First Knight (1995)
Animal Action
![Poster for First Knight](https://humanehollywood.org/app/uploads/2020/02/8SRi8laZyPBdigx9qn7m3mriiRQ.jpg)
Horses are ridden throughout. In a scene at the beginning of the film, Guinevere’s village in Leonesse is attacked by Malagant, and as they are riding out of the village he torches the buildings. Only those horses accustomed to working around fire were used. A special lens was used when filming scenes involving fire which made the riders and the horses look as if they were much closer to the fire than they actually were. For added realism horses were filmed in front of a blue screen. Then later the shot was superimposed with a scene of the fire and actors in the background. In yet another scene, word reaches Guinevere that her home and lands have been attacked, Arthur and his knights mount up for battle against their enemy, Malagant. The battle takes place outside the walls of Leonesse. In this particular scene there are two horse falls. Only trained falling horses were used. To protect the horses, a pit was dug and filled with sand, grass, and other material to make a soft bed for the horses to fall in. Again a special lens was used when filming these battles scenes to make the horses look as if they were much closer to the battle and each other than they actually were. There are many scenes where we see sheep in the background being tended by a sheepherder. In one scene when Lancelot is at a village, goats are also seen tied to the sides of cottages and oxen are pulling carts. A dog is also seen.