Zucker sees "First Knight" not only as an adventure but as a romantic, inviting look at medieval life. "I always wanted Camelot to be a place where everyone would want to live," he says.
Legendary production designer John Box used very few existing structures in designing the look of "First Knight." Working closely with the art department over a period of five months, Box created Camelot, Leonesse, a hill village and various other sites of the film from the ground up. "It's critical for the audience to feel this sense of Camelot, the tradition of Camelot," says Box, whose work on such classics as "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Dr. Zhivago" has earned him multiple awards. "It stands for hope -- hope for better things in life, and that's why the tradition lingers on. That's why we're making the movie."
"He really thinks of what emotion his designs will give to the audience," says Zucker. "How does he give the story what it wants? He was the one who first said to me, 'Camelot has to be masculine and Leonesse has to be feminine.' He turned out to be right about everything"
The film's principal locations were in the grounds of Pinewood Studios. The towers of Camelot rose six stories above the trees of Pinewood's backlot where only a dusty, open field existed before. Pinewood's orchard area, which was the site of "The Secret Garden," became the town of Leonesse, home of the Lady Guinevere. The town featured a castle, a church, cottages, shops and cobbled streets methodically designed, constructed and aged to represent a medieval village.
"Camelot's kind of like the future, where Leonesse is more of a traditional great old village," adds Hunt Lowry. "It's a great place to grow up and live your life, whereas Camelot's like New York or London, but more Utopian."
"When you first see Leonesse, this feminine aspect, you have Malagant attacking the hill village," says Box. "So, I said to Jerry, let's have a gentle windmill window sail going around to contrast with the violence, and that's your introduction to a key character. That's part of a designer's job."
Costumes:
Costume designer Nana Cecchi worked closely with Jerry Zucker on his vision of reinventing a look for this period, incorporating sharp, modern lines and distinctly different color groups for the different areas in which the film takes place. Leonesse, Guinevere's home, is painted in warm terra cotta hues; while in Camelot, a more modern town than Leonesse, simple lines and cool blues, grays and whites were used.
"I've never worked with a costume designer who has had so much input in other directions," comments Zucker. "When I was shooting the battle, she brought me Paolo Uccelo books and said, 'Look at this painting; this is what your battle should look like.'"
The Gauntlet:
One of the most challenging aspects of the production was the creation of the Gauntlet, a game that tests the wit and dexterity of the young visitors to Camelot. For this, the filmmakers brought in accomplished special effects supervisor George Gibbs, who earned Academy Awards(R) for his special effects work on "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" as well as "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?"
"George Gibbs initially built models of the Gauntlet and we would play with them in the office," says Zucker. "We were like a bunch of kids sitting on the floor and playing with this thing. I knew the Gauntlet would be great when I took a video camera and filmed a little toy man in the middle of the model, and I said, 'George, we've got to go all the way with this thing. We've got to make it big.'"
Locations:
In North Wales, the filmmakers' only distant location, the nuclear power station at Trawsfynydd, no longer in operation, became the exterior of Camelot. A vast lake in North Wales with a causeway provided the entrance to Camelot, where Arthur first welcomes Guinevere to his kingdom. "Wales has hardly changed since medieval times," says Box.
"Our first decision was to set Camelot on a lake with a causeway to cross, which makes it special," says Zucker.
Cinematographer Adam Greenberg helped Zucker actualize what he wanted to see in the finished film, and their work together shaped the movie. "Adam and I would go to the location on weekends and look at the different sets through a viewfinder," says Zucker. "We'd look for different places and angles, and new ideas."
Also in North Wales, a slate mine was pressed into service as the fortress lair of Arthur's foe, Malagant. "I said, 'No more corny castles,'" says Box. "I knew that there were slate pits in Wales, so I said, 'Let's take Malagant underground into his own strange, cavernous world.'"
King Arthur's battle encampment was created on a massive field at Stratfield. A hill village, boasting thatched structures (including a barn so authentic that the authorities requested that it remain after filming is completed) was built on National Trust land.
For the marriage of Arthur and Guinevere, the filmmakers chose the medieval St. Albans Cathedral. This grand cathedral was built in 1077, but had alterations and extensions built well into the 19th century.
Readying for Battle:
The task of bringing to life the medieval pageantry, adventure and romance of "First Knight" required the talents of a unusual group of specialists. Among them was swordmaster Bob Anderson, who worked with Richard Gere and other cast members in the art of battling with a broadsword. Anderson was impressed with Gere's swordsmanship and athletic ability: "I'm delirious about Richard Gere," he says, "very excited indeed. Not only is he a good athlete, but he is a dedicated actor who knows that it won't look good unless you train."
"He's athletic and graceful," adds Zucker, "but he really worked hard to get in shape and master the swords."
Medieval weapons expert John Waller was a technical advisor for "First Knight." Waller, who performs demonstrations of medieval archery and swordplay throughout England, has also trained many of England's finest drama students in the art of feigning battle.
Armorer Terry English and his staff worked around the clock for six weeks to make almost 300 suits of full body armor for "First Knight," as well as creating horse armor worn by the over 200 horses in the production. It is the largest amount of armor ever made for a film.
"First Knight" features several large-scale scenes, including battles and celebrations, which employed as many as 200 horses and 250 riders and stuntmen. Often as many as five cameras, a steadicam, cranes and tracking vehicles captured the action sequences.
"First Knight" began principal photography on July 25, 1994 and wrapped production on November 11, 1994.
