One of my favorite movies from the 1980s is Excalibur, John Boorman’s re-telling of the Arthurian legend. Before that movie, tales of Medieval knights had pretty much died out after the 1950s, other than in animated movies (The Sword in the Stone) or a musical (Camelot). Boorman infused his film with an organic sensuality and magical energy that blew every cobweb out of the genre, making it fresh and compelling. When it was released, the best-known cast member was Nicol Williamson, but it featured actors who would later become famous: Helen Mirren, Gabriel Byrne, Liam Neeson, Patrick Stewart, and Ciaran Hinds. Excalibur paved the way for sword and sorcery tales like Ladyhawke and Conan the Barbarian, and it’s questionable that we’d have the Lord of the Rings films or “Game of Thrones” without it.
For that reason, I was eager to see The Green Knight. Based on an anonymous 14th Century chivalric romance set during King Arthur’s reign, it features the youngest of Arthur’s knights, Gawain, who is also Arthur’s nephew. (Gawain showed up in Excalibur, played by Neeson.) The story has Arthur and his knights interrupted on New Year’s Eve by a gigantic knight all in green, wearing no armor but carrying a huge axe in one hand and a holly bough in the other, riding a green horse. He’s not interested in combat but rather suggests a friendly game – he’ll bear his neck and accept a blow from a knight, if that knight swears to meet him in the Green Chapel a year and a day later to receive a blow in return. Gawain brashly volunteers. The Green Knight bears his neck and Gawain slices the knight’s head off in a clean blow. But rather than die, the knight picks up his head and rides away laughing, after reminding Gawain of his vow.
True to his word, as the anniversary approaches Gawain sets off for the Green Chapel. After having adventures (alluded to but not described) on his way, Gawain comes to a splendid castle. When he explains his mission, the lord of the castle says the Green Chapel is only a few miles away. He invites Gawain to stay with him and his beautiful wife for the three days left before his appointment. After Gawain accepts, the lord suggests a wager: each day the lord will go hunting, leaving Gawain with his wife in the castle. When he returns from the hunt, the lord will exchange whatever he’s caught with whatever Gawain has gained that day. The wife tries to seduce Gawain each day, without success, and all Gawain gains each day is a chaste kiss. Then on the third day, the wife offers him a magical sash of green and gold silk that will protect him from harm. Knowing he must face the knight, Gawain accepts the gift and keeps it secret from the lord. When he faces the Green Knight, he flinches the first time the knight raises the axe, and the second time the knight again withholds the blow. The third time, the knight’s blow lands on Gawain’s neck, but leaves only a small mark. The Green Knight is then revealed to be his erstwhile host, the lord of the castle. The whole test was constructed by Morgan le Fay, Arthur’s witch of a half-sister, designed to test Arthur’s knights. Gawain is ashamed of his deceit, and when he returns to Camelot, he confesses his failure to be honorable to Arthur and his knights. The knights forgive him and following that they take turns wearing the sash as a reminder to always be honest.
That’s briefly the original story, which I can explain without any spoiler warning because any resemblance between the original story and the movie is purely coincidental. Screenwriter and director David Lowery has completely reimagined the story, but in a self-indulgent way that leaves it a confusing muddle. Lowery had made A Ghost Story in 2017, an atmospheric tale of love and loss where the specter looks like the simplest Halloween costume, and recently he did The Old Man & The Gun with Robert Redford. With The Green Knight, he shows an apparent belief that the dark ages were dark because it was cloudy and gray every day. The titular character looks like a whittled-down version of the monster in A Monster Calls, a black walking tree, while Gawain is portrayed as a callow, feckless youth.
Between playing Gawain in this movie and The Personal History of David Copperfield, Dev Patel has made admirable strides for race-blind casting. On the other hand, he must work extra hard to seem callow and feckless, which goes against his natural manner. Lowery has added a tomboyish love interest for Gawain, played by Alicia Vikander who then later plays the wife of the lord of the castle. That could have set up an interesting dynamic, but Lowery mostly ignores it. He adds in events to fill the time between Gawain setting out for the Green Chapel and his arrival at the lord’s castle, but they do little to enhance the story.
Rather than try anything like the original ending, Lowery steals the format of “The Last Temptation of Christ,” but the scene is so drawn out and painful not only Gawain would choose a quick blow from an axe, but so would the audience watching this mess. While it’s been garnering some good critical response, don’t believe it. Let The Green Knight be lost in the mist of history – it more than deserves that fate.
omnivorous cinephile 