Having had a break in April due to the Easter weekend, for May I will be showing the 1969 Lerner & Loewe film Camelot.   Based on the British legend of King Arthur, the role of the just but idealistic King is played by Richard Harris.  His Queen, Guinevere, is played by Vanessa Redgrave and the role of the bravest loyal knight, noble Sir Lancelot, is ably filled by the French actor Franco Nero. The award winning producer, John Truscott, has made the most of film-making technology to create a movie with excellent settings and period costumes.

The story: Sir Lancelot becomes a close friend and loyal supporter of both the King and Guinevere, but tensions arise when his friendship with the Queen develops into romance, in which both Lancelot and Guinevere are torn between their mutual loyalty to Arthur and their love for each other.  The story has an unhappy ending when the idealistic fellowship of Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table is broken up by the jealousy and ambition of the king’s illegitimate son Mordred, who aspires to succeed his father to the throne.  Mordred manipulates the romance between Lancelot and Guinevere and uses it to cause division among the King’s followers.  Camelot is a remarkable tale of chivalry, romance and the weaknesses of human nature.

The best known songs of this show include ‘I wonder what the King is doing tonight’, the title song ‘Camelot’ and ‘If ever I should leave you’. 

This epic film is nearly 3 hours long, so I have decided to make an early start at 09:00 am on Monday 19th May in the Oak Room at Parklands.  Please note the early start!