Well if Trystan’s gonna do King Arthur, I gotta do Guinevere! She’s the legendary wife of King Arthur, who in many versions of the story falls in love with Arthur’s best friend/first knight, Lancelot. Now, the book The Mists of Avalon was pivotal to my late childhood, so I’ve always been Team Morgaine/Morgan le Fay. But I can’t resist coordinating posts! Guinevere hasn’t shown up in all of the King Arthur movies/TV series, especially the “Kid at King Arthur’s Court” stories. But she’s been in plenty of fantasy medieval versions of the standard King Arthur story!
Marjorie Stapp in Adventures of Sir Galahad (1949)
Ava Gardner in Knights of the Round Table (1953)
Jean Lodge in The Black Knight (1954)
Jane Hylton in The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (1956)
Jean Wallace in Lancelot and Guinevere (1963)
Vanessa Redgrave in Camelot (1967)
Laura Duke Condominas in Lancelot du Lac (1974)
Felicity Dean in The Legend of King Arthur (1979)
Cherie Lunghi in Excalibur (1981)
Rosalyn Landor in Merlin and the Sword (1985)
Sheryl Lee in Guinevere (1994)
Julia Ormond in First Knight (1995)
Lena Headey in Merlin (1998)
Amanda Donohoe in A Knight in Camelot (1998)
Samantha Mathis in The Mists of Avalon (2001)
Keira Knightley in King Arthur (2004)
Anne Girouard in Kaamelott (2005 & 2021)
Angel Coulby in Merlin (2008)
Joana Metrass in Once Upon a Time (2011)
Tamsin Egerton in Camelot (2011)
Bella Dayne in Cursed (2020)
Who’s your favorite Guinevere on screen?
I just love Cherie Lunghi but Lena Headey is fantastic in anything and Tamsin Egerton is extremely beautiful.
I don’t understand why Arthur and Guinevere are dressed like ancient Persian royalty in The Legend of King Arthur.
That leather macrame on Kiera Knightley makes me wince. Interesting how she wears a Roman tunica in one scene and a 12th century bliaud in another!
“I don’t understand why Arthur and Guinevere are dressed like ancient Persian royalty in The Legend of King Arthur.”
There’s actually a source for that somewhere, though the source was questionable. A while ago on one of those armour/Medieval history forums (which go into incredible depth) someone was discussing that series and posted what was likely the inspiration for those costumes. It was something like, though not exactly, Costumes of All Nations (1882) or Osprey. The show’s costumes were very close to the image, down to coloring. I wish I could find it, but this was many years ago.
The problem was, like the two sources mentioned, it was a contemporary artist’s questionable interpretation of original sources. Not completely made up mind, but a filtered version. The poster also question if it was correct for Sub-Roman Britain necessarily.
19th century costume illustrations are indeed a poor choice of model. The Victoria’s used their imaginations liberally. All I can say is those outfits didn’t look sub-Roman to me.
When it comes to the Matter of Britain historical accuracy is an oxymoron: Camelot was born of legend and has very happily dwelled in the domain of storybooks, not textbooks, ever since.
Or, put another way, if it looks Arthurian why worry whether or not it’s purely historic?
Well that’s the point, it doesn’t look Arthurian it looks like ancient Babylonia, Assyria or Persia!
That was fun!
But where’s Vanessa Redgrave’s famous pumpkin seed dress? It was much talked about at the time.
And Gwen has a great gown I love in “Excalibur” while she rides a horse to Camelot. (Escorted by Lancelot and her ladies)
Oh Lordy, the leather cosplay bikini number… yikes!
“But where’s Vanessa Redgrave’s famous pumpkin seed dress?”
Isn’t that what she’s wearing in the second photo of Redgrave, where she’s turned profile? You just see it to the waist there, but I’m pretty sure that’s it.
Is that it? You are prob right, but I remember it as darker and not fitted anywhere, just flowing. But I hate that musical and the film of it. Like Cive Barns said of the B-way show: “Twice as long as “Götterdämmerung” and not half as funny.”
Oops… that’s Clive Barns…
For some reason it always surprises me when some reminder of Ms. Lena Headey’s considerable record of Costume Drama roles crosses my monitor – probably because whenever I think of her, I think “Punk Rock Energy”.
On a less tangential note, I have to say that Ms. Ormond and Ms. Cherie Lunghi remain my favourites of the Guineveres that I have seen (It’s hard to resist the suspicion that Ms. Ava Gardner would have had much more fun as Queen Morgause), but I hope we can all agree that Ms. Amanda Donohoe and Mr Michael York are just objectively the most handsome couple on this list.
Just look at those beautiful people!
THE ADVENTURES OF SIR LANCELOT (1956) was an ITV series that also ran on NBC, and it did well enough that the last 14 episodes were shot in color for the U.S. market, though it only ran in B/W over there. I wouldn’t have thought there were enough color TVs in the U.S. to make it worthwhile, but NBC was pushing color, hence the “Peacock” network.
While I agree it “looks VERY Disney,” on the IMDb someone claims the series was “painstakingly researched by the History and Literature Departments of Oxford University.”
Um, yeah.
Lancelot was played by William Russell, known to generations of Dr. Who fans as Ian Chesterton.
Jane Hylton (Guinevere) is also known to some of us for two lurid horror films she did a few years after this show– THE MANSTER (1959) and CIRCUS OF HORRORS (1960)– both of which have a cult following among trash-film aficionados.
She was in a good number of other, better roles earlier and after to offset those, though.
What is going on with that silver shoulder strap thing on Tamsin Egerton? (I’m not sure I’m really expecting an answer here; I’m just boggling…)
Not to mention the velvet!!!
Guinivere in Once Upon A Time got a horiffying storyline! She was basically hypnotized to be the perfect wife for Arthur! Arthur was a dick in this storyline!
Ugh!
horrifying, sorry!
Despite not being a big fan of First Knight, I’ve always loved Julia Ormond as Guinevere and she remains my favorite. Her character was actually interesting, got to show off some range, and Julia Ormond is luminously beautiful. I wish a better film was built around her.
I saw the 1994 Guinevere and I think the only interesting part is the decision to use Trakai Island Castle as Camelot. Doesn’t look like British architecture at all but striking nonetheless. I’m also curious why in terms of hair and makeup they decided to make Sheryl Lee look exactly like a stereotypical 90’s soccer mom.
I know a lot of people are partial to Lena Headey, but I have mixed feelings. In Merlin especially, she was a plank of wood. Until recently, I completely forgot she was in the series (and only remembered there was a Guinevere because there had to be). She also has near-permanent stank face, which to be fair she made good use of in Merlin. Guinevere’s main role in that was to vacantly stare at things.
I’d like to see “First Night,” just for Ormond and Sean C. I also remember enjoying Redgrave, because no one does radiance better. Sad, though, about the damned eye make-up.
I want to print out that picture of Jean Lodge looking STUNNING in those veils and wave it in the face of every director and costume designer who doesn’t think young women can look good in them on-camera!
Getting some serious Alanis Morrissette vibes from that first photo of Lena Headey. :)
Oh, what about The Green Knight? I thought that Kate Dickie looked marvellous.
Came here to say this. No Kate Dickie love?
I know it wasn’t film or TV, but I’d love to see a picture of Julie Andrews in the original Broadway production of Camelot. Many of the Court costumes were designed by Adrian.