Lancelot du Lac (
Lancelot of the Lake) -
I watched
Excalibur for the first time this year and I found the sequence about Lancelot's struggle to remain faithful to both God and King Arthur despite his affair with Guinevere to have such compelling drama, I wish it were longer. It was a pleasant surprise to discover that this movie is all about this part of the legend. It's as much of a low point in Lancelot's time with the Knights of the Round Table as it is for the rest of them since it occurs after their disastrous attempt to attain the Holy Grail. While Lancelot copes with his existential crisis, Mordred plots to leverage the knights' sad state for his own gain.
If you've seen at least one Robert Bresson movie, you should know that this is more examination than celebration of the legendary knights. When the over-the-top fanfare that plays during the opening credits ends, the movie appropriately does away with a musical score. Instead of music, the dominant sounds are the clanging and shuffling of the knights' armor, which eventually has an ASMR effect. Besides proving with subtle comic grace that the knights wear it more than they should, it shows how they believe it gives them a free pass. It's no coincidence in scenes like the shocking one that kicks off the movie and the jousting tournament that whenever they commit violence, they put their face covers down as if doing so absolves them. Speaking of the tournament, Bresson wisely removes all traces of excitement from it, mostly via repetition. With each fanfare, hoisting of the competitors' flags, impacts of the lances, etc., the brutality and pride inherent to the event become more apparent. The highlights of Lancelot's reckoning are in his conversations with his equally disillusioned cohorts or his unanswered ones with God. The heart of this drama and the movie in general, though, is in his time spent with voice of reason Guinevere. If she made Lancelot realize, as she puts it, that "God is no trophy to bring home," things would have gone much differently. Conversely, Lancelot learns about the consequences of having divided loyalties the hard way, not to mention in a truly Bresson way that's free of cheap thrills and chills. In their place are grim reminders of the crimes against nature and humanity that result from betrayal and unchecked hubris.
This movie may sound like it's an anti-
Excalibur, or better yet, one that mocks Arthurian legend lovers. I don’t find that to be the case; besides,
Excalibur doesn't always put the Knights of the Round Table on a pedestal either. Instead, it shows that even a revered organization like this one isn't immune to the consequences of pride and corruption. They are forces that can bring even the strongest and most honorable members of a fellowship to their knees or make them easy prey to the Mordreds of the world. While I enjoyed the movie, its spare, deglamorized and detached vibe may not be for everyone. It could be called anti-fantasy, in other words. The fact that the legend attracted Bresson - who's now 3 for 3 in my book – makes it even more legit in my eyes, and besides, if alternative takes of the legend were not allowed, I doubt we’d still be talking about it.
My rating: 4 broken lances out of 5
My guy (or gal): Guinevere. The truth in every word she says and the eloquence in which she says them is music to my ears.
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