Lancelot and Guinevere - Misplaced Pages

(Redirected from Sword of Lancelot) 1963 British film by Cornel Wilde

Lancelot and Guinevere
Theatrical poster
Directed by	Cornel Wilde
Written by	Richard Schayer Cornel Wilde (as Jefferson Pascal)
Produced by	Bernard Luber Cornel Wilde
Starring	Cornel Wilde Jean Wallace Brian Aherne
Cinematography	Harry Waxman
Edited by	Frederick Wilson
Music by	Ron Goodwin
Distributed by	Universal-International Films
Release dates	2 June 1963 (1963-06-02) (UK) 5 June 1963 (1963-06-05) (US)
Running time	116 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	$3 million or £690,970

Lancelot and Guinevere (known as Sword of Lancelot in the U.S.) is a British 1963 film starring Cornel Wilde, Jean Wallace (his real-life wife at the time), and Brian Aherne. This lesser-known version of the Camelot legend is a work shaped predominantly by Cornel Wilde, who co-produced, directed, co-wrote, and played Lancelot.

Plot

Lancelot is King Arthur's most valued Knight of the Round Table and a paragon of courage and virtue. Things change, however, when he falls in love with Queen Guinevere. A sub-plot concerns Arthur's effort to forestall a challenge from a rival king, a problem that will inevitably catch Lancelot up in a personal conflict.

In order to marry Guinevere, King Leodogran's daughter, King Arthur must find a knight to defeat Leodogran's champion. Arthur chooses Lancelot, who mortally wounds his opponent. On the way back to Camelot, Lancelot foils an attempt on Guinevere's life by Sir Modred, Arthur's illegitimate son; and before the end of the journey, Lancelot and Guinevere realize their love for each other. Though Lancelot is loyal to Arthur and Guinevere's marriage to the King takes place as planned, it is not long before the two become lovers.

Modred spies on them and informs Arthur of his wife's infidelity. Lancelot escapes, but Guinevere is condemned to be burned at the stake. He returns in time to save her and then offers to give himself up provided there will be no retaliation. Nevertheless, Arthur banishes him and sends Guinevere to a convent. Years later, Modred murders Arthur for his throne, and Lancelot returns to defeat him, thus ending the civil war that has been raging in Britain. He then finds Guinevere about to take the vows of a nun.

Cast

Cornel Wilde as Sir Lancelot
Jean Wallace as Guinevere
Brian Aherne as King Arthur
George Baker as Sir Gawaine
Archie Duncan as Sir Lamorak
Adrienne Corri as Lady Vivian
Michael Meacham as Sir Modred
Iain Gregory as Sir Tors
Mark Dignam as Merlin
Reginald Beckwith as Sir Dagonet
John Barrie as Sir Bevidere
Richard Thorp as Sir Gareth
Joseph Tomelty as Sir Kaye
Graham Stark as Rian
Walter Gotell as Sir Cedric
Christopher Rhodes as Ulfus
Peter Prowse as Brandagorous
John Longden as King Leodogran

Comic book adaption

Dell Movie Classic: Lancelot and Guinevere (October 1963)

References

"'Lancelot & Guinevere' Budget Upped by 150G". Variety. 10 October 1962. p. 16.
Chapman, L. (2021). “They wanted a bigger, more ambitious film”: Film Finances and the American “Runaways” That Ran Away. Journal of British Cinema and Television, 18(2), 176–197 p 189. https://doi.org/10.3366/jbctv.2021.0565
Chapman, J. (2022). The Money Behind the Screen: A History of British Film Finance, 1945-1985. Edinburgh University Press p 360
Dell Movie Classic: Lancelot and Guinevere at the Grand Comics Database

External links

Lancelot and Guinevere at IMDb
Lancelot and Guinevere at the TCM Movie Database

v t e Films directed by Cornel Wilde
Storm Fear (1955) The Devil's Hairpin (1957) Maracaibo (1958) Lancelot and Guinevere (1963) The Naked Prey (1965) Beach Red (1967) No Blade of Grass (1970) Sharks' Treasure (1975)

v t e Films based on Arthurian legends
Medieval Arthur	The Adventures of Sir Galahad (serial, 1949) Knights of the Round Table (1953) The Black Knight (1954) Lancelot and Guinevere (1963) Siege of the Saxons (1963) Camelot (1967) Excalibur (1981) First Knight (1995) Arthur and Merlin (2015) King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Pearl Poet	Gawain and the Green Knight (1973) Sword of the Valiant (1984) The Green Knight (2021)
Roman Arthur	King Arthur (2004) The Last Legion (2007)
Foreign adaptations	Lancelot du Lac Perceval le Gallois Kaamelott: The First Chapter
Films based on Wagner's Parsifal	Parsifal (1904) The Evil Forest (1951) Parsifal (1982)
Films from Twain's Connecticut Yankee	A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1921) A Connecticut Yankee (1931) A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949) Unidentified Flying Oddball (1979) New Adventures of a Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1988; Soviet Union) A Kid in King Arthur's Court (1995)
Based on the Tristan legend	L'Éternel retour (1943) The Woman Next Door (1981) Lovespell (1981) Fire and Sword (1982) In the Shadow of the Raven (1988) Tristan & Isolde (English 2006)
Adaptations of Prince Valiant	Prince Valiant (1954) Prince Valiant (1997)
Parodies and modern adaptations	Knights of the Square Table (1917) King Arthur Was a Gentleman (1942) Squareheads of the Round Table (1948) Knutzy Knights (1954) Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) Knightriders (1981) The Fisher King (1991) Seaview Knights (1994) Kids of the Round Table (1995) Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders (1996) The Mighty (1998) Merlin: The Return (2000) The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2002) Merlin and the War of the Dragons (2008) The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010) Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) The Kid Who Would Be King (2019)
Animation	Knight-mare Hare (1955) Knighty Knight Bugs (1958) The Sword in the Stone (1963) Willy McBean and his Magic Machine (1965) Pound Puppies and the Legend of Big Paw (1988) Merlin and the Dragons (1991) Quest for Camelot (1998) Shrek the Third (2007) Scooby-Doo! The Sword and the Scoob (2021)
TV films	Merlin and the Sword (1985) Guinevere (1994) The Four Diamonds (1995) Merlin: The Quest Begins (1998) A Knight in Camelot (1998) The Excalibur Kid (1999) Young Arthur (2002) Avalon High (2010)

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