The Green Knight is the tale of Gawain, King Arthur's nephew who aspires to become a knight. One Christmas, a Green Knight appears at Arthur's court, offering to receive a blow from anyone present, on one condition: that the Knight would return the favor one year hence. Gawain takes him up on the challenge, and chops off his head. Shockingly, the knight picks up his head, tells Gawain where to find him in one year, and rides off. Gawain is understandably downcast but sets off in a year to find the magical man. On his journey, he'll encounter hardship, people in need, and temptation. Can he navigate these- or should he- as he approaches what must surely be his life's end?
This movie is based on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, one of English literature's oldest surviving stories. And . . . they pulled it off! They actually pulled it off. They made an Arthurian movie that is faithful to the original text, without the trappings of modernity. The atmosphere is impressive and almost exactly as I imagined the setting as I read this book nine years ago. The tale is haunting, bizarre, captivating, and magical. The dialogue is minimal, and pace is slow- exactly like the book. There are some tweaks (this article has some good observations in this vein), and hints of gross scenes (this is rated R), but overall, I was impressed. The message is good, too. Now, be warned- they didn't tell tales in the 1300s like they do today, so while I believe this is an authentic presentation, it's also very slow. I was both bored and enthralled watching this ("yes, they did it!" "no, this is so boring!" "yes, but it's faithful to the text!"). If you're into Arthurian lore, check it out.
Rating: A-
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