...a grand Lerner and Loewe musical presented in grand fashion.
The sets are lavish, the art direction, costumes, and music won Academy Awards; and, needless to say, the songs are still the songs, among them "I Wonder What the King is Doing Tonight," "The Simple Joys of Maidenhood," "C'est Moi," "The Lusty Month of May," "How to Handle a Woman," "If Ever I Should Leave You," "I Loved You Once in Silence," and, of course, the title tune, "Camelot." They are as beautiful as ever.
Video:
It had been over thirty years since I last saw "Camelot" in Panavision, and it was good to see everything in its place again. The 2.35:1 ratio widescreen offers a story filmed mainly in earth tones but nonetheless in good, if sometimes muted, detail. I saw no scratches, glitches, or artifacts of any kind on this basically pristine print.
Audio:
The movie's two-channel sound has been remixed in Dolby Digital 5.1 to good effect, giving it a very wide stereo spread and plenty of left and right rear-channel ambiance, most noticeable in the musical numbers. In addition, the tonal balance is quite natural and there is very little tape hiss, so I have to give the audio high marks in spite of its age.
Extras:
Extensive notes, a ten-minute featurette on the making of the film, a twenty-five minute documentary on the film's premiere, and an alternative, music-only soundtrack comprise the disc's major additional features. What's more, everything is presented on a single, dual-layered side with a changeover so subtle I wasn't even aware of it.
Parting Thoughts:
"Camelot" has its critics, to be sure, but I am not one of them. It is an epic musical of heroic dimensions; a sentimental, idealistic, romantic piece of adventure fluff that I continue to enjoy. I shall remember "Camelot" for more than "one, brief shining moment." It has already been half a lifetime.
Video:
It had been over thirty years since I last saw "Camelot" in Panavision, and it was good to see everything in its place again. The 2.35:1 ratio widescreen offers a story filmed mainly in earth tones but nonetheless in good, if sometimes muted, detail. I saw no scratches, glitches, or artifacts of any kind on this basically pristine print.
Audio:
The movie's two-channel sound has been remixed in Dolby Digital 5.1 to good effect, giving it a very wide stereo spread and plenty of left and right rear-channel ambiance, most noticeable in the musical numbers. In addition, the tonal balance is quite natural and there is very little tape hiss, so I have to give the audio high marks in spite of its age.
Extras:
Extensive notes, a ten-minute featurette on the making of the film, a twenty-five minute documentary on the film's premiere, and an alternative, music-only soundtrack comprise the disc's major additional features. What's more, everything is presented on a single, dual-layered side with a changeover so subtle I wasn't even aware of it.
Parting Thoughts:
"Camelot" has its critics, to be sure, but I am not one of them. It is an epic musical of heroic dimensions; a sentimental, idealistic, romantic piece of adventure fluff that I continue to enjoy. I shall remember "Camelot" for more than "one, brief shining moment." It has already been half a lifetime.
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]206[/release]