Legendary Knight Movies (BFS)
Picture:
C Sound: C Extras: C
Films: B-
Legendary Knight Movies is a recent DVD compilation of
three classic films with knight themes from the 1960s together on a single DVD,
packaged in Canada.
These are aged films, and there are technical problems. There are film flaws that they apologize for
in advance, but the larger issue is with the film timing and colorizing. Much of the timing in all the films is off,
like night being timed as day, and that’s just sloppy technicians, and there’s
no excuse for that. Those problems need
to be corrected. This is likely the way
BFS got their hands on the print materials.
The three
films that are included have actors Cornel Wilde, Jean Wallace, Peter Firth
(related to modern actor Colin Firth perhaps), Brian Blessed, and Basil
Rathbone. The films are Sword of
Lancelot, King Arthur the Young Warlord, and The Magic Sword.
The films have their own period charisma, and things like
tongue-in-cheek jokes. A variety of
accents by actors from varying disciplines and countries is actually a welcome
addition. It is nice to see that
everyone doesn’t have to have the same British accent in order to act in the
productions. Each film has its own
charm. Sword of Lancelot (116
minutes) is a portion of the classic King Arthur tale,
with the betrayal of Lancelot and Guinevere.
King Arthur and the Young Warlord (96 minutes) is real
fantasy, with little real history, although it thinks it has some. The Magic Sword (80 minutes) is delightfully
light with occasionally amazingly impressive special effects for its time, and
a clever use of foreshortening, forced perspective, and mattes. The soundtracks are dated and occasionally
downright campy, but such was the period.
Occasionally, you have King Arthur meets “Bewitched”.
The
special features are probably the most refreshing. This is a great family educational
opportunity to reconnect with some film history through cast profiles and
trivia. The films are appropriate for
all ages, and there is no questionable language in the bunch. Children as young as 4 years old should be
able to enjoy the films. Teens may find
that some of the scenes are slow, with dialog that they would probably find
unnecessary; but for those who are interested in film effects and editing, they
may find it fascinating.
Overall,
the films would be a nicely spent evening for everyone. The full frame black and white images and
Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono on each film is average.
The technical aspects aside, there are worse ways to spend an evening. For those who remember these films, they are a
welcome return. As a new discovery for
unfamiliar viewers, they can marvel about how far we have come technically in
film making, and view some vintage acting performances.
- Stephanie Simmons
Stephanie
Simmons is the author of an exceptionally rich and researched book involving
the original J.R.R. Tolkien Lord Of The
Rings books called Regional Cooking
From Middle-earth: Recipes Of The Third Age. It is available through “Emerald Took’s
Hobbit Hole” and you can read more about and order it at:
www.stores.ebay.com/emeraldtookshobbithole
