Knights of the Round Table (1953)
Director: Richard Thorpe
Starring: Robert Taylor, Ava Gardner, Mel Ferrer
Synopsis:
Lancelot assists Arthur in his rise to the throne and then proves to be the instrument of his downfall because of his affair with Queen Guinevere.
Impressions:
This is a decent adaptation of Arthurian legend. Because there are so many different versions of the story, I won't be to picky on the particulars. While I didn't like Robert Taylor in 1952's Ivanhoe (mostly because the character he was portraying really wasn't Ivanhoe), he's good as Lancelot here. Mel Ferrer's Arthur didn't have the sort of magnetism you'd expect from the character and I don't know if the fault rests on the actor, the script, the director, or a combination of all the above. 2004's King Arthur pretty well stripped away the magical elements from the story and that's true here as well. That notion may appeal to you and it may not. Personally, I feel Arthurian legend loses something without the magic, but your mileage may vary. Costuming is decent and the fight scenes are pretty good. I'd say this one is worth watching.
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