore in the 'American in Paris' ballet." That's a reference to the plumage in the helmets the knights wear in the film. But that Rozsa score is truly something very special!!

 

[battlebeast]

When IVANHOE came out I did a video to George Feltenstein and Tim Millard’s podcast about IVANHOE, And they talk about KNIGHTS and DURWARD.

 

[Alan Tully]

Thanks, very interesting. I think those 20th Century Fox three-strip Technicolor films are basically lost films now. I found the Blu-rays made from the dupes almost unwatchable (& all the online reviews of them far too kind about the picture quality). I suppose it's a bit of a miracle that we have what we have now, & that all those fragile film elements are in the hands of a responsible company that's doing right by them.

 

[OliverK]

Very happy to see this release so that we can finally have it in a form that allows us to appreciate the substantial visual assets of the production.

Yes it is sadly not a great movie but we can always revel in its audiovisual splendor.
Quality work by Miklos Rozsa and Freddie Young and I also have a soft spot for Ava Gardner!

I am also glad that they used this poster for the cover art, well done!

Knights of the Round Table (1953)

Ava Gardner and Robert Taylor in Knights of the Round Table (1953)

www.imdb.com

 

[Daniel_BB]

Wasn’t this originally 4.0 mag stereo?

The DVD includes the 2.0 Stereo track but IMDB mentions this information:

 

[Douglas R]

The DVD includes the 2.0 Stereo track but IMDB mentions this information:View attachment 253964

The DVD is 2.0 stereo surround as presumably the Blu-ray will be.

 

[JoeDoakes]

I always enjoyed the title song when it was reused in Monty Python and the Holy Grail

 

[richardburton84]

Per the Extras podcast, the 4-track audio masters for Knights are lost, and a left-right audio master made in the 80's is what is being used for this release.

 

[Alan Tully]

Per the Extras podcast, the 4-track audio masters for Knights are lost, and a left-right audio master made in the 80's is what is being used for this release.

Yeah, not much of a shock for this 72 year old movie, but stereo is fine...for this 1953 film!