Bamelot (noun): An updated version of the Kennedys'Camelot, complete with a cute kids, a hip First Couple,
and the euphoria of a nation.
I have heard a lot of buzz about the new administration being
compared to the Camelot era of the Kennedys with much hope,
inspiration, longing (and hopefully without the Bay of Pigs and
Marilyn). Obama has that sense of calm and assuredness that
Kennedy had, along with youth, family and a sense of style. It
is an interesting and obvious comparison. The story's theme of
a lost, great society certainly strikes a chord today.
.
Since I have Camelot on my mind, I had to dust of my copy of
Since I have Camelot on my mind, I had to dust of my copy of
the 1967 movie. Okay, Richard Harris does wear a tad too much
blue eye shadow and Franco Nero was dubbed, but the fabulous
score and the luminous Vanessa Redgrave are to die for. Is there
a more romantic scene than "If Ever I Would Leave You" with
moonlight and night breezes flowing through Vanessa's hair? So,
get out those woolly socks, pop some corn and visit the kingdom
of Camelot. It's one of those oldies, but goodies.
Lancelot Du Lac: Knights? Gathering FLOWERS?
King Arthur: Well, SOMEONE has to do it!
Lancelot Du Lac: Knights? Gathering FLOWERS?
King Arthur: Well, SOMEONE has to do it!
Back in the mid 80's when I lived in Cincinnati, I got to see Richard Harris live as King Arthur when the Broadway touring company brought the revival of "Camelot" to town. It was thrilling to say the least!
ReplyDeleteAnd it is a most wonderful song too.
ReplyDeleteI like that the new first lady is barefoot.
Surely you jest. Robert Kennedy never associated with terrorists and people who hated America. Jackie Kennedy never said she hated America and their parish priest never said "Goddamn America." With all due respect Willow, the comparison jolts me very early in the morning, I may forgo my cup of coffee.
ReplyDeleteWell this west coaster is euphoric!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the fun post.
Didn't Vanessa Redgrave have an affair with Franco Nero?
ReplyDeleteI think he was the hottie of the day.
Yes, as well as being hopeful of changes in policy etc etc, the Obamas are such a handsome, glam family.
I'm still giddy with excitement.
Did you see the spoof NY Times dated July 4th 2009.
It was terrific.
i can see the comparison as well and i for one am very excited about it. i'm so looking forward to kids in the white house again and a new puppy there as well.
ReplyDeletehmm... Will I be singed to like that if I color my hair red? :-)
ReplyDeleteLynette, did you go to CCM? Nathan Gunn does a great job on stage as Lancelot. I would love to see it live. How fun to see Harris live, you Lucky Duck!
ReplyDeleteElizabeth, yes, and didn't they have some children? Redgrave and Nero actually just recently married, I believe, after all these years. Isn't it romantic?
ReplyDeleteLove the movie - that's a perfect film to put on my holiday movie list. Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteAlso love the two pics - of the Kennedys and the Obamas. Wow.
Besides no Bay of Pigs and no Marilyn, let's not let Prez-elect Obama ride around in open convertibles in Texas, ok? Seriously.
Hmmmm ...."Nobama" would have been my choice of a word...but they are an attractive family...I'll give you that much!
ReplyDeleteThere is that same sense of excitement here in the UK about the Obama era - do hope it doesn't get peoples' hopes too high - it is a marvellous result but there are such severe problems in the world that he can't solve them all overnight.
ReplyDeleteWillow,
ReplyDeleteNo, I didn't go to CCM, I actually did my graduate work, years later, here in Oklahoma. However, my now ex-husband was in seminary in Louisville, KY and was a youth minister in a church in Cincinnati and I worked as a music teacher in a Catholic School across the state line in northern Kentucky. We lived in Cincinnati for about two years and loved it.
Steph and I have also made the comparison with the Kennedys, only we think that the Obamas have a whole lot more going for them! We're very excited.
I'm a little slow... the Obama-Kennedy comparison never struck me until this post, but whammy there it is! I'd say the optimism is... polarized.
ReplyDeleteLove Camelot. The first time I saw it was in the big, old theater downtown, complete with a sing-a-long on the mighty Wurlitzer at intermission.
I absolutely love and adore 'Camelot'. In fact I played it so much as a young girl that I became word-perfect, ready to step in as Guinervere if she became sick. To make that make more sense, my dad was a band-leader and musical arranger and someone who was a singer in his band got the part of Lancelot when it played on the London stage.
ReplyDeleteDo you know, they never even asked me to understudy! Can you believe it?
p.s. - this was the stage production and I've only just realised that Arthur was played by Laurence Harvey.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.broadwayworld.com/bwidb/productions/Camelot_3798/
You must come to the Manor and sing "Take Me to the Fair". That one is really wordy and cute!
ReplyDeleteI thought Richard Burton and ?? were in the broadway play? Anywya I used to have the recording and listened to it muchly. I think I still know many of the words. Interesting to see Redgrave so young and beautiful. She still is beautiful but am more used to seeing her in her present form. I love it that she is still making movies.
ReplyDeleteI will confess, I wondered if the White HOuse decor would get a bit of modernization with the Obama's there. See what level my mind works on??
They captured a lovely family photo there.
ReplyDeleteCJ xx
Vanessa looks so wonderful! Thanks for posting this. I haven't seen this movie in aeons! I had already forgot that Harris was in it. Wow! Camelot to Bamalot, to movie. Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from London.
I am soooo looking forward to this new "reign" over us "folks not oblesse-ly obliged." Those photos are excellent of the two families. Aren't they both lovely! I do love Camelot...great weekly word, Willow! (hmmmmm...hadn't planned on that alliteration.)
ReplyDeleteCamelot is the very description of Vancouver!!!
ReplyDeleteA law was made a distant moon ago here,
July and August cannot be too hot.
And there's a legal limit to the snow here
In Camelot.
The winter is forbidden till December
And exits March the second on the dot.
By order, summer lingers through September
In Camelot.
Camelot! Camelot!
I know it sounds a bit bizarre,
But in Camelot, Camelot
That's how conditions are.
The rain may never fall till after sundown.
By eight, the morning fog must disappear.
In short, there's simply not
A more congenial spot
For happily-ever-aftering than here
In Camelot.
Heh, heh
Jo, WT has been to Vancouver many times and always, on his arrival home, tells me how much I would love living there!
ReplyDeleteI love that song; sing it too, from time to time!
ReplyDeleteSublime Vanessa Redgrave, very beautiful song.
ReplyDeleteThank you dear Willow, that clip was enthralling.
ReplyDeleteWonderful photo of Obama and family...I'm so excited about their years in the white house!
ReplyDeleteI sure like your new photo with camera in hand!
Loved the post until I began reading some of the comments. I guess everyone, well, 56,000,000 to be exact...will never see the Kennedy - Obama comparison.
ReplyDeleteMarvelous clip. Love that flowing red hair. LOL!
ReplyDeleteI think it should be "Obamaet" as"Bamelot" makes me think of Bambi! Anyway, an appropriate analogy. I love how michelle isn't wearing shoes in that picture. So casual.
I mean "Obamalot!"
ReplyDeleteLucky me I got to see Richard Burton as King Arthur, Robert Goulet as Lancelot ... all from the nose bleed last row, last balcony of the Majestic Theatre when I was very young ...
ReplyDeleteGood thing that photo didnt surface DURING the campaign because she who doesnt like the media making up stories about her would have surely had something snarky to say ... me, I say to her: karma, baby, karma.
:-Daryl
JFK is dead the 22nd november 1963... 45 years !
ReplyDeleteNow you can never over-do the blue eye-shadow, just like you could never see to much of Richard Harris...
ReplyDeleteBTW, love the new profile pic , say cheese, click....
ReplyDeleteThey're administrations will probably be very similar and leave the same kind of legacy.
ReplyDeleteThe shoeless look is appropriate for the government housing. ♥ ∞
How fun to see those 2 photos together. Like spacelaw, I like the barefoot first lady. It's sweet when gorgeous people come with beautiful ideas to make the world a better place. I'm sorry to see some negative comments.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your Diane Arbus post below. Her photos have always intrigued and haunted me.
Very classy familes, both! I cannot wait to see the little Obamas in the White House.
ReplyDeleteAnd Camelot...just my favorite movie of all time. It had a huge effect on me when I was little. Especially Richard Harris! In fact, I designed my own winter wedding to look very much like theirs in the movie. Sigh.
And I hope the Obama's Camelot doesn't end the way of the Kennedy's. Please, dear God.
ReplyDeleteCes needs to read a book and get smart...Politics and ignorance aside the first family, highly educated, balanced, rational and trustworthy have that additional vigor of youth and optomism so needed especially after the past eight years of , well , you know...Like Whoopie said "I feel like I can finally put my suitcase down"
ReplyDeleteLovely photos, Willow! I’m so ready for really intelligent people (with class AND compassion) to be in charge of our country again.
ReplyDeleteoh my God..i love both photos!
ReplyDeleteand..yes I find the comparison quite appropriate!
It's giving me hope, at least. Good picture.
ReplyDeleteI have always loved "What Do The Simple Folk Do?" Poor King Arthur - he knows his Guinevere is untrue with Lancelot, but they share this moment of affinity and he really does love her. It's sweet and sad all at the same time.
ReplyDeleteKat
How interesting and quite customaty for Linda Sue to assume that just because a person disagrees with her, such person surely must not read and is not smart. How arrogant can that be and how so typical of a liberal snob? I appreciate being able to express my opinions here at Willow's discretion. If Linda Sue disagrees with me, why surely she is free to do so but she does not have to appear arrogant and so wrong! Email me or come to my blog. The audacity of her to assume that I is not smart as she be. What's up with dat? What dya say? :)
ReplyDeleteI'd forgotten how wonderful this movie was. The first time I saw it was Dec 4, 1967 the day before having major back surgery. Time for a revisit. Thanks, Willow.
ReplyDelete"If ever I would leave you..." Sigh... this is a scene guaranteed to make me cry, 100 proof. Wonderful post Willow.
ReplyDelete