Review
THE GREEN KNIGHT – Review
THE GREEN KNIGHT is writer/director David Lowery’s (A GHOST STORY) imaginative re-telling of the Arthurian tale “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” but those expecting a straight-forward adventure story will be surprised, as the mystical and symbolic abound here, as does a sly, dark humor, all framed in a visually lush world of green mossy forests and windswept winter peaks and told through a young man’s voyage of self-discovery.
Although the Green Knight is featured in the title, it is Gawain who is the focus, a young man who is untested and unformed. Gawain (Dev Patel) is King Arthur’s nephew and a member of the Round Table but not yet a knight. Gawain (whose name is pronounced in a less-common alternative way, similar to “Gauwin”) has not yet had any knightly adventures but plenty of nightly adventures, specializing in carousing with paramour Essel (Alicia Vikander), much to the chagrin of his mother (Sarita Choudhury), the king’s sister. Gawain is adrift in his privileged, pampered life but part of him is also longing to find his place in the world.
On Christmas day, Gawain and the knights of the Round Table have gathered with the king (Sean Harris) and queen (Kate Dickie) for a holiday feast. Suddenly the celebrations are interrupted by the arrival of a giant green knight mounted on an enormous horse, also green, and holding a huge axe and a branch of holly. The Green Knight (Ralph Ineson) challenges any of King Arthur’s knights to a contest, a game he says, in which the king’s champion may strike a blow to the Green Knight however he wishes. But in return, the champion must then meet him one year hence at the Green Chapel, where the Green Knight will have the right to return the same blow.
Unexpectedly, the unproven Gawain takes up the challenge. Gawain has no sword of his own so the king lends him Excaliber. When the Green Knight bends his head down and exposes his neck, Gawain impulsively chops off his head. Shockingly, the Green Knight then picks up his severed head, which speaks and reminds Gawain of the conditions of the game, before riding off laughing. Gawain has a year to prepare. Before he embarks on his quest, his sorceress mother gives him a green sash, which has a magical power to keep him from harm.
Not everything Gawain encounters on his journey is supernatural but the fact that his opponent is a huge green man who survived beheading should be a major clue to the type of story it delivers. The film is often dark, eerie, unsettling, mysterious but suffused with dark humor. There are a few fights, but action film fans will see no battles or warfare, although there is a grim scene on a battlefield long after a war. Director Lowery does not spell everything out but he does drop hints, such as that the Green Knight is someone Gawain knows and that the contest is a game, as well as a test of courage and character. The Green Knight’s challenge may be called a game but it is a deadly one.
Those expecting THE GREEN KNIGHT to be a straight-forward, rousing adventure story will be surprised, as David Lowery’s imaginative retelling of the Arthurian tale is one where symbolism and the mystical abound, as does a sly, dark humor. THE GREEN KNIGHT is entertaining and immersive but it is the kind of experience that also sparks the imagination and raises questions. Likely THE GREEN KNIGHT is a film you’ll either love or hate, depending on your taste for mystery, myth and the surreal, or either your tolerance for ambiguity or expectations for conventional sword play. It is a tale of a quest, but with a mystical, magical bent, somewhere between EXCALIBUR and Bergman.
Gawain is not on a quest for the Holy Grail but for self-discovery, going to meet his fate in a test of courage and honor. Lowery’s adaptation makes changes to the story but he retains its essence. The original focuses on Christianity and morality, and the story can still be interpreted that way, but it can also be seen as a conflict between Christian and pagan worlds, or between the civilized world and the natural one. Lowery does not dilute the poem’s essential existential questions but re-frames them to resonate in the contemporary world, while retaining allusions to Celtic stories and myths. THE GREEN KNIGHT is a film with layers to peel back, the kind that invites multiple viewings.
The Green Knight and Gawain separately have appeared in a number of films and novels inspired by the Arthurian tales, including a parody of the Green Knight in MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL, but there have been fewer adaptations of the 14th century English Medieval epic poem “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” None other than J.R.R. Tolkien translated the Medieval tale into modern English, and was fan of the story. The original tale, by an unknown English author, draws on Welsh and Irish myths, and French tales of chivalry.
It is not essential but it helps a bit if you know something of the original story (and the filmmakers even provide a little trailer of information to help you out, if you want to look for that), as knowing that will answer some questions, particularly about the ending. Don’t do this before seeing the movie, as that would be a spoiler but if you are unsure about the ending, look up the Medieval beheading game and you will have an answer. Just not before seeing the movie.
Although the title of the story is “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” Gawain is not yet a knight, and repeatedly corrects those who call him one. On his quest, Gawain encounters many challenges, supernatural and natural, including a scavenger (Barry Keoghan) and a mysterious young Saint Winifred (Erin Kellyman, who appears again later in a double role), but also the challenge of just sheer survival out in the elements of the natural world. At one point, a fox becomes his companion, as a quest nearly always needs a companion, and he is a winning addition. As Gawain struggles through a dark forest on a foggy night, the mist suddenly clears and he sees a castle, where he gratefully heads to ask shelter for the night. The castle’s Lord (Joel Edgerton, who played Gawain in Antoine Fuqua’s 2004 KING ARTHUR) greets him warmly, and welcomes him in. He introduces Gawain to his beautiful wife (Alicia Vikander, in a dual role) but not the blindfolded old woman (Helena Browne) who also sits silently at their table. In the comfort and warmth of the castle, other challenges and temptations await, and Gawain still has to find the Green Chapel and meet his fate at the hands of his green opponent.
Dev Patel is superb as Gawain, finding the right combination of privileged, directionless youth and a young man yearning to both prove himself and become his best self. It is a timeless theme, and Patel explores all the aspects, exuding child-like innocence, boyish charm, youthful arrogance, noble spirit or crippling uncertainty by turns. The rest of the cast is also excellent, with Swedish actress Alicia Vikander particularly outstanding in her dual role as the bold Essel and the seductive Lady. There is much about the power of women in Gawain’s story, whether his magical mother, the assertive Essel, the forward Lady, or the mysterious blindfolded old woman in the castle. Under green makeup and tree-like mask, Ralph Ineson is wonderful as the Green Knight, using his voice to project either a fearsome power and an underlying winking humor.
One of the things you’ll notice is that few names are given, apart from Gawain’s, and there is a reason for that, as Lowery wants to keep us guessing, and questioning, as the tale unfolds. Much is open to interpretation but there is a lot of subtext in the unnamed characters. In the Arthurian tales, who a character is, and whether they are good or evil, sometimes shifts. Lowery doesn’t even name the king and queen, although we naturally assume they are Arthur and Guinevere. But which of King Arthur’s half-sisters is Gawain’s mother, Morgause or Morgan Le Fay? She isn’t named in the film but in the credits, it says Morgan Le Fay, who is a character in the poem although not Gawain’s mother. Here, the story better fits Morgause but is she also the mother of Mordred as well as Gawain? Is she an ally of the king or something else? The original tale, by an unknown English author, drew on Welsh and Irish myths and symbolism, and French tales of chivalry, and the Green Knight’s color suggests the natural world but also the Celts’ Green Man, an ancient symbol of rebirth and a guardian of the forest. The holly he carries suggests another Celtic mythic figure, the Holly King, who rules the natural world in winter. The more you know about the Arthurian or Celtic myths, the more fun you will have with this.
Green is everywhere in THE GREEN KNIGHT, from the mossy forests to the protective sash, It is a color that can symbolize growth, nature and life, but it also can mean death and ghostly presences. Although the epic poem is set in Wales, THE GREEN KNIGHT was shot in the same area of Ireland as John Boorman’s EXCALIBER, another Arthurian tale. Lowery makes good use of the landscape, and draws brilliantly and freely on mythic elements and supernatural ones, while grounding the quest in the physical world as well. While the landscape is real, with lush photography by Andrew Droz Palermo (who also shot Lowery’s ethereal A GHOST STORY), the fantasy story also features special effects, including that marvelous fox, seamlessly blended in to the real visuals, mirroring the way the film blends the supernatural and the natural in this tale.
THE GREEN KNIGHT transforms a 14th Medieval poem into a gorgeous piece of cinema art. But it may not be for everyone. If you are seeking sword-play, straight-forward good and evil, and a story where all is made crystal clear, this film may not be for you. But if you are able to immerse yourself in its mystical elements, be charmed by Arthurian tales and Celtic myths, and be comfortable with some lingering mystery, THE GREEN KNIGHT will cast its spell on you.
THE GREEN KNIGHT opens Friday, July 30, at multiple theaters.
RATING: 4 out of 4 stars
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