Credit where credit's due!
Friday, 1 December 1972 08:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
arthur_of_the_britonsOpening credits
Some of the footage used in the credit sequence for "Arthur of the Britons" was filmed quite late in November, so the credits were put together not long before the first episode was broadcast, early in December 1972.
The sequence begins with a shot of Oliver Tobias as Arthur, riding Bernie into battle.
This footage is from "The Penitent Invader", filmed in August. It featured in one of the later scenes, where Arthur and his men ride to the rescue of Rolf from some Picts.
When used for the credits, the film was the right way round - showing Arthur with his sword in his right hand and his shield on his left arm. However, in "The Penitent Invader" this shot was reversed, left to right, with the result that Arthur briefly appeared to be left-handed.
The second piece of film, showing Michael Gothard as Kai, riding Blackstar, is taken from the final scene in "Arthur is Dead", when Kai is winning a race with Arthur, but turns back to see whether Arthur has fallen from his horse. This scene was filmed in November.
The clip featuring Jack Watson as Llud, riding Brownie, is in very poor condition.
Llud is wearing the same clothes, riding the same horse, as in "Six Measures of Silver", and in very similar terrain, so this clip was probably filmed at the same time, towards the end of October.
The next sequence is taken from the race scene at the beginning of "Arthur is Dead", filmed late November.
Arthur and Kai's horses leap up the muddy bank which Arthur and Kai rolled down in "The Challenge", then gallop on, as the series title appears.
The names of guest stars, and the more important members of the production staff appear over more footage of the race, but taken from earlier in the sequence.
The name of the Director appears along with footage from very near the end of "Arthur is Dead", where Arthur and Kai re-run their race. In fact, there are a few frames at the beginning of this section of the credits which do not appear in the actual episode.
Finally, we see the episode title, as Arthur starts to pull ahead of Kai.
The credit sequence looks noticeably darker on the first episode (left) than in subsequent ones (right).
Of course, the sequence was accompanied by Paul Lewis' orchestration of Elmer Bernstein's theme music. Of the Bernstein theme, Paul said, “it was rousing but totally unsuitable. After I recorded my incidental music I was put to work again to write some tracks based on Elmer’s theme. In the first, “Apotheosis”, I attempted to take the theme as far from its origins as its opening phrase would allow, hoping that this would become the opening title music, but as you know it didn’t!
Actually … what I really wanted was for the opening section of track 8, now called “Kai the Saxon”, to be the theme tune, and not use Elmer’s at all! Should this sound like sour grapes, I should reiterate that I appreciate all the qualities of EB’s tune – except its cowboyishness!!!
This is what the opening credits might have been like if "Kai the Saxon" had been used.
The clip below was salvaged from a reel of 16 mm film found at a car boot sale in the North London area. It appears to be a rough draft of the credit sequence, presumably put together some time before the final version.
The footage at the beginning is a previously unseen head-on shot of Arthur's battle group, attacking the Saxons in "The Duel"; this was filmed mid-September.
The second section is from "The Challenge", and shows Arthur and Kai setting off in pursuit of the errant Garet and Gawain.
The last clip looks very much like the scene from the end of "Enemies and Lovers", when Arthur and Kai meet up after dealing with King Athel and Goda. However, there are subtle differences between this sequence and the one used in the episode. In this clip, Arthur and Kai's horses are further apart, and they have been filmed from a different angle, so this, too, is previously unseen footage.
Closing credits
Except in "The Prize", the closing credits are shown over some footage of Arthur, riding Bernie. The scene looks like the one from "The Challenge" where Arthur sets off in pursuit of Garet, and was probably filmed around the same time.
Arthur is wearing the same costume, and rides away along the same stretch of grass, as in "The Challenge." However, in the sequence used in the credits, Arthur is riding Bernie.
In the footage used in "The Challenge", Arthur was riding the whiter horse, Skyline. They may have used Bernie to re-shoot the sequence, because according to Oliver, Skyline became alarmed by the rattling of the spears, and careered away with him!
Some of the footage used in the credit sequence for "Arthur of the Britons" was filmed quite late in November, so the credits were put together not long before the first episode was broadcast, early in December 1972.
The sequence begins with a shot of Oliver Tobias as Arthur, riding Bernie into battle.
This footage is from "The Penitent Invader", filmed in August. It featured in one of the later scenes, where Arthur and his men ride to the rescue of Rolf from some Picts.
When used for the credits, the film was the right way round - showing Arthur with his sword in his right hand and his shield on his left arm. However, in "The Penitent Invader" this shot was reversed, left to right, with the result that Arthur briefly appeared to be left-handed.
The second piece of film, showing Michael Gothard as Kai, riding Blackstar, is taken from the final scene in "Arthur is Dead", when Kai is winning a race with Arthur, but turns back to see whether Arthur has fallen from his horse. This scene was filmed in November.
The clip featuring Jack Watson as Llud, riding Brownie, is in very poor condition.
Llud is wearing the same clothes, riding the same horse, as in "Six Measures of Silver", and in very similar terrain, so this clip was probably filmed at the same time, towards the end of October.
The next sequence is taken from the race scene at the beginning of "Arthur is Dead", filmed late November.
Arthur and Kai's horses leap up the muddy bank which Arthur and Kai rolled down in "The Challenge", then gallop on, as the series title appears.
The names of guest stars, and the more important members of the production staff appear over more footage of the race, but taken from earlier in the sequence.
The name of the Director appears along with footage from very near the end of "Arthur is Dead", where Arthur and Kai re-run their race. In fact, there are a few frames at the beginning of this section of the credits which do not appear in the actual episode.
Finally, we see the episode title, as Arthur starts to pull ahead of Kai.
The credit sequence looks noticeably darker on the first episode (left) than in subsequent ones (right).
Of course, the sequence was accompanied by Paul Lewis' orchestration of Elmer Bernstein's theme music. Of the Bernstein theme, Paul said, “it was rousing but totally unsuitable. After I recorded my incidental music I was put to work again to write some tracks based on Elmer’s theme. In the first, “Apotheosis”, I attempted to take the theme as far from its origins as its opening phrase would allow, hoping that this would become the opening title music, but as you know it didn’t!
Actually … what I really wanted was for the opening section of track 8, now called “Kai the Saxon”, to be the theme tune, and not use Elmer’s at all! Should this sound like sour grapes, I should reiterate that I appreciate all the qualities of EB’s tune – except its cowboyishness!!!
This is what the opening credits might have been like if "Kai the Saxon" had been used.
The clip below was salvaged from a reel of 16 mm film found at a car boot sale in the North London area. It appears to be a rough draft of the credit sequence, presumably put together some time before the final version.
The footage at the beginning is a previously unseen head-on shot of Arthur's battle group, attacking the Saxons in "The Duel"; this was filmed mid-September.
The second section is from "The Challenge", and shows Arthur and Kai setting off in pursuit of the errant Garet and Gawain.
The last clip looks very much like the scene from the end of "Enemies and Lovers", when Arthur and Kai meet up after dealing with King Athel and Goda. However, there are subtle differences between this sequence and the one used in the episode. In this clip, Arthur and Kai's horses are further apart, and they have been filmed from a different angle, so this, too, is previously unseen footage.
Closing credits
Except in "The Prize", the closing credits are shown over some footage of Arthur, riding Bernie. The scene looks like the one from "The Challenge" where Arthur sets off in pursuit of Garet, and was probably filmed around the same time.
Arthur is wearing the same costume, and rides away along the same stretch of grass, as in "The Challenge." However, in the sequence used in the credits, Arthur is riding Bernie.
In the footage used in "The Challenge", Arthur was riding the whiter horse, Skyline. They may have used Bernie to re-shoot the sequence, because according to Oliver, Skyline became alarmed by the rattling of the spears, and careered away with him!