Although Ms. Redgrave did her best I think they should have used "dubber to the stars" Marni Nixon. She did it for WEST SIDE STORY, MY FAIR LADY, THE SECRET GARDEN, THE KING AND I, and AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER. Don't get me wrong I think Vanessa did a very good job with the role. She made the part her own but I think the songs would have been better if Marni sang the for her.
shareI love Vanessa Redgrave's natural singing. Both she and Richard Harris had the voices of folk singers which I feel was exactly right for the informal quality which director Joshua Logan intended for the film. Franco Nero's singing voice was, of course, dubbed (by Gene Merlino -- a fairly thrilling voice, for me). He had enough work cut out for him as an Italian acting in a French accent while speaking phonetic English; as a result most of his speaking performance is post-looped.
Doctor_Mabuse
Honestly, I'm angry that Julie Andrews (the original Broadway Guenevere) was not playing the part. I've the Broadway soundtrack and think she is much better. I think she would have been a much better actor and I think she's prettier. I just finished the movie about twenty minutes ago and as usual, bawled my eyes out (it's that very last stanza of the last song I'm telling you). Though it was fine, Julie would have been much better.
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i have just watched camelot for the first time and i think that julie would of been better in the film i wish i wuld of bin abvle to see her in the broadway version but bein only 17 i could not lol. julie is a much better actress and an outstaninding singer she shuld of done the film she is also far prettier than vanessa redgrave. the film is good just wish julie had been in it
sharegosh its ammazing that poeple can rite like this kinda depressing really
Actually, I like Richard Harris' voice- like Rex Harrison except better. I just watched the movie last night and, if I remember correctly, Nero only sang a couple songs anyway. I found his singing voice quite humorous next to his speaking voice.
I thought Richard Harris was dubbed. It says so in the trivia I thought....
-Elizabeth
http://geocities.com/lesmisforever
Well, the reason Julie was over looked was because director Joshua Logan said that Guenevere needed to look like she was worth losing all England for. That's why Vanessa was chosen. Because she WAS and still IS better looking than Julie. As for singing. Julie is better suited in that department, but hearing singing the songs on the broadway soundtrack was just that. She sang them. No feeling in a single one! Vanessa gave the songs feeling and made them hers. As for talent. Vanessa still over powers Julie. With an Oscar and six nominations she beats Julie. Also Vanessa has two Emmy's, two Golden Globes, 1 Tony, and 2 Cannes. Vanessa is also one of 12 actors to have won all the major acting awards. Julie misses a Tony and a Cannes. Plus Julie wouldn't have even won an Oscar if the Academy hadn't been favoring her because she didn't get to play in My Fair Lady. I would have given her the Oscar for The Sound Of Music, not Mary Poppins. That was not worth even a nomination.
shareJulie andrews sucks!
shareI think Marni Nixon has one of the most gorgeous voices in the world and I can only imagine what she could have done with Camelot's songs. But I don't think Vanessa Redgrave is horrible-far from it, actually. I think she has a pleasant little voice that's mostly in tune. And she puts a lot of passion in her songs. I love Julie Andrews and her Camelot singing was obviously far superior. But I honestly think that Vanessa was more expressive in her singing than Julie. And if you want really tone-deaf, ever hear Sophia Loren singing in Man of La Mancha? Eeeesh, I don't know what they were thinking there.
As for Vanessa's look, I thought she was very beautiful in some scenes, but in others it looks like they messed up her hair (which didn't help her appearance.) I personally think she looks better with her long hair combed, or in a bun, and without the bangs. You do realize that if Julie had been cast, they could have messed with her hair and made her look a little funny, too?
I read somewhere online that Julie turned Camelot down because she didn't want people to make unfair comparisons of it with the My Fair Lady film. Even Alan Jay Lerner agreed with her on that one. I don't know if that was true. Besides, she had other films to do at the time (like Thoroughly Modern Millie) and maybe she couldn't fit it into her schedule. Millie appears to have received better reviews than Camelot, anyway. I doubt Camelot would have helped Julie's career.
She was a MUCH better singer than Redgrave but I can't iamgine Julie Andrews doing the final scene as well as Vanessa Redgrave. When she looks in ARthur's eyes for the last time and now realizes she will never see that look of comofrt or forgiveness... or love... ever again. And, that it's due to the fact that she really screwed everything up... the way she starts sobbing... that was GREAT acting. Redgrave is a much better actress than Andrews... maybe they could have had Marni Nicon do some of the higher notes in the songs though---like she did for Marilyn Monroe in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes".
shareJulie Andrews is a good actress but this was not her role. There is no way that she sould have pulled off all of the emotions that Redgrave did. Maybe she could have sung the songs stronger than Redgrave but she couldn't make it sound real. Andrews might have made the stage version better but Redgrave sounds real. The movie needs the whole package of beauty, acting and singing and that's what Vanessa Redgrave gave them.
shareWell said.
shareI heard Julie Andrews had turned down the role when asked.
shareDirector Logan never even considered Julie for the role. Jack Warner wanted her but Logan saw Guinevere as "a ravishing bitch" who would cause the downfall of an entire kingdom. Julie just didn't fit the bill. I like her but she indeed would have ruined that final scene between Arthur and Guinevere.
She couldn't even get "Take me to the Fair" right. Whenever I listen to the Broadway cast album it seems as she were singing to the knights while holding a lollipop. ("Kill Lancelot and you get a nice lollipop from the queen when you take her to the fair.")
On the other hand, Redgrave was appropriately seductive and when she entices the knights, you bet they'll do whatever her majesty commands because it's Redgrave they're looking at. As the film critics from TIME and Newsweek said, the movie is an improvement over the play because of Redgrave. Even the legendary Paulin Kael agreed!
This was the first movie I ever saw with Vanessa Redgrave in it. I was like nine years old at the time and not familiar with the show at all. Anyway, she was the main reason I liked it... a few monthslater, my mother (who LOVED the Broadway show) played that record for me. My mother had always been upset that Andrews wasn't cast in the film version... I dunno... as much as I love Andrews, her renditions of those songs really did NOTHING for me. Especially "Take Me To the Fair"... she sounded too much like an innocent Disney fairy tale princess. All I could think was, "I don't think Guenevere's supposed to be like Mary Poppins or Cinderella here."
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