First Knight [1995]

Country of Origin: USA
Year of Production: 1995
Running Times: 134 mins
Length: 3584 metres
Format: Technicolor 35mm
Ratio: 1.85:1
Sound: Dolby SDDS

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Columbia Pictures Corporation / First Knight Productions
Executive Producers: Gil Netter, Eric Rattray, Janet Zucker
Producers: Hunt Lowry, Jerry Zucker
Associate Producer: Kathryn J. McDermott
Unit Production Manager: Hunt Lowry
Assistant Production Coordinator: Marianne Jenkins [uncredited]

SCRIPT
Script: William Nicholson
Story: Lorne Cameron, David Hoselton, William Nicholson

DIRECTION
Director: Jerry Zucker
2nd Unit Director: Arthur Wooster
1st Assistant Director: Chris Carreras
2nd Unit 1st Assistant Director: Terry Madden
Key 2nd Assistant Director: Cliff Lanning
2nd Assistant Directors: Jamie Christopher, Richard Whelan
2nd Unit 2nd Assistant Director: Mark Layton
2nd 2nd Assistant Director: Josh Robertson
3rd Assistant Director: Robert Grayson

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Adam Greenberg
Camera Operators: Gordon Hayman, Tim Ross
2nd Unit Camera Operator: Martin Hume
1st Assistant Camera: Robert Binnall [uncredited]
Gaffer: Chuck Finch
2nd Unit Gaffer: Micky Wilson
Electrician: Paul Borg [uncredited]
Best Boy: Billy Merrell
Video Coordinator: Chris Warren [uncredited]
Grip and Lighting Equipment: Lee Lighting Ltd
Camera: Arriflex 535
Lenses: Zeiss

EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION
Editor: Walter Murch
Associate Film Editor: Joe Woo Jr
1st Assistant Editors: Daniel Farrell, Catherine Chase [uncredited]
Assistant Editor: Tom Barrett [uncredited]
Apprentice Editor: Kim Jorgensen [uncredited]

MUSIC
Music: Jerry Goldsmith
Orchestrator: Alexander Courage
Assistant Music Editor: Kelly Mahan-Jaramillo

SOUND
Re-Recording Mixers: Gary Gegan, Matthew Iadarola, Walter Murch
Supervising Sound Editor: John Morris
Sound Editor: Colin Charles
ADR Editor: Ulrika Akander
Foley Artist: Alicia Stevenson

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Peter Robb-King
Hair: Elaine Short
Costume Designer: Nanà Cecchi

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: George Gibbs

VISUAL EFFECTS
Visual Effects Supervisor: Dennis Lowe
Supervising Digital Artist: Mitchell S. Drain
Senior Compositor: Mark Nettleton
Digital Compositor: Marc Scott [uncredited]
Optical Cameraman: Alan Church
Animation Visual Effects: Available Light Limited
Title Designer: Nina Saxon Film Design
Titles: Cinema Research Corporation
Opticals: Pacific Title
Digital Film Services: Cinesite Digital Film Center

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: John Box
Supervising Art Directors: Bob Laing, Michael White
Art Directors: Giles Masters, Stephen Scott
Set Decorator: Malcolm Stone
Prop Maker: Dan Frye [uncredited]
Construction: Peter Mann [uncredited]
Scenic Artist: Steven Michael

MISCELLANEOUS
Script Supervisors: Angela Allen, June Randall
2nd Unit Script Supervisor: Caroline Sax
Armourer: Charles Bodycomb [uncredited]
Drivers: Hector Salomon, 'Chico' Hernandez [uncredited]
Driver For Hunt Lowry: Mark Davies [uncredited]
Floor Runner: Simon Downes
Horse Master: Steve Dent
Unit Publicist: Susan d'Arcy

LOCATIONS
Locations: Ashridge, Buckinghamshire, England, UK; Black Park Country Park, Buckinghamshire, England, UK; Buckinghamshire, England, UK; Burnham Beeches, Buckinghamshire, England, UK; Durango, Mexico; Gloddfa Ganol, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Gwynedd, Wales, UK; Llanfair Slate Mine, Harlech, Merionethshire, Wales, UK; London, England, UK; Trawsfynydd, Gwynedd, Wales, UK
Studio: Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK
Location Manager: Allan James
Location Manager: Bill Darby [uncredited]

STUNTS
Stunt Co-Ordinators: Dinny Powell, Greg Powell
Stunts: Lee Sheward, Marc Cass, Ray De-Haan, Sean McCabe, Steve Dent, Tom Delmar, Phillip Van Dyke
Stunt Double For Julia Ormond: Sy Hollands [uncredited]
Swordmaster: Bob Anderson
Assistant Swordmaster: Mark Ryan

CASTING
Casting: Mary Selway

CAST
Sean Connery [King Arthur]
Richard Gere [Lancelot]
Julia Ormond [Guinevere]
Ben Cross [Prince Malagant]
Liam Cunningham [Agravaine]
Christopher Villiers [Sir Kay]
Valentine Pelka [Sir Patrise]
Colin McCormack [Sir Mador]
Ralph Ineson [Ralf]
John Gielgud [Oswald]
Stuart Bunce [Peter]
Jane Robbins [Elise]
Jean Marie Coffey [Petronella]
Paul Kynman [Mark]
Tom Lucy [Sir Sagramore]
John Blakey [Sir Tor]
Robert Gwyn Davin [Sir Gawaine]
Sean Blowers [Sir Carados]
Alexis Denisof [Sir Gaheris]
Daniel Naprous [Sir Amant]
Jonathan Cake [Sir Gareth]
Paul Bentall [Jacob]
Jonty Miller [gauntlet man]
Rose Keegan [Mark's wife]
Mark Ryan [challenger]
Jeffery Dench, Neville Phillips [elders]
Oliver Lewis, Wolf Christian, Angus Wright [marauders]
Jonathan Jaynes, Eric Stone [guards]
Ryan Todd [young Lancelot]
Albie Woodington [scout]
Richard Claxton [child]
Dido Miles [grateful woman]
Michael Hodgson [young man in crowd]
Susannah Corbett [young woman in crowd]
Susan Breslau [wedding guest]
Kate Zucker [flower girl]
Bob Zucker [little boy with birds]
Charlotte Zucker, Burt Zucker [bread sellers]
Andrew Newton Davies [flaming arrow archer - uncredited]
Stephen Cookson [extra - uncredited]

Lancelot scratches out a living as a sort of "hired sword" and comes to the attention of King Arthur after the Lady Guinevere, on her way to marry Arthur, is kidnapped by the evil Sir Malagant. Lancelot rescues her and they fall in love, but Guinevere is honour bound to marry Arthur. But they continue their affair even after the marriage...

A good looking but tedious attempt to reinterpret the Arthurian legend as soft-focus soap opera. The acting is, at best, uncertain and at worst unwatchably wooden, though the sets and scenery are certainly easy on the eye. Sadly that's not enough to distract from the fact that Gere is hopelessly miscast and the script so badly structured. Watch Excalibur [1981] again instead.

Argentina
Theatrical Distributor: Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International
Video Distributor: LK-TEL

Germany
Theatrical Distributor: Columbia TriStar Film GmbH
DVD Distributor: Columbia / Tristar [19872]

Spain
Theatrical Distributor: Columbia TriStar Films de España S.A.

UK
DVD Distributor: Columbia / Tristar [CDR 99872]

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Video Distributor: Columbia TriStar
Laserdisc Distributor: Encore [EE 1065]; Columbia / Tristar [71176]
DVD Distributor: Columbia / Tristar [71175]; Columbia / Tristar [71179]

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

Argentina
Rating: Atp

Finland
Rating: K-14

Germany
Rating: 12 (w)

Norway
Rating: 15

Portugal
Rating: M/12

Singapore
Rating: PG

Spain
Rating: T

Sweden
Rating: 15

UK
Rating: PG

USA
Rating: PG-13 [for some brutal medieval battles]

1995
July
7: Canada, UK, USA - theatrical release
13: Australia - theatrical release
21: Sweden - theatrical release

August
11: Spain - theatrical release
16: France - theatrical release
25: Portugal - theatrical release

September
7: Germany - theatrical release
15: Estonia - theatrical release
22: Denmark - theatrical release
28: Argentina - theatrical release
29: Finland - theatrical release

October
5: Hungary - theatrical release
27: Poland - theatrical release

1996
January
9: USA - laserdisc release [Columbia / Tristar [71176]]

February
Day Unknown: USA - laserdisc release [Encore [EE 1065]]

1997
October
7: USA - DVD release [Columbia / Tristar [71175]; Columbia / Tristar [71179]]

1998
July
30: Germany - DVD release [Columbia / Tristar [19872]]

August
10: UK - DVD release [Columbia / Tristar [CDR 99872]]

Their greatest battle would be for her love.

Der Erste Ritter - German title
Lancelot, el primer caballero - Argentinian title
El primer caballero - Spanish title
Lancelot - ensimmäinen ritari - Finnish title
Lancelot - French title
Az elsö lovag - Hungarian title
Il primo cavaliere - Italian title
O Primeiro Cavaleiro - Portugese title

MAGAZINES

Cinema 31 August 1995 [Germany]
review [by Christina Bednarz]

Empire August 1995 p.30 [UK]
review [by Joshua Mooney]

FilmMagasinet October / November 1995 p.45 [Norway]
review [by Erlend Eskeland]

Première August 1995 p.25 [France]
review [by Jean-Yves Katelan]

Studio July / August 1995 p.18 [France]
review [by Michel Rebichon]

NEWSPAPERS

O Independente, Vida 25 August 1995 [Portugal]
review [by Paulo Nogueira]

KEYWORDS

arthurian; camelot; swords; knights; legends; sword fights; adultery; caves; kidnaping; waterfalls