Arthur: King of the Britons

How perfectly fitting for one of Richard Harris's last appearances to be the host of a television documentary on King Arthur. He loved playing the role, on stage and screen, and as he opens the episode by saying, "I am Arthur, King of the Britons! Well, okay, I'm Richard Harris, but I did play Arthur in the Hollywood musical Camelot over thirty years ago," it just warms your heart. My favorite moment of the whole hour was, of course, when Richard described the real Arthur's likely appearance, with battle scars on his face and a grizzly beard. He "would have been far less refined, and probably far less good looking than the medieval king I played in Camelot." Following such a cute admission is a closeup from the 1967 film, followed by a little smirk in 2002.

If you're in it for the history rather than the cute mugging, you'll be very satisfied. Historians and archaeologists join in, sharing ancient tombs, geographical discoveries, and ancient texts that give us more insight on the legendary king. We get to see where "Camelot" likely stood, and thanks to modern technology, we get to see digital recreations of rooms, castles, and entire villages. Of course, there are the cheesy (but fun) "historical reenactments" that show bearded warrior swinging swords and magicians mixing potions, coinciding with Richard's narration of Excalibur and Merlin.

Since I went into this not knowing anything about the time period, so I was fascinated and very entertained. I loved learning the tradition of throwing swords into lakes, and how the "sword in the stone" legend was based in blacksmithing. Check this little hour out for a weekend matinee and say farewell to two legends.