FAQ

Camelot tells the classic story of the love triangle between England's King Arthur (Richard Harris), Arthur's wife Guenevere (Vanessa Redgrave), and Arthur's most trusted and loyal knight, Sir Lancelot du Lac (Franco Nero). Their story is told in flashback, as Arthur sits outside the walls of Camelot talking to his unseen mentor Merlyn the Magician (Laurence Naismith). He tells of how Lancelot came to Camelot, seeking a spot at the Round Table, how he and Guinevere fell in love, and how Arthur's illegitimate son Mordred (David Hemmings) sought to destroy Arthur and the 'civilized' kingdom he had created.

Yes, albeit indirectly. The film is an adaptation of a 1960 stage musical by Alan Jay Lerner (book and lyrics) and Frederick Loewe (music), which itself was adapted from English author T.H. White's 1958 novel The Once and Future King, which is a composite of a sequence of Arthurian novels written between 1938 and 1941. Lerner also adapted the musical for the screenplay.

Whether or not King Arthur has real historical roots or are just fables has been debated by historians for centuries. Some believe Arthur to have been a real king who led the defense of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century, while others believe him to be a legendary king whose exploits were concocted in various medieval histories and romances. For more information, see here.

As Arthur had hoped, Lancelot saves Guenevere from the stake, and she and Lance ride off together, while Arthur's remaining knights swear revenge. At this point the flashback ends. As Arthur waits for sunrise and the battle, a young boy hands him a note from Lancelot asking Arthur to meet in the forest . Arthur complies, and Lance reunites him with Guenevere. Lance and Jenny offer to return to Camelot with Arthur, but he sadly informs them that the Round Table is dead and that Camelot as he created it no longer exists. Arthur tells Jenny to go back to the Joyous Gard, but Lance informs him that Jenny is now living in a nunnery. As Lance rides away, Arthur and Jenny say a tearful goodbye. Jenny leaves with the sisters. Suddenly, a young boy named Tom (Gary Marsh) presents himself to Arthur and asks to become a knight at the Round Table, attracted by the stories people are telling about it. Heartened that such stories have spread across England, Arthur makes Tom a knight and orders him to return home and spread the stories. In the final scene, Arthur raises his head and cries out to Pellinore (Lionel Jeffries), "I have won my battle!"

No, Harris and Redgrave did their own singing. However, Franco Nero was dubbed by Gene Merlino.

There are numerous movies about King Arthur, Camelot, the Round Table, Sir Lancelot, and Lady Quinevere. Some of the films that viewers have recommended include: Knights of the Round Table (1953) (1953), Sword of Lancelot (1963) (1963), Morte d'Arthur (1984) (1984), Arthur the King (1983) (1985), Guinevere (1994) (1994), First Knight (1995) (1995), and The Mists of Avalon (2001) (2001).