Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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54 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best recording of the score, July 31, 1999
I know this opinion may be controversial,but as far as I am concerned,this is the best recording of "Camelot" ever done. Although Richard Burton was a magnificent actor,his performance on the original cast LP was too uninflected--he simply sang the songs and recited the lines. Julie Andrews is one of my favorite musical stars, but she came across on the album as full of sweetness and devoid of the sweeping romantic passion Guenevere is supposed to have. Robert Goulet,on the other hand,was immensely successful with his songs.
In contrast, Richard Harris,on this CD (and NOT the mediocre 1980's revival),gives the performance of his life as King Arthur,avoiding,under Joshua Logan's direction, the outrageous hamming of the later stage revival. His Arthur is human,touching,and vulnerable,and Harris fills his songs with all sorts of voice inflections (he half-speaks,half-sings) that give the role true depth (those who want to see his entire performance should see the film - his acting is postively Shakespearean). Vanessa Redgrave,with a small, but appealing and immensely sexy singing voice, also brings out more of the character of Guenevere. Gene Merlino, who dubbed Franco Nero's Lancelot, is just OK with the songs, but even his "acting" is good. The sumptuous orchestrations are far more imposing than Robert Russell Bennett and Phil Lang's were in the stage version, and Bennett was a very good orchestrator, so you can imagine how good these new ones are.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Life-Long Favorite Soundtrack, Now My Kids Love It Too..., June 6, 2000
After wearing out my cassette of this soundtrack, I decided to buy the CD. Mistakenly bought the original Broadway cast production, I felt it lacked alot of the nuances, intensity & drama of the movie soundtrack. We LOVE this CD. My children have listened to it since they were 2 or 3 years old, & now at 9 & 11 yrs old, still don't care for Broadway show/type musicals or soundtracks except for this one. I have always felt there was something magical about the story, the movie & the music - apparently have passed it on to another generation.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
fine, but stick to the OBC, August 13, 2004
The film version of CAMELOT ended up being a none-too-flattering vision of the original Lerner-Loewe musical. Directed by Joshua Logan and starring Richard Harris and Vanessa Redgrave, the movie was a modest success, it's long running-time and slow pace the main factors it it's failure. The soundtrack album is a delight, however. Vanessa Redgrave makes for an interesting Guenevere, singing in a charming speak-sing fashion (a la Rex Harrison in MY FAIR LADY), and makes the role her own. Those asking why Julie Andrews missed out on recreating her stage role should be aware that Miss Andrews was approached but had commitments to several films at the time (STAR!, THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE and TORN CURTAIN).
Richard Harris went on to play King Arthur again in several big revivals of CAMELOT including the 1982 London production w/ Fiona Fullerton as well as the Australian tour shortly afterward. Franco Nero (with a voice dubbed by Gene Merlino) is a romantic Lancelot. Redgrave is most charming with her flirtatious "Take Me to the Fair", though her "Simple Joys of Maidenhood" is lovely, and the resignation to her fate in "I Loved You Once in Silence" is truly heartbreaking.
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~ André Previn
~ Rodgers & Hammerstein
~ Alan Jay Lerner
~ Deborah Kerr
~ Richard Rodgers
by Frederick Loewe 
