I walk on a street named Camelot Court. I think about the Arthurian legend and how an idyllic existence crumbled. It certainly fueled the drama of interpretations on the stage and in the cinema. The characters were larger than life — and yet flawed — which resonated with the public. I think I saw the movie musical “Camelot” five or six times. The fifth or sixth time, I did notice a small band-aid on Arthur’s neck. The music made my soul soar to unknown heights. The picture painted on the screen was a thrilling portrait of a beautiful utopia. What’s not to love? From the lyrics to the theme song:
In short there’s simply not
A more congenial spot
For happily-ever-aftering
Than here in Camelot.
According to Wikipedia, Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle — an early 13th-century Arthurian literary cycle consisting of interconnected prose episodes of chivalric romance in Old French — eventually came to be described as the fantastic capital of Arthur's realm and a symbol of the Arthurian world.
The stories locate it somewhere in Great Britain and sometimes associate it with real cities, though more usually its precise location is not revealed. Most scholars regard it as being entirely fictional, its unspecified geography being perfect for chilvaric romance writers. Nevertheless, arguments about the location of the "real Camelot" have occurred since the 15th century and continue to rage today in popular works and for tourism purposes.
Etymology
The name's derivation is uncertain. It has numerous different spellings in medieval French Arthurian romances, including Camaalot, Camalot, Chamalot, Camehelot (sometimes read as Camchilot), Camaaloth, Caamalot, Camahaloth, Camaelot, Kamaalot, Kamaaloth, Kaamalot, Kamahaloth, Kameloth, Kamaelot, Kamelot, Kaamelot, Cameloth, and Gamalaot. Arthurian scholar Ernst Brugger suggested that it was a corruption of the site of Arthur's final battle, the Battle of Camlann, in Welsh tradition. Roger Sherman Loomis believed it was derived from Cavalon, a place name that he suggested was a corruption of Avalon. He further suggested that Cavalon became Arthur's capital due to confusion with Arthur's other traditional court at Caerleon.
Others have suggested a derivation from the British Iron Age and Romano-British place name Camulodunum, the Ancient Roman name for what is now Colchester in Essex and one of the first capitals of Roman Britain which would have significance in Romano-British culture. Indeed, John Morris, the English historian who specialized in the study of the institutions of the Roman Empire and the history of Sub-Roman Britain, suggested in his book “The Age of Arthur” that as the descendants of Romanized Britons looked back to a golden age of peace and prosperity under Rome, the name "Camelot" of Arthurian legend may have referred to the capital of Britannia — Camulodunum — in Roman times. It is unclear, however, where Chrétien de Troyes would have encountered the name Camulodunum, or why he would render it as Camaalot, though Urban T. Holmes argued in 1929 that Chrétien had access to Book 2 of Pliny’s “Natural History,” where it is rendered as Camaloduno. Given Chrétien's known tendency to create new stories and characters, being the first to mention the hero Lancelot’s's love affair with Queen Guinevere for example, the name might also be entirely invented.
Medieval literature
Arthur's court at Camelot is mentioned for the first time in Chrétien's poem “Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart,”, dating to the 1170s, though it does not appear in all the manuscripts. In the tale, the court is mentioned only in passing and is not described:
A un jor d'une Acenssion / Fu venuz de vers Carlion / Li rois Artus et tenu ot / Cort molt riche a Camaalot, / Si riche com au jor estut. King Arthur, one Ascension Day, had left Caerleon and held a most magnificent court at Camelot with all the splendour appropriate to the day.
Nothing in Chrétien's poem suggests the level of importance Camelot would have in later romances. For Chrétien, Arthur's chief court was in Caerleon in Wales; this was the king's primary base in Geoffrey of Monmouth's “Historia Regum Britanniae” and subsequent literature. Chrétien depicts Arthur, like a typical medieval monarch, holding court at a number of cities and castles.
It is not until the 13th-century French prose romances, including the Vulgate and Post-Vulgate cycles, that Camelot began to supersede Caerleon, and even then, many descriptive details applied to Camelot derive from Geoffrey's earlier grand depiction of the Welsh town. Most Arthurian romances of this period produced in English or Welsh did not follow this trend; Camelot was referred to infrequently, and usually in translations from French. One exception is “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” which locates Arthur's court at "Camelot;" however, in Britain, Arthur's court was generally located at Caerleon, or at Carlisle, which is usually identified with the "Carduel" of the French romances.
The Lancelot-Grail cycle and the texts it influenced depict the city of Camelot as standing along a river, downstream from Astolat. It is surrounded by plains and forests, and its magnificent cathedral, St. Stephen’s, originally established by Josephus, the son of Joseph of Arimathea, is the religious center for Arthur's Knights of the Round Table. There, Arthur and Guinevere are married, and there are the tombs of many kings and knights. In a mighty castle stands the Round Table, created by Merlin and Uther Pendragon; it is here that Galahad conquers the Siege Periolous, and where the knights see a vision of the Holy Grail and swear to find it. Jousts are often held in a meadow outside the city.
Its imprecise geography serves the romances well, as Camelot becomes less a literal place than a powerful symbol of Arthur's court and universe. There is also a Kamaalot featured as the home of Percival's mother in the romance “Perlesvaus.” In “Palamedes” and some other works, including the Post-Vulgate cycle, King Arthur's Camelot is eventually razed to the ground by the treacherous King Mark of Cornwall — who had besieged it earlier — in his invasion of Logres after the Battle of Camlann. In the “Tavola Ritonda,” Camelot falls to ruin after the death of Arthur.
From Geoffrey's grand description of Caerleon, Camelot gains its impressive architecture, its many churches and the chivalry and courtesy of its inhabitants. Geoffrey's description in turn drew on an already established tradition in Welsh oral tradition of the grandeur of Arthur's court. The tale “Culhwch and Olwen,” associated with the “Mabinogion” and perhaps first written in the 11th century, draws a dramatic picture of Arthur's hall and his many powerful warriors who go from there on great adventures, placing it in Celliwig, an uncertain locale in Cornwall.
Although the court at Celliwig is the most prominent in remaining early Welsh manuscripts, the various versions of the Welsh Triads agree in giving Arthur multiple courts, one in each of the areas inhabited by the Celtic Britons: Cornwall, Wales and the Hen Ogledd. This perhaps reflects the influence of widespread oral traditions common by the ninth century which are recorded in various place names and features such as Arthur’s Seat, indicating Arthur was a hero known and associated with many locations across Brittonic areas of Britain as well as Brittany. Even at this stage, Arthur could not be tied to one location. Many other places are listed as a location where Arthur holds court in the later romances, Carlisle and London perhaps being the most prominent.
In the 15th century, the English writer Thomas Malory created the image of Camelot most familiar today in his “Le Morte d’Arthur,”, a work based mostly on the French romances. He firmly identifies Camelot with Winchester in England, an identification that remained popular over the centuries, though it was rejected by Malory's own editor, William Caxton, who preferred a Welsh location.
1960 Stage Musical “Camelot”
“Camelot” is a musical by Alan Jay Lerner (book and lyrics) and Frederick Loewe (music). It is based on the King Arthur legend as adapted from T.H. White's 1958 novel “The Once and Future King.”
The original 1960 production, directed by Moss Hart with orchestrations by Robert Rusell Bennett and Philip J Lang, ran on Broadway for 873 performances, winning four Tony Awards and spawning several revivals, foreign productions and the 1967 Warner Bros. film “Camelot.” The musical has become associated with the Kennedy Administration, which is sometimes called the "Camelot Era.”
Background
In 1959, Alan Jay Lerner and Moss Hart decided to adapt T. H. White's “The Once and Future King” as their next project. As discussed in Lerner's 1978 book, “The Street Where I Live,” Frederick Loewe, who initially had no interest in the project, agreed to write music, with the understanding that if things went badly, it would be his last score. After the tremendous success of “My Fair Lady,” expectations were high for a new Lerner and Loewe musical. However, the show's production met several obstacles. Lerner's wife left him during the writing process, causing him to seek medical attention and delaying the production.
When “Camelot” began rehearsals, it still needed considerable work. However, the producers were able to secure a strong cast, including Julie Andrews, Richard Burton and Roddy McDowall, as well as Robert Goulet in his first Broadway role. John Cullum also made his Broadway debut as Sir Dinadan; Bruce Yarnell was Sir Lionel. Cullum later replaced McDowall, and William Squire replaced Burton. Other replacements included Patricia Bredin (as of April 16, 1962), Kathryn Grayson (as of October 23, 1962) and Janet Pavek (as of July 9, 1962) for Andrews.
Tryouts and promotion
The show premiered in Toronto, at the O’Keefe on October 1, 1960. It overran drastically — it was supposed to last two hours and 40 minutes, and instead clocked in at four and a half hours. The curtain came down at 20 minutes to one in the morning; Lerner later noted that "Only “Tristan and Isolde” equaled it as a bladder endurance contest." Noel Coward is supposed to have remarked that the show was "longer than the Götterdämmerung ... and not nearly as funny!" In spite of this, the morning papers gave generally positive reviews, but hinted that the show needed much work i.e., drastic editing, in order to succeed. Soon afterwards, Lerner was hospitalized for three weeks with a bleeding ulcer. Soon after he was discharged, Hart suffered his second heart attack, and Lerner stepped in as temporary director for the rest of the out-of-town run. “Camelot” then moved to Boston, edited, but still running well over the intended length. The production team tried to find another director, even phoning José Ferrer, who could not undertake the job. Lerner and Loewe disagreed on how to proceed with the show, as Loewe did not want to make any major changes without Hart's guidance. Lerner wrote: "God knows what would have happened had it not been for Richard Burton." Accepting cuts and changes, he radiated a "faith and geniality" and calmed the fears of the cast. Guinevere's song "Before I Gaze at You Again" was given to Andrews at the last minute before the first New York preview, which provoked her famous quote, "Of course, darling, but do try to get it to me the night before." After the show opened on Broadway, Hart was released from the hospital, and he and Lerner began cutting the play even further. Two songs, "Then You May Take Me To the Fair" and "Fie on Goodness," were cut a few months into the run — though they remain on the cast album, and the former featured in the 1967 film.
The New York critics' reviews of the original production were mixed. However, Ed Sullivan approached Lerner and Loewe to create a segment for his television variety program, celebrating the fifth anniversary of “My Fair Lady.” They decided to do very little from their previous hit and instead to perform four highlights from “Camelot.” The show stimulated ticket sales, and “Camelot” achieved an unprecedented advance sale of $3.5 million. Robert Goulet received favorable reviews, most notably for his rendition of the show-stopping romantic ballad "If Ever I Would Leave You", which became his signature song.
Aftermath
After “Camelot’s” run, Goulet appeared on “The Danny Thomas Show” and “The Ed Sullivan Show,” which made him a household name among American audiences.
The show's original cast recording was favorite bedtime listening for President John F. Kennedy, who was Lerner's classmate at Harvard University. Kennedy's favorite lines were in the final number in which Arthur knights a young boy and tells him to pass on the story of Camelot to future generations:
Don't let it be forgot That once there was a spot, For one brief, shining moment That was known as Camelot.
Since then, “Camelot” has been associated with the Kennedy Administration.
The obstacles encountered in producing “Camelot” were hard on the creative partnership of Lerner and Loewe, and the show turned out to be one of their last collaborations — although they did work together to adapt their 1958 movie “Gigi” to the stage in 1973, and collaborated again the following year on the movie musical “The Little Prince.” “Camelot” was Hart's last Broadway show. He died of a heart attack in Palm Springs, California, on December 20, 1961.
1967 Musical Film “Camelot”
“Camelot”” is a 1967 American musical drama fantasy film directed by Joshua Logan and starring Richard Harris as King Arthur, Vanessa Redgrave as Guinevere and Franco Nero as Lancelot. The film is an adaptation of the 1960 stage musical of the same name by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe. Lerner also wrote the screenplay.
In April 1961, the rights to produce a film adaptation of “Camelot” were obtained by Warner Bros. with Lerner attached to write the screenplay. However, the film was temporarily shelved as the studio decided to adapt “My Fair Lady” into a feature film first. In 1966, development resumed with the hiring of Logan as director. Original cast members Richard Burton and Julie Andrews were approached to reprise their roles from the stage musical, but both declined and were replaced with Harris and Redgrave. Filming took place on location in Spain and on the Warner Bros. studio lot in Burbank, California.
The film was released on October 25, 1967 to mixed to negative reviews from film critics but was a commercial success, grossing $31.5 million on a $13 million budget, becoming the tenth highest grossing film of 1967. The film received five nominations at the 40th Academy Awards and won three; Best Score, Best Production Design and Best Costume Design.
Casting of musical
Warner approached Burton to reprise his stage role as Arthur, but he demanded a higher salary than the studio was willing to pay, in which the negotiations ceased. In his place, Peter O’Toole, Gregory Peck and Marlon Brando were considered. While filming “Hawaii” in 1966, Richard Harris learned of “Camelot” and actively sought for the role. For four months, Harris sent complimentary letters, cables and offers for a screen test to Lerner, Logan and Jack Warner indicating his interest in the role. Logan refused his offer due to his lack of singing abilities. When Logan returned to The Dorchester after having his morning jog, Harris ambushed him again about the role in which Logan finally relented as he offered to pay for his own screen test. Harris later hired cinematographer Nicolas Roeg to direct his screen test — which impressed Logan and Warner — who both agreed to hire him.
For the role of Guinevere, Julie Andrews, Audrey Hepburn and Julie Christie were on the studio's shortlist, while Jack Warner separately considered Polly Bergen, Ann-Margaret and Mitzi Gaynor. Andrews had learned of the film while also filming “Hawaii,” but she declined. However, Logan desperately wanted to cast Vanessa Redgrave after seeing her performance in “Morgan – A Suitable Case for Treatment in 1966. However, he had to wait several months as Redgrave was performing in the stage play “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.” Despite her not being a traditional singer, Logan was impressed by her renditions of folk songs that he listened to. The studio was initially reluctant due to her left-wing activism, but Logan negotiated for her casting until after she fulfilled her stage commitments. Redgrave was signed in November 1966 for $200,000 and permitted to do her own singing.
Although the studio initially sought a Frenchman, Italian actor Franco Nero was cast as Lancelot based on the recommendation from Harris and John Huston who worked with Nero on “The Bible: In the Beginning…” in 1966. Although Logan was aware of Nero's thick Italian accent, he initially permitted him to do his own singing. The first scene shot was his performance of the musical number "C'est Moi," by which Logan found Nero's singing voice incompatible with the song's musical arrangement. His singing voice was dubbed by Gene Merlino while Nero was given a speech coach to help improve his English.
Filming of musical
Richard H. Kline came to attention of Logan after he watched the footage from “Chamber of Horrors” in 1966, which contained medieval castle doors with a carriage drawn by a team of gray horses rolling through a bricked courtyard that had been shot with muted colors of the woods and mist. Impressed, Logan hired Kline as cinematographer. For “Camelot,” Kline wanted to shoot the film in a more authentically textured style rather than the polished look of Hollywood musicals.
As his first film credit, 29-year-old Australian set designer John Truscott — who created the sets for the London and Melbourne stage productions of “Camelot,” was hired as production designer. According to Logan, Truscott envisioned the visual design that resembled "neither Gothic or Romanesque but an in between period, suggesting a legendary time.” The Castillo de Coca near Segovia, Spain was the inspiration for the film's production design, which was recreated on the studio backlot in Burbank, California. The finished castle became the largest set ever constructed at the time, measuring 400 by 300 feet, with the reported cost covered roughly $500,000. Logan later explained that, "It was absolutely necessary since we expect to do everything right in this picture — even to matching Spanish and Hollywood cobblestones."
In September 1966, shooting commenced on location in Spain intended for a 30-day shooting schedule. For the exterior sets, Logan selected seven castles on the country's mainland and another one on the island of Majorca, of which included the Alcázar of Segovia that was used as Lancelot de Luc's castle and the Medina del Campo. However, the location shoot experienced setbacks due to the country's rainfall and high temperature in which filming finished 12 days behind schedule. In total, the shoot yielded half an hour of usable footage. With production underway, Jack Warner decided that “Camelot” would be his last film he would produce for the studio. On November 14, 1966, he sold a substantial share of studio stock to Seven Arts Productions. The sale was finalized on November 27, which yielded approximately $32 million in cash.
Following the location shoot in Spain, the filming unit took a seven-week hiatus until Vanessa Redgrave completed her role in “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.” By then, 15 of the studio's 23 stage sets were occupied for “Camelot.” Filming was further complicated when Harris required 12 facial stitches after he fell down in his shower. Against the doctor's orders, the stitches reopened when Harris went out to party, which further delayed his recovery. Plastic surgery was later applied to disguise the wound.
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