Lancelot of the Lake [Lancelot du Lac] ***** (1974, Luc Simon, Laura Duke Condominas, Humbert Balsan) – Classic Movie Review 3652

Masterly writer-director Robert Bresson lets his spare shooting style loose on the Arthurian legend in this mesmerising 1974 French film of great formal beauty, spotlighting the characters’ cruelty, pride and aching need for human affection.

Luc Simon and Laura Duke Condominas star as Lancelot du Lac and Queen Guinevere, and also in the predominantly amateur cast are Humbert Balsan as Gawain, Vladimir Antolek-Oresek as King Arthur, Patrick Bernard [Bernhard] as Mordred and Arthur De Montalembert as Lionel.

Bresson manipulates his images and sounds with particular mastery and brings a human dimension to the Knights of the Round Table who are despondent upon their return to Camelot after failing to discover the Holy Grail. Bresson films with an intentional lack of emotion in the performances, and reduces the fantastical elements of the Grail legend in an unglamorous depiction of the Middle Ages that emphasises blood and grime instead of the escapist fantasy of most movie versions.

With this spare, realist, unheroic approach, Bresson de-constructs the legend and creates his own unique auteur’s version of the story. It is great film making.

Pasquale De Santis’s shimmering cinematography is a major factor in the film’s success and Philippe Sarde’s score is another strong asset.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 3652
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