Lancelot Du Lac (1974)

Set after the failure of the quest for the Holy Grail, the surviving knights of Arthur's legendary round table return in defeat to their King. The Arthurian legend of the Knights Of The Round Table is given an austere, stripped down exercise in asceticism from director Robert Bresson (DIARY OF A COUNTRY PRIEST). Clearly not interested in the romanticism of the legend, Bresson uses amateur actors (and it shows) who say lines rather than act. Passion, a strong component in the Lancelot and Guinevere portion of the legend, is totally absent. Their fate, as well as everyone around them, is preordained yet they still fight against the inevitable. Even the jousting tournaments are shown in fragments with no tension or excitement. This lacklustre approach, while cerebrally intriguing, makes for a rather sterile film. Bresson introduces characters in pieces. They enter a frame by their legs, their shoulders, their backs as if their faces were irrelevant. Bresson amplifies the sound so that the clanking of their armor sounds like thunder and the neighing of a horse in the distance (repeated so often that it almost becomes a joke) sounds like a scream. The score, what there is of it, is by Philippe Sarde. While I can admire Bresson's intentions (beautifully photographed by Pasqualino De Santis), it's a cold, cold piece of work.