Additionally, Redgrave's Guenevere feels very much a product of a different time (and not an Arthurian one) with her desire to have people maim, kill, and perform other horribly heroic (or terribly devious) deeds to express their love. We see this in no fewer than three of her songs "The Simple Joys of Maidenhood," "The Lusty Month of May," and "Then You May Take me to the Fair." Taken as a whole, these three songs paint her character as terribly unlikable – it may be Mordred (David Hemmings) who wants to destroy Arthur's kingdom, but Guenevere's actions are always going to cause a problem, whether or not Mordred is there to take advantage of the situation.
The one exception to this singing being better rule is Lancelot's song "C'est Moi." More than other songs, it is clear that Nero is not doing the singing here (Gene Merlino is given the credit), and it is one of those overly comedic moments in the film. The song is all about how Lancelot can do anything and everything and remains relatively humble at the same time. For those who haven't seen Camelot, imagine Gaston's self-titled song from Disney's Beauty and the Beast with lyrics just outlandish but played in a more straight manner. Between Guenevere's attitude and Lancelot's it is a wonder that Arthur can possibly stand either and that he doesn't boot them both out of the kingdom and be done with it.
Whatever emotionally false notes the story has in this day and age, the music of Alan Lerner and Frederick Loewe make up for it. The songs, from first to last, are wondrous. They, unlike the rest of the film, strike the perfect balance between drama and comedy. One will want to listen to them over and over again. Of course, to realize that it is the music that is the most worthwhile part of the film, one has to actually see the movie (simply hearing the soundtrack might confuse one into thinking the movie is better than it is)
Those songs, and in fact the entire production, is presented here beautifully. It isn't terribly striking visually (the film is at times dark and often intentionally shot with soft focus), but it is clear that much effort has gone into cleaning up the print and offering up the best presentation possible, including eliminating dirt and scratches without losing grain. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, however, is really where things excel. As stated, the music is the reason to watch this movie and it sounds absolutely spectacular here. There are no crackles nor pops to speak of, and all the dialogue is clear and clean. And that music rings free and clear and loud and is simply incredible in its presentation.
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