Professor Popinjay's Compendium of Perspicacity

A Non-Review by Professor Popinjay

Quest for Camelot, loosely based on the cover art of Vera Chapman’s novel The King’s Damosel, was originally to be called Quest for the Holy Grail and was going to be very different from what it ultimately became. Interesting that Monty Python’s Eric Idle would be doing voice work for this film. I checked the character list and I didn’t see Sir Robin-the-not-quite-so-brave-as-Sir-Lancelot among the other knights of the round table so no chance of Idle reprising that role. Imagine my disappointment when none of the song lyrics rhymed “Camelot” with “Spam a lot”.

If you notice a hint of Don Bluthiness in this film that’s because Nassos Vakalis was involved who worked on several Don Bluth films.

I really have no complaints about this film. It’s pretty great through and through.

I did have to wonder though. The villain was Ruber, voiced by Gary Oldman. The way he was depicted made me wonder if the character had a mental illness. I don’t say that mockingly. I found myself deeply concerned and thinking if this guy were here in modern non-fictional times would we deal with him differently? Granted, Ruber exists in a fantasy version of medieval times (the time not the dinner theatre) and if they aren’t using magic to solve a malady then they’d probably resort to leeches or bloodletting.

I’m not a psychologist by any means but I took a correspondence course in child psychology that I never actually completed so I’m essentially Sigmund Freud incarnate. With the vast knowledge I have derived from the introduction of the book I was supposed to read, I’d have to say Ruber is suffering from severe megalomania. He is obsessed with his own power! Beyond that he has no motivation. Although his facial tick may be indicative of some childhood trauma. But he wasn’t trying to make anything better for others through some misguided means or get revenge for some injustice inflicted on him. He was a freaking knight of the round table in what was supposed to be a utopia and he was NOT satisfied. I guess that’s enough to be a villain but I think the real hero here could have been a hefty dose of Halopuridol.

Thankfully I don’t get malpractice lawsuits for prescribing medications to fictional characters. Not like that pesky real-life Ted Danson!

The coolest part of this movie was the gryphon belonging to Ruber and voiced by Bronsonn Pinchot aka Balki from Perfect Strangers. But, yeah Ruber really shouldn’t be allowed to have pets.