Mordred


Alright, I know we're all supposed to hate Mordred because he's evil, etc., but in this film, Mordred was one of my favorite characters. David Hemmings was just so utterly entertaining. Anyone else agree?

The more he bleeds, the more her lives
He never forgets and he never forgives

reply


I love Mordred! He has the bitchiest lines to say. He predated Joan Collins in the bitchy department!

reply

Mordred's position as Arthur's bastard son is no secret. He has to use his charm to bring the knights of the court under his influence.

reply

[deleted]

[deleted]

Could "david hemmings" sing? This is often the reason they cut a song. Especialy when the character only has one song. An example is "oliver reed" in "oliver", if "Tommy" is anything to go by.

reply

"Seven Deadly Virtues" and "Fie on Goodness" were two of the best songs in the orginal play, and the movie cut them both. Too bad: they might have leavened the sickening whimsy of the movie.
Typical lyric from "Fie on Goodness": "When I think of the rollicking pleasures that earlier filled my life/ like the time I beheaded a man who was beating his naked wife.../ I can still hear his widow say, never moving from where she lay:/ 'Tell me, what may I do, I beg sir of you, your kindness to repay?'"
The source material ("The Once and Future King" and "Le Morte Arthur") was full of sex and violence, which is at the core of the tragedy of Arthur and his knights. Reportedly one of the reasons the movie was such a bomb was that it was perceived as toothless and sentimental--espec for that turbulent year (1967).

reply

Im happy those songs didnt make it

Perfection in darkness

reply

Agreed, two of the best show songs ever!

"...my heart is still in Scotland, where the lassies woo the best... "

Cheers!

_______________________
What in the wide, wide world of sports is a-goin' on here?

reply

Fie on Goodness was actually cut from the original production after the cast album was made. There were a lot of revisions to the show after it opened.

When I saw the film the first time, I thought for sure that when we see the knights fighting on the table, that would lead into the song, but no.

reply

Oh yeah. Mordred can be played very well. There's a lot a good actor can do with the role. You can make him somewhat sympathetic (he had the childhood from heck) and try to give him motivation, which I have seen played very well, but you can also go whole enchilada on the evil thing, which I have also seen done really well.

Red, blue, and green are all real colors. Yellow is a mystical experience shared by everyone.

reply

[deleted]

I'd have left his two songs in.Indeed,remembering the throne scene with Mordred alone,was the first originally included?

reply

SDV is a good song without a doubt, but I'm glad they left it out. It almost makes Mordred more menacing: the fact that he doesn't sing while almost everybody else does. Also I LOVE the way the throne room scene ends in the movie. Arthur leaves and as soon as Mordred makes sure the coast is clear, he runs up to the throne and jumps into it like an excited little kid, even hanging his hat on the little gargoyle above it. I'm always struck by how childlike he seems in this scene; not unlike Arthur, but much darker. It's funny and chilling. A song would have lessened the effect.

I would have loved to have seen Fie on Goodness. Definitely one of my favorites and some much needed humor in the midst of all the ugliness. I wonder if Fie on Goodness was cut completely after the first Broadway run. It was cut from the movie, the Richard Harris revival (at least the filmed show), and the PBS broadcast.

My favorite song that was cut from the movie was Follow Me, which is one of my favorite songs in the show. But there is that beautiful alternate version in the movie--which gave me chills the first time I heard it and is SOOOO perfect for the scene--so I don't mind.




Now Father, you're living in the past. This is the 14th century!

reply

The actor did a great job playing Mordred, but I did not like the character at all. I think Guinevere would have eventually realized she really loved Arthur and would have went back to him, but Mordred interfered and trapped them because of his greed and hatred for Arthur.

"Do All Things For God's Glory"-1 Corinthians 10:31
I try doing this with my posts

reply