Ancient Culture # 9: Green Knight Film Review (2021)
-For the Uncensored!
As a college educated student, I have read many ancient texts. Gilgamesh, which I reviewed for substack[1], and while much of my knowledge around Arthurian legends, are shrouded by Monty Python’s “The Quest for the Holy Grail” is the adamant nature of lust that all ancient texts fear but are also preoccupied with. Zeus had many sexually illicit affairs with humans, and many often had their share of quests, and some were just conquests. Eros is the god of love. According to History Answers.com, “Ancient Greeks were patently much more philosophically and psychologically nuanced than their contemporary counterparts to the north and west. While the Pre-Socratics (6th and 5th centuries) and their successors were exercised by the very meaning of life – and love – the Celts, for example, were consumed by matters much less cerebral.”[2] While Greek Mythology accepts and embraces hedonist behavior, Arthurian legends see lust as a temptation as knights are set to find themselves in a quest and push away temptation.[3]
While I read the JRR Tolkien version of the Green Knight, in college, and recently ahead of the release of David Lowery’s film version of the same name before the July 30th 2021 release date. I was busy at the time covering so many other topics that I wanted to come to this film on my own rather than upon release.
It comes to mind that what I saw, seemed rather atmospheric, beautifully composed shots with mist and landscapes to dazzle the eye. What I saw was dazzling and intriguing, as Gawain, played by Dev Patel, proved that he took it seriously and was capable at the job of portraying the Green Knight. [4] Also, the film didn’t go out of the way to overexplain or rewrite the story itself of his race. As he’s just accepted for who he is, and it wasn’t the main focus of the story.
But I do get the complaint and I see that as a problem to many, but the idea of this film is not just about color, but the idea of purity is what inspired me to like Gawain more as I watched the film.
A quick sentence description is that Gawain, whose rather rebellious and headstrong, is forced into a quest by the making of his mother, who created such a presence through witchcraft by writing a letter and sealing it with a green emblem. I never remembered this during both my readings, because this is almost a theme rather than a making the anonymous author intended. Maybe it’s up to interpretation, as all myths are.[5]
But in the case of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, I started to just allow myself to follow the character of Gawain as he cuts the head off the green knight. As he willingly lets him do. When he stands up, he says, “We shall meet one year hence.”
I think the solace of watching a film in the theater was a calming effect, too. It was nice to hear people cheering on the rather salacious moments of the film. What made the film alluring is that for all the films dense passages pontificated by the actors, it still felt like a vision that could be feasible without big budget foolery.
It’s almost as if Terry Gilliam could have made his original vision of Don Quixote on a vision if time and budget could be given. What makes the Green Knight feasible is that it’s willing to sacrifice so much action set pieces for the story itself, but the story is so dense that it’s probably more for English teachers and there students than it is for the casual viewer. It’s still very alluring, even after I think about it. [6]
It’s the idea of truncating the essence of Lowerys vision into the frame is where he excels at. But it felt like the dialogue spoken by Alicia Vikander) as the representation of the witch was presented at face value but the meaning behind it wasn’t explained well enough which led me to drift at certain points. Again, maybe I thought, “What made Lord of the Rings accessible is that it wanted everyone to understand what was going on.” That’s what seems to be at the core as well, as an artistic statement, and not as a commercial film that not everyone can get and understand.
David Lowery has somehow managed to have read and loved this book and studied it to the point he can get his own vision down, but people might not be aware of the themes and the story. I get that St. Winifred is on the screen, but why was she important to this story? One line could have helped clarify it, but I get that he wanted to be poetic, so I can understand why the film is mostly an artistic vision, and not for the masses.
I didn’t mind it, as I expected it to be an artistic movie, and not one for mass consumption. But I did think that while dialogue with the witch who represented Gawain’s lover (played brilliantly by Vikander as she’s offered a dual role as the Lord’s “wife”) as much of the film is set on testing Gawain’s manhood and not based on achieving his quest. Which I didn’t mind because honor is a key theme for Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
What the film does do well in giving Patel the chance to explore and take on a stoic leading man role, is fine, which I had no problem with. But the way some dialogue wasn’t clear enough on Ms. Vikander’s scene fell flat. It felt like lines from the poem and not really emphasizing why I should care about what she’s saying.
Again, I think it was too artistic for its own good. Much of the strength of the film was its weakness in pushing an artistic vision over telling a story. Like Gawain, his test of defeating the Green Knight is delayed through side quests, as it’s meant to represent the very nature of purity and the will to face the Green Knight.
But what happens is that it’s not an epic battle. It’s Gawain letting himself be attacked, because the Green Knight offered his head first, and Gawain must offer his. That was the deal. So when the film abruptly ends after Gawain having a long dream like sequence that ends with him realizing the errors he has made and what might happen if he doesn’t face the Green Knight. So, it’s not a bad film, and while much of the vision is Lowery’s ability to capture what he wants inside the camera, testing the audience is what the film does too. The score, by Daniel Hart, is nothing to speak as much of it could be mistaken for nature documentary music with a slightly darker edge. But when it’s on its barely noticeable. I imagine if Clint Mansell, whose recordings including The Fountain (2006), Requiem for a Dream (2000), and Doom (2005), would have made this soundtrack amazing.[7]
I think this film has many good points and definitely for many will demand another viewing when it hits the streaming services. I can’t pretend that the film is one of my favorites of all time, but it does mark a new beginning for Lowery into the public eye. A24[8] did a great job at making this film on a budget without sacrificing Lowery’s vision. Ultimately as Lowery, the director, is the star of the film.
Final Analyis: 2.9/5
[1]Bruno, Louis. “Ancient Culture #9: Gilgamest (translated by Stephen Mitchell) Review.” 05/28/2021.
. Found 08/10/21. Substack.
[2] “Ancient Greek Sex Lives: God on God Action, Erotic Magic & the Language of Love (NSFW)” 04/05/2018. History Answers. https://www.historyanswers.co.uk/ancient/ancient-greek-sex-lives-god-on-god-action-erotic-magic-the-language-of-love-nsfw/. Found 08/10/21.
[3] “The Tale of Sir Galahad-Monty Python and the Holy Grail”. Found 08/10/21.
[4] I will get one thing out of the way. While I was initially repelled by the idea of Patel playing Gawain, I had to leave the actor out of the way, and remembered that Arthurian legends don’t always have to look the same. Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017), and many other filmmakers choose what actors can play in the film or what technique they use to tell there film. I’m not as mad about Dev Patel being Gawain, because his acting skills matter more to me than his skin color, on this film in particular.
[5] While I did lampoon the idea of Achilles being black, I still stand by that idea. Article here: https://louisbruno.substack.com/p/ancient-culture-8-the-devaluing-of?r=j7aax&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_source=copy. I don’t get that while watching David Lowery’s vision of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was out of spite towards society itself, or meant to create controversy around the movie.
[6] It’s not Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain, but I wouldn’t put Sir Gawain up there with Darren Aronofsky just yet
.[7]https://milanrecords.com/release/the-green-knight-original-motion-picture-soundtrack/.
[8] A24 is a New York film studio and production company of the same name. It was known for Moonlight (2016), Deus Ex (2017), and The Lighthouse (2019). The only film I currently like out of the bunch is Deus Ex, while I haven’t seen the Lighthouse, I have no judgement for or against it. They also have a podcast called “The A24 Podcast” https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-a24-podcast/id1351044991.
-Louis Bruno is the author of more than 15 books, including, The Michael Project, The Michael Project: Book 2: The Lost Children of Eve, Thy Kingdom Come, The Disintegrating Bloodline, Apocalypse Soldier, Hierarchy of Dwindling Sheep. His books can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Lulu. He can be found on Gab, https://gab.com/thereallouistbruno, Minds https://www.minds.com/lbruno8063/. Instagram @lbrruno8063 and @louisbrunoofficialbook. Our Freedom Book https://www.ourfreedombook.com/thereallouistbruno17. He has written for the Intellectual Conservative and Ephemere. His next series, City of Sand is out now: https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/louis-bruno/city-of-sand/hardcover/product-rke9jz.html?page=1&pageSize=4. Also, if you can’t subscribe so that you can get members only reviews, please be sure to share the articles, as well. Every little bit helps. Thanks for reading.