Lancelot du Lac est un personnage du cycle des romans de la Table ronde et une figure emblématique de l'amour courtois. Apparu à la fin du XII siècle dans les œuvres de Chrétien de Troyes et d'Ulrich von Zatzikhoven, il devient rapidement l’un des personnages centraux de la légende arthurienne, notamment dans le roman de chevalerie dit Lancelot en prose ou Lancelot-Graal, écrit au XIII siècle.
Fils du roi Ban de Bénoïc, il se prénomme d’abord Galaad. Il est enlevé encore enfant par la fée Viviane, la Dame du Lac, qui le rebaptise Lancelot. Parvenu à l'âge adulte, il devient l’un des tous meilleurs chevaliers de la Table Ronde. Son amour pour la reine Guenièvre le rend impur, lui interdisant ainsi d'accomplir la quête du Graal (mais que réussira son fils Galaad). Cette « trahison » précipitera la fin du règne d’Arthur.
Lancelot du Lac demeure encore l'un des personnages les plus importants du cycle arthurien et ses aventures donnent lieu à de nombreuses adaptations modernes dans de nombreux domaines, tels que la littérature, le cinéma, la peinture, la musique, la bande-dessinée, les jeux, etc.
, 2h6 Directed byAntoine Fuqua OriginUSA GenresDrama, War, Action, Adventure, Historical, Peplum ThemesFilms set in Africa, Films about magic and magicians ActorsClive Owen, Keira Knightley, Ioan Gruffudd, Mads Mikkelsen, Joel Edgerton, Ray Winstone Rating62% Arthur (Clive Owen) is portrayed as a Roman cavalry officer, also known as Artorius Castus, the son of a Roman father and a Celtic mother, who commands a unit of Sarmatian auxiliary cavalry in Britain at the close of the Roman occupation in 467 A.D. Arthur is loyal to Rome and a devout Catholic, but follows the teachings of Pelagianism, which many consider heretical. He and his men guard Hadrian's Wall against the Woads, a group of native Britons who are rebels against Roman rule, led by the mysterious Merlin (Stephen Dillane).
, 2h20 Directed byJohn Boorman OriginUSA GenresDrama, Science fiction, Fantasy, Action, Adventure ThemesFilms about families, Films about magic and magicians, Films about sexuality ActorsNigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Nicholas Clay, Cherie Lunghi, Nicol Williamson, Paul Geoffrey Rating72% The sorcerer Merlin retrieves Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake for Uther Pendragon, who secures a brief alliance with Gorlois, the Duke of Cornwall. Uther's lust for Cornwall's wife Igrayne soon ruins the truce, and Merlin agrees to help Uther to seduce Igrayne on the condition that he gives Merlin whatever results from his lust. Merlin transforms Uther into Cornwall's likeness with the Charm of Making. Cornwall's daughter Morgana senses her father's mortal injury during his assault on Uther's camp and, while Igrayne is fooled by the disguise and Uther impregnates her, Morgana sees through it, watching Uther as Cornwall dies in battle. Nine months later, Merlin takes Uther's son Arthur. Uther pursues but is mortally wounded by Gorlois' knights. Uther thrusts Excalibur into a stone, and Merlin proclaims, "He who draws the sword from the stone, he shall be king.
, 1h20 Directed byRobert Bresson, Bernard Cohn OriginFrance GenresDrama, War, Fantasy, Historical, Romance ThemesFilms about magic and magicians ActorsLaura Duke Condominas, Luc Simon Rating68% King Arthur has sent out 100 knights to retrieve the Holy Grail. Arthur is dismayed when it turns out that the mission was futile and 70 knights have died in its course. Among those who have returned is the Queen's lover Lancelot. Soon Lancelot again takes part in a tournament. There he gets injured. While Lancelot seeks recovery in his own castle, Arthur learns about his wife's affair and, heavily agitated by Mordred, he puts Queen Guinevre in prison. With Lancelot's help she breaks out. Arthur starts immediately a campaign against the castle where the lovers were looking for shelter. During the siege Mordred Lancelet happens to kill his old mate Gawain. Driven by sorrow he tries to end the fight and wants to negotiate a treaty with King Arthur. When he witnesses how Mordred commits an attempt on Arthur he joins without hesitating the side of the king. In the end Arthur and Lancelot and all the other knights of the legendary round table are slaughtered.
, 1h55 Directed byRichard Thorpe OriginUSA GenresDrama, Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Romance ActorsRobert Taylor, Ava Gardner, Mel Ferrer, Anne Crawford, Stanley Baker, Laurence Harvey Rating61% With the land in anarchy, warring overlords, Arthur Pendragon (Mel Ferrer) and his half-sister Morgan LeFay (Anne Crawford) meet as arranged by the sorcerer Merlin (Felix Aylmer) to discuss how to end the bloodshed. Morgan maintains that as she is the only legitimate offspring of the late king, the throne belongs to her, but Merlin puts the adversaries to a test to determine England's rightful ruler. Merlin leads them to Excalbur, a sword embedded in an anvil, and says that according to legend, whoever can remove the sword shall be England's true sovereign. Morgan's knight champion Modred (Stanley Baker) tries in vain to extract the sword, but Arthur removes it easily. Mordred accuses Merlin of witchcraft, and a hearing is arranged with the Council of Kings at the circle of the stone. After advising Arthur that he must prove himself worthy of the throne by his deeds, Merlin instructs him to return the sword to the stone.
, 1h40 Directed byHenry Hathaway, Gerd Oswald, Richard Talmadge OriginUSA GenresAction, Adventure, Romance ThemesFilms about magic and magicians, Films set in the Viking Age, Children's films ActorsJames Mason, Janet Leigh, Robert Wagner, Debra Paget, Sterling Hayden, Victor McLaglen Rating61% The story begins with the recounting of the forced exile which has befallen the Christian royal family of the Viking kingdom of Scandia - King Aguar (Donald Crisp), his wife, and his son Prince Valiant (Robert Wagner) - by the Viking rebels led by the usurper Sligon (Primo Carnera), a worshipper of the old Norse god pantheon. Aguar has since come under the protection of King Arthur (Brian Aherne), and once Valiant has grown to a man, he is sent to Camelot to undergo training as a knight under the tutelage of Aguar's family friend, the noble knight of the Round Table, Sir Gawain (Sterling Hayden).