- Title: UNITED STATES: "FIRST KNIGHT" PREMIERES IN LOS ANGELES
- Date: 29th June 1995
- Summary: (RTV - ACCESS ALL) (SOUNDBITE ENGLISH) GERE SAYING LANCELOT EXPERIENCES A JOURNEY FROM SELF-ABSORPTION TO PART OF THE BROTHERHOOD
- Embargoed: 14th July 1995 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
- City:
- Country: USA
- Topics: Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA5UG3PUPP9YFMT7C3W5FC9T4NF
- Story Text: King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table are back on the big screen once again as Hollywood relies on a rash of period epics to lure summer moviegoers.
This time around, the bloby is told from the viewpoint of Guinevere, played by Julia Ormond. Sean Connery stars as King Arthur, with Richard Gere as the dashing Sir Lancelot.
"First Knight" concentrates on their love triangle, excluding other elements of the traditional tale. The wizard Merlin is nowhere to be found, nor is the swooning romance of the musical "Camelot." Lancelot is no longer a courtly gentleman, but a wandering mercenary who goes wherever his sword, or desire for Lady Guinevere, takes him.
Ben Cross, best known for his leading role in the Oscar-winning film "Chariots of Fire," plays the evil Malagant, a former knight who kidnaps Guinevere and plots to destroy Camelot.
Ormond, fresh from her success in "Legends of the Fall" says the actors were given room to be creative.
"I think because of the way the story is not perhaps adhered to on a concrete tale in the linear sense. It is not directly from the book. You have a certain amount of freedom," Ormond said.
Gere said he found playing Lancelot amusing because he had to be fit and learn to sword-fight. It took months of training with Olympic fencing champion Bob Anderson to bring Gere and Cross up to a convincing standard.
"First Knight" is directed by Jerry Zucker, responsible for the Oscar-nominated "Ghost." Early reviews have praised the screenplay and Connery's performance, but describe Gere as miscast in the role of an English knight. The movie will premiere in London on July 7, opening across Europe later this summer. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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