First Knight (1995)
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47% of critics liked it
(43 reviews) -
59% of users liked it
(150,270 ratings)
The tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is always ripe for retelling. In this rendition, the sexy Richard Gere is Sir Lancelot, threatening to supersede the aging King Arthur (Sean Connery) by winning the love of his young wife Guinivere (Julia Ormond). This update of the age-old… More The tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is always ripe for retelling. In this rendition, the sexy Richard Gere is Sir Lancelot, threatening to supersede the aging King Arthur (Sean Connery) by winning the love of his young wife Guinivere (Julia Ormond). This update of the age-old legend succeeds on the strength of Gere's happy-go-lucky sex appeal, Ormond's gorgeous period costuming, and Connery's unbeatable wry nobility. The script focuses on the triangle of the three principals: the older man's reluctance to relinquish his love and power to the younger man destined to supplant him; the young woman torn between her loyalty to her aged husband and her love for his rival; the young man balancing the demands of loyalty to his sovereign with the rewards of true love. This beautiful production forgoes the legend's usual elements of magic and fantasy, leaving Merlin the Magician completely out of the picture. ~ Laura Abraham, Rovi
- Directed By
- Jerry Zucker
- Written By
- Lorne Cameron, David Hoselton, William Nicholson
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure, Romance, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Jul 7, 1995 Wide
- Studio
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Critic Reviews
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Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Whenever Zucker stops piling on battle scenes as if he were directing Braveheart, his film casts a romantic spell.
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Todd McCarthy, Variety
Aside from casting Richard Gere as Lancelot, First Knight marches out as an agreeably intelligent, mature and well-mounted telling of the legendary King Arthur story.
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Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
The problem for him[Gere], and the film, comes when the non-physical acting begins.
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
The movie is entertaining enough in its own way, and Sean Connery makes a splendid King Arthur, but compared with the earlier films[Rob Roy and Braveheart] this one seems thin and unconvincing.
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Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
...lushly romantic, almost quaint...
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Sean Connery
as King Arthur
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Richard Gere
as Lancelot
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Julia Ormond
as Guinevere
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Ben Cross
as Malagant
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Liam Cunningham
as Sir Agravaine
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Christopher Villiers
as Sir Kay
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Susan Breslau
as Wedding Guest
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Susannah Corbett
as Young Woman in Crowd
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John Gielgud
as Oswald
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Tom Lucy
as Sir Sagramore
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Valentine Pelka
as Sir Patrise
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Neville Phillips
as Elder
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Eric Stone
as Guard
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Ryan Todd
as Young Lancelot
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Charlotte Zucker
as Bread Vendor
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Mark Ryan
as Challenger
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Albie Woodington
as Scout
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Colin McCormack
as Sir Mador
- Ralph Ineson
- Stuart Bunce



