The Mammoth Book of King Arthur

by Mike Ashley

  White, T.H. (1905–1964), The Sword in the Stone (UK, 1938), The Witch in the Wood (UK, 1939), The Ill-Made Knight (UK, 1940), later issued together with “The Candle in the Wind” as The Once and Future King (UK, 1958), The Book of Merlyn (US, 1977) (f)

  Probably the best known Arthurian fiction, though it may be better known because of the animated film adaptation from The Sword in the Stone, a section of the book not representative of the whole. In the first Merlyn raises Arthur and we learn much through his education on the nature of the world about him, which has a timeless quality. It is light-hearted, with Merlyn a figure of fun, and does not prepare you for the second section, retitled “Queen of Air and Darkness” in the omnibus volume. Arthur fights his battles against his rebel kings whilst Morgause works her wiles, seducing Arthur. In the third section the characters shift towards the grotesque and we meet Lancelot, who is ugly and uncertain and as much a victim as everyone else. The final section replicates the Mort Artu but with the significant change that Arthur tries to replace feudality and knighthood with a form of government, a change that would happen to Malory’s world after his death – Malory even features in the book as Arthur’s page. White was almost certainly reflecting upon the changing World Order as a result of the Second World War, a view that became even more evident in The Book of Merlyn, which the original publisher rejected, but which in tune with the times projected the helplessness of mankind to control themselves, a concept which is in accord with much of the Arthurian legend though oddly incongruous with White’s original treatment. As a result, White’s overall Arthuriad is inconsistent and anomalous, but by that very nature highlights the ambiguity of the Arthurian world.

  Whyte, Jack (b.1943), The Skystone (Canada, 1992), The Singing Sword (Canada, 1993), The Eagle’s Brood (Canada, 1994), The Saxon Shore (Canada, 1995), The Fort at River’s Bend (Canada, 1997), The Sorcerer: Metamorphosis (Canada, 1997), Uther (US, 2001), The Lance Thrower (US, 2004), known collectively as “The Camulod Chronicles” (h)

  This has now become the longest of all Arthurian narratives, although Whyte’s original plan finished with Book 6. The original concept followed a vision from the time when a Roman officer and swordsmith, Publius Varro (who narrates the first two volumes), discovers the meteor, the Skystone out of which he forges the sword Excalibur, to the culmination of his hopes over a century later when Arthur Riothamus becomes High King. Varro established a Colony, called Camulod, which provided a central control to help protect the British after the departure of the Romans. With The Eagle’s Brood the narrator becomes Varro’s great nephew Merlyn, or Caius Merlyn Britannicus, cousin of Uther Pendragon, who continues Varro’s grand plan. After Uther’s death Merlyn becomes the protector of his infant son Arthur. It was Whyte’s intention to stop with the crowning of Arthur, as he believed all that followed had been told. He has added one book, Uther, which relates events that run parallel with The Eagle’s Brood, with two more volumes covering the role of Lancelot. Despite the detail of Whyte’s grand scheme and the ingenuity of its development, some of the names he uses for new characters, such as Peter Ironhair and Derek of Ravenglass, jar with the Celtic and Roman names and spoil the overall effect.

  Wolf, Joan, The Road to Avalon (US, 1988) (h)

  A historical romance which explores the many relationships in Arthur’s life and court but concentrates on his passion for Morgan, who here is treated as his aunt. There is no Lancelot in this version and Bedwyr is Gwenhwyfar’s lover, as in Stewart’s novels. Unusually, this book does have Merlin die (of a seizure) and we even witness his burial.

  Woolley, Persia, Child of the Northern Spring (US, 1987), Queen of the Summer Stars (US, 1990), The Legend in Autumn (US, 1991) (m)

  The story of Guinevere, drawn primarily from Malory. It follows the traditional story, although Guinevere is shown as a Princess of Rheged. Despite a Dark Age setting Woolley uses the standard form of names such as Bedivere, Lancelot and Tristan. The trilogy does not strike sufficiently new territory to make it memorable although the characters are well drawn and believable. Loosely adapted into the film Guinevere (1994).

  Yolen, Jane (b. 1939), The Young Merlin Trilogy, Passager (US, 1996), Hobby (US, 1996), Merlin (US, 1997) (m)

  A YA trilogy which takes us through Merlin’s childhood from age 8 to 12. There is little of the traditional tale of Merlin’s origins here. He is abandoned in the woods at age 8, and adopted by a falconer who names him Merlin. His new family are killed in a fire which Merlin had dreamed and he discovers the prophetic nature of his dreams. He joins a travelling magic show which reaches Carmarthen where the story crosses with the legend of Vortigern and Ambrosius. Wandering again in the third book he encounters the wild folk of the woods and befriends a child called Cub, but whom Merlin calls Artus. Earlier Yolen had written The Dragon’s Boy (US, 1990), which covers Artos’s early teens, when he was fostered by Sir Ector. At a different level Yolen wrote a collection of memories and tales about Merlin, Merlin’s Booke (US, 1986), which cast an idiosyncratic eye over his life.

  Yolen, Jane (b.1939), Sword of the Rightful King (US, 2003) (f)

  A YA novel and Yolen’s variant version of the legend. Arthur’s reign gets off to a less than auspicious start when someone else pulls the sword from the stone. Yolen explores the close rivalry and affection between Arthur and Gawaine, whose mother Morgause plans to secure his future as king. Although all the characters and set scenes are present, they are all slightly askew so that nothing remains certain or predictable. Even Kay is likable.

  Zettel, Sarah, Sword of the Rightful King (US, 2003) (f)

  A forgotten episode in Gawain’s career where he becomes the protector of the young woman Risa who is escaping from an evil sorcerer.

  22

  VISIONS OF CAMELOT – ARTHURIAN CINEMA

  The number of Arthurian films grows steadily year by year, yet most continue to focus on a small range of subjects. They have either been routine costume dramas, concentrating on the love affair between Guinevere and Lancelot, usually alongside the treachery of Mordred, or they explore the Wagnerian world of Parsifal or the love affair of Tristan and Isolde. The alternative are the time-shift films, mostly based upon Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, which has been filmed at least ten times since the first in 1920, including the best known Bing Crosby version in 1949, listed below, plus other variants such as Arthur the King (1985), few of which have any merit.

  The earliest surviving Arthurian film was an attempt to film Wagner’s Parsifal in 1904. It was a brave effort, according to Kevin J. Harty, the authority on Arthurian films, but not entirely successful. Parsifal has been filmed at least five times, and in recent years it has become easy to acquire DVDs of fully staged productions. Tristan and Isolde was the subject of the next film, in 1909, produced in France and directed by Albert Capellani. Two other versions were produced in 1911 and 1920. Also, in 1909, Charles Kent produced the first film based on Tennyson’s Idylls, Launcelot and Elaine, utilizing the subject that had so captivated artists over the previous few decades.

  The first film to be based on Malory’s work or possible elements of the Vulgate Cycle may well have been an Italian production, Il Re Artù e I cavalieri della tavola rotonda, directed by Giuseppe de Liguoro in 1910, but it seems that no print of the film survives. Other films of that decade, such as Sir Galahad of Twilight (1914) or The Grail (1915), used Arthurian imagery in contemporary settings, whilst Edison’s The Knights of the Square Table (1917), uses the Arthurian concept to promote the Boy Scout movement.

  The numerous versions of Connecticut Yankee kept the Arthurian wheel turning for the next thirty years and, apart from a Saturday-morning pictures serial, The Adventures of Sir Galahad in 1950, the first serious attempt to adapt the Arthurian legend did not come until MGM’s major Cinemascope costume drama The Knights of the Round Table in 1953. This ushered in the era of the Arthurian swashbuckler, with Prince Valiant (1953) and The Black Knight (1954) and the British TV ser
ies The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (1956). However, apart from Cornel Wilde’s Lancelot and Guinevere (1963), few of these films use the depth of the Arthurian story, preferring to use the basic imagery and superficial plot to present a standard medieval adventure film. It was not until the French Perceval le gallois, directed by Eric Rohmer in 1978, and the British Excalibur, from John Boorman in 1981, that two films appeared that treated their subject seriously and attentively.

  The number of quality Arthurian films is still in the minority, but with more sophisticated techniques and more demanding audiences the definitive version may not be far away. Anyone interested in a more detailed study of Arthurian cinema should consult King Arthur on Film by Kevin J. Harty (McFarland, 1999), revised as Cinema Arthuriana (McFarland, 2002), and Arthurian Legends on Film and Television by Bert Olton (McFarland, 2000), which provides a detailed analysis of each film and TV episode. Harty’s checklist of films is also on the Camelot website as < www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/acpbibs/harty.htm >

  The following lists all major Arthurian films and TV series from 1949 to date. As with the books it includes only those films set in an historical or chivalric Arthurian world and not in the modern day. The films are listed in alphabetical order of title. All films are in colour unless identified as black-and-white (b&w). Running time is given in minutes (m).

  Adventures of Sir Galahad, The (Columbia, 1950, serial, 252m (15 episodes), b&w)

  Director: Spencer Gordon Bennet. Screenplay: David Mathews, Lewis Clay, George H. Plympton.

  Starring: George Reeves (Galahad), Nelson Leigh (Arthur), William Fawcett (Merlin), Charles King (Bors), Hugh Prosser (Lancelot), Jim Diehl (Kay), Marjorie Stapp (Guinevere), Pat Barton (Morgan), Leonard Penn (Modred).

  A Saturday-morning serial with Galahad trying to find the lost Excalibur against a background of Saxon invasion.

  Adventures of Sir Lancelot, The (UK TV series, Sapphire Films, 1956/7, 2 seasons, 30x30m episodes, first season b&w)

  Directors: various, mostly Lawrence Huntington, Peter Maxwell. Writers: various, including H.H. Burns, Selwyn Jepson, Harold Kent, Leslie Poynton, John Ridgely.

  Starring: William Russell (Lancelot), Ronald Leigh-Hunt (Arthur), Jane Hylton (Guinevere), Cyril Smith (Merlin), Robert Scroggins (Brian).

  After earning his position at the Round Table Lancelot undertakes various quests in a quasi-medieval world as the Queen’s Knight. Advanced TV series for its day, with some realistic fight scenes. Early episodes are now available on DVD.

  Arthur of the Britons (UK TV series, 1972/3, 2 seasons, 24x30m episodes)

  Directors: Peter Sasdy, Pat Jackson, Sidney Hayers, Patrick Dromgoole. Teleplays: primarily Terence Feely with Scott Forbes, Robert Banks Stewart, David Osborne, Jonathan Crown, David Pursall.

  Starring: Oliver Tobias (Arthur), Brian Blessed (Mark), Rupert Davies (Cerdig), Michael Gothard (Kai), Jack Watson (Llud).

  Marred only by its low budget, this was a good attempt to recreate the world of the Dark Ages with Arthur facing the Saxon invasion. The series ran in the US as King Arthur, the Young Warlord under which title selected episodes have been released on video (1996).

  Arthur the King (US TV, 1985, 180m)

  Director: Clive Donner. Screenplay: David Wyles. Starring: Malcolm McDowell (Arthur), Edward Woodward (Merlin), Candice Bergen (Morgan), Rosalyn Landor (Guinevere), Rupert Everett (Lancelot), Joseph Blatchley (Mordred), Dyan Cannon (Katherine).

  Present-day Katherine finds herself in Arthur’s court which is in chaos. Main plots concern the efforts of Merlin and Niniane to restore order against Morgan and Mordred and Lancelot seeking to rescue Guinevere. Edited down to half length, it was released in video as Merlin and the Sword (1992).

  Black Knight, The (Warwick/Columbia, 1954, 85m)

  Director: Tay Garnett. Screenplay: Alec Coppel, Bryan Forbes.

  Starring: Alan Ladd (John), Patricia Medina (Linet), André Morell (Sir Ontzlake), Peter Cushing (Sir Palamides), Anthony Bushell (Arthur), Patrick Troughton (Mark), Jean Lodge (Guinevere).

  An early Irving Allen production. John, a blacksmith, disguises himself as the Black Knight and saves the Round Table from an attempted coup by King Mark and his Saracen allies.

  Camelot (Warner/7 Arts, 1967, 179m)

  Director: Joshua Logan. Screenplay: based on a stage play by Alan Jay Lerner adapted from the books by T.H. White.

  Starring: Richard Harris (Arthur), Vanessa Redgrave (Guenevere), Franco Nero (Lancelot), David Hemmings (Mordred), Laurence Naismith (Merlyn), Lionel Jeffries (Pellinore).

  A film adaptation of the Lerner & Loewe Broadway musical, which concentrates on Lancelot’s affair with Guenevere. A video of the 1980 Broadway revival of the stage show was broadcast in 1982, still with Harris as Arthur, but with Meg Bussert as Guenevere and Richard Muenz as Lancelot.

  Chevaliers de la table ronde, Les (Les Films si Jeudi, 1990, 230m), with sub-titles as The Knights of the Round Table

  Director: Denis Llorca. Screenplay: Denis Llorca, Philippe Vialèles.

  Starring: Maria Casarès (Viviane), Alain Cuny (Merlin), Michel Vitold (Fisher King), Nadine Darmon (Morgane).

  Drawing from the Vulgate Cycle, this concentrates on the relationships between Merlin and Morgan and the Fisher King and Elaine.

  Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, A (Paramount, 1949, 106m)

  Director: Tay Garnett. Screenplay: Edmund Beloin.

  Starring: Bing Crosby (Hank Martin/Sir Boss), Rhonda Fleming (Alisande), Cedric Hardwicke (Arthur), Murvyn Bye (Merlin), William Bendix (Sagramore), Henry Wilcoxon (Lancelot).

  The best known and still enjoyable adaptation of Mark Twain’s novel, complete with songs, though more of an Arthurian spoof than a serious recreation. Twain’s novel was first filmed in 1920 and there have been many variants since. The latest is the TV movie A Knight in Camelot (1998), directed by Roger Young and starring Whoopi Goldberg as Dr. Vivien Morgan, which says enough.

  Excalibur (Orion, 1981, 140m)

  Director: John Boorman. Screenplay: Rospo Pallenberg.

  Starring: Nigel Terry (Arthur), Gabriel Byrne (Uther), Nicol Williamson (Merlin), Helen Mirren (Morgana), Cheri Lunghi (Guenevere), Nicholas Clay (Lancelot), Robert Addie (Mordred), Paul Geoffrey (Perceval).

  Still regarded as one of the best Arthurian films, this is a moody, angst-ridden film which attempts to meld the Malory story with a pagan background.

  Fire and Sword (Von Fürstenberg, 1981, 84m)

  English-title release of Feuer und Schwert. Issued in Eire as Tristan and Iseult.

  Director: Veith von Fürstenberg. Screenplay: Max Zihlmann.

  Starring: Christoph Waltz (Tristan), Antonia Preser (Isolde), Leigh Lawson (Mark), Peter Firth (Dinas), Christine Wipf (Brangane).

  A faithful retelling of the Tristan and Isolde story.

  First Knight (Columbia, 1995, 134m)

  Director: Jerry Zucker. Screenplay: William Nicholson.

  Starring: Sean Connery (Arthur), Richard Gere (Lancelot), Julia Ormond (Guinevere), Ben Cross (Malagant), Liam Cunningham (Agravaine), Christopher Villiers (Kay).

  Takes some liberties in retelling the Arthur-Guinevere-Lancelot triangle. Includes Malagant’s abduction of the Queen which develops into Malagant’s assault upon Camelot and the death of Arthur. Effective battle scenes.

  Gawain and the Green Knight (United Artists, 1973, 93m)

  Director: Stephen Weeks. Screenplay: Stephen Weeks and Philip M. Breen.

  Starring: Murray Head (Gawain), Nigel Green (Green Knight), Robert Hardy (Bertilak), Ciaran Madden (Linet), Anthony Sharp (Arthur).

  A fairly faithful if lacklustre retelling of the medieval story merged with The Lady of the Fountain. It was remade to much the same script, though rather more trivialised, as Sword of the Valiant (Cannon, 1982, 102m) with Miles O’Keeffe as Gawain, Sean Connery as the Green Knight and Trevor Howard as Arthur.

  Guinevere (US TV, Lifetime, 1994, 96m)

  Director: Jud Taylor. Screenplay: Ronnie Kern, based
on the books by Persia Woolley.

  Starring: Sheryl Lee (Guinevere), Sean Patrick Flanery (Arthur), Noah Wyle (Lancelot), Donald Pleasance (Merlin), Brid Brennan (Morgan), Ben Pullen (Kai).

  The feminist version of the story, told from Guinevere’s viewpoint.

  King Arthur (Touchstone, 2004, 126m)

  Director: Antoine Fuqua. Screenplay: David Franzoni.

  Starring: Clive Owen (Arthur), Keira Knightley (Guinevere), Ioan Gruffudd (Lancelot), Stephen Dillane (Merlin), Ray Winstone (Bors), Stellan Skarsgård (Cerdic).

  The best attempt so far to create an authentic Dark Ages setting, despite the modern “feminist” and “freedom fighter” overtones.

  An interesting portrayal of the conflict between the old Roman culture, the British and the Saxons.

  Knights of the Round Table (MGM, 1953, 115m)

  Director: Richard Thorpe. Screenplay: Talbot Jennings, Noel Langley, Jan Lustig.

  Starring: Robert Taylor (Lancelot), Ava Gardner (Guinevere), Mel Ferrer (Arthur), Anne Crawford (Morgan), Stanley Baker (Modred), Felix Aylmer (Merlin), Gabriel Woolf (Percival).

  An all-star big budget production for MGM’s first wide screen Cinemascope costume drama, but the result, now very dated, is still a routine adaptation of Malory, redeemed by the always excellent Stanley Baker as the scheming Modred.

  Lancelot and Guinevere (Emblem, 1963, 116m), released in US as The Sword of Lancelot

  Director: Cornel Wilde. Screenplay: Richard Schayer and Jefferson Pascal.

  Starring: Cornel Wilde (Lancelot), Brian Aherne (Arthur), Jean Wallace (Guinevere), George Baker (Gawaine), Michael Meacham (Modred), Mark Dignam (Merlin), Adrienne Corri (Vivien).

  A serious attempt to make a quality adaptation of the last part of Morte d’Arthur, but it lacked the budget. Lancelot becomes Guinevere’s champion and protects her against the murderous Modred (who here is Arthur’s brother). Modred kills Arthur but Lancelot returns to save the kingdom.