Many years ago, I read and greatly enjoyed a 1950s translation into modern English by The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit author J.R.R. Tolkien of a quite lengthy yet hitherto-obscure Arthurian-inspired alliterative poem dating from the late 14th Century that was originally untitled but is nowadays commonly known as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. (Incidentally, Tolkien's translation of this previously long-forgotten early literary work remained unpublished until 1975, two years after his death, and I still own it in paperback.) The poem is written not in the familiar London version of Middle English utilized by the likes of Geoffrey Chaucer back then, but instead in a much less accessible Midlands version utilized by its unidentified Midlands-based author, which may explain its long-overlooked status, and in this original form it is preserved in only a single now-priceless medieval manuscript held at the British Museum.
This poem tells of a gigantic and seemingly supernatural green-hued knight (deemed by some scholars to personify England's ancient Green Man symbol of fertility and rebirth), who rides his immense green steed uninvited into King Arthur's Camelot court one New Year's Eve, carrying a huge axe, and challenges whether any of Arthur's noble Knights of the Round Table is brave enough to behead him with it and subsequently journey to the legendary Green Chapel in his distant realm in order to receive the same treatment from him in a year and a day's time. Whoever wins the contest will retain the axe. Sir Gawain, Arthur's nephew, accepts this daunting challenge, but when he decapitates the Green Knight with a single mighty blow from the axe this verdant visitor does not die. Instead, he simply bends down, picks up his severed head, and then rides away, leaving the axe at Camelot after telling Gawain that if he is indeed of noble knightly stature he will honour his sworn oath, made in the presence of everyone there. The rest of the poem chronicles Gawain's subsequent quest to the Green Chapel, alluding to all manner of adventures and experiences en route (in particular his fateful meeting with a mysterious Lord, Lady, and old crone, none of whom are what they seem), and what happens to him when he finally encounters his uncanny adversary and presents the axe to him, to wield accordingly as agreed...
Several different big-screen, small-screen, and on-stage interpretations of this engrossing fantasy have been produced down through the years since Tolkien prepared his translation, including the famous 1984 movie Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, starring none other than Sean Connery in fine fettle as the Green Knight. However, on 26 April 2022 I finally watched the latest cinematic incarnation – The Green Knight. (I say 'finally', because this movie was originally due to be released into cinemas globally during 2020, when I would have definitely watched it, but this release was cancelled in the UK and various other countries due to the Covid pandemic closing cinemas for long periods of time during the lockdowns, so I waited until it became available on DVD.)
Directed and co-written for the screen by David Lowery, and released (albeit only briefly) in the USA during 2020 by A24, The Green Knight is an unexpectedly dark, sombre affair for much of its length, with its storyline taking a fair few liberties with the original medieval source material. Some of these plot departures and deviations add to the magic – such as the mystical mist-enshrouded giants briefly encountered by Gawain (played by Dev Patel), and his spooky meeting (in every sense!) with the Welsh virgin martyr St Winifred (Erin Kellyman), not featured in the original poem.
Others, conversely, do not. For instance, Gawain is accompanied for much of his journey by a fox companion (CGI-rendered) that he has befriended and which behaves in an entirely normal vulpine manner – until, that is, it suddenly begins talking to him, and in a decidedly otherworldly voice (even for a fox!), when, near the movie's climax (more about that later!), it seeks to dissuade him from completing his quest to confront the Green Knight. Yet why the fox abruptly transforms from fellow traveller into temptation personified is never explained in the film (though I did later discover its opaque meaning).
Also, at times Gawain is decidedly whining rather than winning in his attitude to what lies ahead, and behind, him during his epic foray. This is not what I'd expect from a valiant Camelot knight errant, and in turn says even less about the other ennobled Round Table residents, who unlike Gawain had baulked at taking up the Green Knight's challenge (which takes place here on Christmas Day, btw, not on New Year's Eve, and the Green Knight wears green armour instead of being without armour like he is in the poem). Having said that, it needs to be pointed out that in yet another marked change from its source material, in this movie Gawain has not actually been knighted when he embarks upon his quest, which is actively commented upon by various characters that he meets during his travels – until the Green Knight refers to him as a knight when Gawain bravely confronts him as agreed at the Green Chapel and thereby makes him one (according to traditional knight custom).
In fact, in a number of ways, especially concerning matters of honour and integrity, Gawain's role in this movie is, surprisingly, an exact opposite version to that in the poem. However, I'll avoid saying more about that here, and will instead leave viewers to see what I mean when they watch this film themselves.
Overall it has its moments for sure, and I definitely do not dislike it, far from it, but for me The Green Knight is less impressive than I'd been anticipating. Filmed in Ireland, it certainly contains enough gorgeously viridescent Emerald Isle visuals and hauntingly ethereal Celticesque music to create an ample supply of Clannad or Enya music videos, but also much supplementary content that makes little if any sense. Moreover, this sad latter situation is not helped in the slightest by a movie-long attack of the mumbles afflicting most of the cast, to the extent that I finally acquiesced to turning on subtitles. Less attention to visuals, more to vocals by the production team was definitely needed here.
Finally, after sitting through almost 2 hours to reach the dramatic climactic scene, which then turns out never to have actually happened(!), the real ending proves to be anything but an ending! In other words, if you want to discover what really happens to Gawain after meeting and submitting to the Green Knight (played by Ralph Ineson), not to mention the latter's connection to the Lord (Joel Edgerton) and Lady (Alicia Vikander) – a connection never even featured, let alone ultimately revealed, in this movie – you'll have to seek out Tolkien's translation (or various alternatives now also in existence).
All in all, it may come as no surprise to learn that a frequent criticism of this film by viewers has been that they didn't understand its plot, that it was too abstruse to follow – and if truth be told, had I not already read Tolkien's translation as well as having viewed various previous on-screen versions, I might not have done either.
Ah well, at least I did learn one useful fact from watching The Green Knight. For if its Arthurian accuracy can indeed be trusted, Gawain's name is apparently pronounced GARwin, not GaWAIN, as I had always assumed. You live and learn!
If you'd like to keep company with gallivanting Gawain and his fickle fox on their perilous if at times querulous quest for at least the length of an official movie trailer, be sure to click here to view one for The Green Knight on YouTube.
Finally: to view a complete chronological listing of all of my Shuker In MovieLand blog's other film reviews and articles (each one instantly accessible via a direct clickable link), please click HERE, and please click HERE to view a complete fully-clickable alphabetical listing of them.
I was thoroughly disappointed by this film. I too am familiar with the other film versions (which I love) and with the original story, through Tolkien and other translations, and this film left me bewildered, not just by the storyline / plot, but by why anyone would go to the trouble of filming a story they presumably like only to change most of it into something unrecognisable.
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