1995 Directed by Jerry Zucker
The timeless tale of King Arthur and the legend of Camelot are retold in this passionate period drama. Arthur is reluctant to hand the crown to Lancelot, and Guinevere is torn between her loyalty to her husband and her growing love for his rival. But Lancelot must balance his loyalty to the throne with the rewards of true love.
Sean Connery Richard Gere Julia Ormond Ben Cross Liam Cunningham Christopher Villiers Valentine Pelka Colin McCormack Ralph Ineson John Gielgud Stuart Bunce Jane Robbins Jean Marie Coffey Paul Kynman Tom Lucy John Blakey Robert Gwyn Davin Sean Blowers Alexis Denisof Daniel Naprous Jonathan Cake Paul Bentall Jonty Miller Rob Brydon Rose Keegan Susannah Corbett Richard Claxton Mark Ryan Jeffery Dench Show All…
Walter Murch Noah Blough Cindy Marty Gary Gegan Michael Magill Matthew Iadarola Ed Callahan Richard Burton Alison Fisher David F. Van Slyke John Morris Colin Charles Ian MacGregor-Scott John Hughes
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Lancelot: Tell me you don't love me!
Guinevere: I don't love you.
Lancelot: Hmm, so cryptic. What could she mean? I suppose I'll have to pursue her further.
cheesy stuff but can't really hate on a film that has:
a) the perfect oedipal triangulation, where incestuous mega father figure Sean Connery gives away his purely loved and untouched virgin daughter Julia Ormond to his successor and super son Richard Gere.
b) the shield of an undeniably superior ideology (democracy it is, with touches of socialism and a wise, hoary leader figure on top of the monarchs game) is upholded against darwinist fascists.
c) Richard Gere as THE quintessential knight in shining armor, slightly parasuicidal, always on the right side of history and also just taking what he wants (the woman)... well yes, 90s hero drafts. what a time to be alive (and going to the blockbusters).
d) Ben…
"God uses people like you, Lancelot. Because your heart is open. You hold nothing back. You give all of yourself."
"If you knew me better, you would not say such things."
"Oh, hey, I take the good with the bad, together. I can't love people in slices."
Richard Gere... as Sir Lancelot... with this hair... and not even an attempt at an English (because of course this movie doesn't recognize French) accent... let that sink in for a while. I don't know how else to explain the dissonance than that Gere looks so much like himself in this film that I would almost sooner believe I watched an impersonator playing the fabled medieval hero than the real American Gigolo. It's…
King Arthur knighted Sir Lancelot,
A loner not given the chance a lot.
And Queen Guinevere,
Would like Richard Gere,
To stay close so she can glance a lot.
Part of Dastardly Difficult December: film nr.103
One of the best known, beautiful mythical stories with Connery as King Arthur and this is what you make? Really?
It's like a Mort d'Arthur light, a diet version of a myth, with all the consequences that brings with it. No character development, superficial drama, no epic story telling, no pathos and sense of relevance.
It's like having a cheese fondue with caviar.
The rich and beautiful source material deserves much, much better than this.
You know a movie's good when you spend most of it searching for what to watch next.
there’s really no better way to encapsulate this terrible attempt at some sort of semi-turgid romantic medieval fucking nonsense than to say Richard Gere just straight up don’t look like no medieval dude. that’s the face of a guy who has heard a car alarm. everyone else sells it. Ben Cross looks like a fucking ghoul. Gere, though? Gere has seen the moon landing, had a coconut smoothie. also this movie is goddamn stupid. what the hell is this? why did one of the fucking Zucker bros make this?
Thank you, First Knight, for having the bad knights in black and the good knights in white. Very helpful.
Cool armor, big battles, an awesome running-the-gauntlet scene, this delivered everything a knight-obsessed, ten-year-old me wanted from a sword and shield epic. ‘Cept for all the kissin’ and stuff, of which there’s a considerable amount, including the fatal kiss when Gere launches himself at Lady Guinevere’s face and then proceeds to make a meal of it, tongue flapping wildly as if trying to escape through the back of poor Julia Ormond’s head.
Well, I’m not ten anymore, and can see it now for all the frothy nonsense it is. Yet still, the script isn’t terrible (except when it is), and the production is…
I saw this film back in 1995 in theatres and it was very good. Much better than I thought it would be (I thought it would just be alright). It exceeded expectations and has always stuck in my mind as a rollicking good time at the movies.
Around 6 years ago I went to Buffalo for cheap shopping (I am from Toronto and it's the thing to do when our dollar is strong) and I came across both this film and A Knight's Tale (another better than expected film) bundled together, in separate cases no less, for seven bucks. How could I say no?
Cut to two days ago and I watched First Knight again, for the second time. I…
Well, I'm sure there are things in life more inconsistent than Richard Gere's accent in this movie, but right now, I can't think of any.
