The spirit of chivalry turns - "The Green Knight"

Doug 2022-03-11 08:01:43

Today, let's talk about the movie "The Green Knight".

The film title The Green Knight (2021), alias Green Knight (Taiwan).

Independent film company A24 has released their first fantasy adventure film, based on the 14th century English verse (Knight in English verse) "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight".

The whole poem has a total of 2529 lines. The author is unknown. It belongs to the legendary series "King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table". The work promotes the spirit of chivalry and expresses an ideal system of chivalry.

In terms of artistic attainments, this poem is "beautiful and subtle in language, complete and compact in plot, and delicate and full of characters", which represents the highest achievement in the art of rhythmic poetry in medieval England.

The idea for a film re-deconstruction of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight came to the film's director David Lowery while he was making the dolls for the film "Willow" (1988).

"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" was originally a film about the positive image of chivalry, but the effect of the deconstructed film greatly deviates from the audience's fantasy of chivalry in the fantasy world.

Audiences familiar with A24 will know that the core of this studio's filmmaking has always been art, and they care about "how to make cool movies."

After watching movies such as "Minari", "The First Cow", "Miss Bird", "Moonlight", "Amy", "Floridaland", "The Lobster", "The Witch", "Ex Machina" Learn about the style of A24 independent films.

Suffice it to say, we wouldn't have seen the Green Knight without the A24 willing to make indie films.

"The Green Knight" has been highly praised by the global media and film critics, but the public's ratings are not good.

There are also bizarre and bizarre scenes in the film, and there is a natural sense of distance between art films and ordinary audiences.

If the average audience does not understand the background of the story, it will be very confusing to watch the movie.

In the film, there is no Gawain Knight vs. the Green Knight that will appear in everyone's mind, and there are no various small climaxes and small explosions in various ordinary entertainment films. Many people will feel confused after watching it.

In order to compare the changes in the story, I specially checked the two versions of Jessie Weston's 1898 version and WA Neilson's 1999 version.

There is also a translation of Jessie Weston's " Sir Gawain and the Green Knight " (link: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight | Sir Gawain and the Green Knight ), and interested readers can check it out.

At the beginning of the film, the sword in the stone is used to draw out the story, because Sir Gawain is a member of the Knights of the Round Table (Knights of the Round Table) led by King Arthur (King Arthur), and King Arthur's nephew. He is a star in the entire Knights of the Round Table. It is also said to be the source of the term "Prince Charming".

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain and the Carle of Carlisle and Sir Gawain and the Carlisle The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle.

Manuscript illustration of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: The Green Knight holding his head

The story of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" is divided into four parts. While retaining the four parts, this film further refines the story.

The following is a brief description of the original story, and everyone will know where the changes have been made.

first part of the story

At the celebratory feast of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, a tall and mighty knight in green armor broke into the hall.

The green knight challenged everyone to see which knight dared to cut him, and demanded that the knight must go to the Green Church for an appointment the following year, and the green knight would cut back.

Gawain volunteered and chopped off the green knight's head.

The green knight did not die, but picked up his head and left. Before leaving, he emphasized that Gawain must go to the appointment and accept the slash.

story part two

A year passed quickly, and Gawain went to the Green Church to make an appointment.

He traveled all the way, encountered many difficulties and hardships, and finally came to an ancient castle.

The owner of the castle and his wife warmly welcomed Gawain and said that the Green Church is not far away.

The owner of the castle made a condition to Gawain. He went out to hunt during the day and exchanged the prey with Gawain for what he got that day at night.

story part three

When the owner of the castle was away, his wife began to seduce Gawain, but Gawain rejected her.

On the first night, the owner of the castle gave the prey as a gift, and Gawain returned it with a kiss; on the second night, the owner of the castle gave the prey as a gift, and Gawain returned with three kisses.

On the third day, the wife of the owner of the castle gave Gawain a green belt, indicating that he was invulnerable. Gawain thought that he was going to be cut off, so he accepted the green belt.

In the evening, the owner of the castle gave the prey as a gift. Gawain did not hand over the green belt, but kissed the owner of the castle five times.

fourth part of the story

Gawain left the castle and went to the Green Church. The elf acted as a guide for him and tried to stop him. Gawain did not listen to the elf, and the elf scolded and left.

After arriving at the Green Church, the green knight slashed at Gawain as agreed.

The first time, Gawain shrank his head, and the green knight berated him for being timid;

The second time, Gawain did not evade, and the green knight slashed;

The third time, the green knight just chopped off Gawain a little.

Then Gawain asked the green knight to stop attacking, and the green knight revealed his true colors. It turned out that he was the owner of the castle, mainly testing whether Gawain could follow the test of chivalry virtue.

The green knight didn't cut Gawain in the first two blows because Gawain complied with the agreement, and the third blow was a little because Gawain didn't hand over the green belt as agreed.

When Gawain returned home to recount his adventures, King Arthur proposed that all the Knights of the Round Table and the women of the court wear green belts to commemorate the event.

What no one knows is that everything is planned by the witch Morgan Le Fay to make King Arthur's most elite knight the Green Knight.

Comparing the film "The Green Knight", you will find that the story has changed a lot.

Both the original book and the movie are testing Gawain to see if he can keep his chivalry spirit, but the two versions have completely opposite results.

Gawain, who originally strictly adhered to the virtues of chivalry, became a playboy who did not observe chivalry at all in the film.

His mother, the witch Morgan Le Fay, was not even white, including Gawain and his mother.

It can be said that the spirit of chivalry has been ruined by Gawain. The so-called spirit of chivalry is a rhetoric that fools outsiders. Those who ask others to abide by the spirit of chivalry cannot do it themselves.

All adventures are dictated by the adventurer. As long as the ruler is in charge of the propaganda machine, he can go on fooling around until death.

In the second chapter of the original book, these five larger virtues are explicitly mentioned.

In the film, there are more five-pointed stars, and the five-pointed stars are used to refer to these five virtues.

The five virtues are Piety, Generosity, Courtesy, Chastity, and Friendship.

Combined with the performance of the film, he did not pass any test of knighthood.

1. Piety

Gawain did not go to church at the beginning, but hung out in a brothel. His mother was worried that he would not be able to make a weapon, so he summoned a green knight, tailor-made a set of tests, and at the same time gave his son an invulnerable green belt to ensure safety.

2. Be generous

When Gao Wen met a scavenger, he got the road information but was unwilling to give money, and finally gave a coin reluctantly.

3. Good deeds

The original character St Winifred asked Gawain to help find the head, and Gawain thought of the scavengers and began to ask for money.

4. Chastity

Gawain failed to resist the temptation of the castle owner's wife, and surrendered to her.

The image of the castle owner's wife is the same as that of Essel, the prostitute Gawain had been with before.

Ethel wore a bell because in the Middle Ages prostitutes and lepers were considered unclean and were forced to wear bells on their clothes to warn others. Gawain was just playing around with her, and kept going with her kidneys and not her heart.

After becoming a Lady, the owner of the castle with the same image can be treated with courtesy by Gawain.

5. Friendship

Gawain was rude to the little fox who never gave up, even if the little fox protected him, he didn't care.

A few other changes:

1. In the original work, the blindfolded lady in the lord's castle was Morgan Le Fay, who merged with Gawain's mother here.

2. In the film, the Green Knight arrives at Christmas.

In the original poem, he arrives on New Year's Eve.

3. The movie deleted the setting that the green knight is the owner of the castle.

There are a few small details in the video.

1. The pattern on Gawain's yellow cloak is actually the fingerprint of the husband of the costume designer Malgosia Turzanska.

2. The corroded armor of the green knight is engraved with the letters Sabaic.

Sabak is a South Arabic language spoken from 1000 BC to the 6th century AD, which allows the character to look old and stylish.

3. The voices of the opening remarks are the mixed voices of director David Lowery and his wife Augustine Fritzel.

4. Before setting off, Mother Gawain and the other three witches created the engraving of three runes in the belt.

From left to right are Thurisaz the giant, symbolizing a powerful tool or weapon, defense or protection; Algiz the elk, symbolizing protection, higher self, divinity and teaching; the mount thunder Raidho, a symbol of peace in the journey, justice and nobility in the heart.

5. Ralph Ineson and Kate Dickie previously co-starred in another A24 film, The VVitch: A New-England Folktale (2015).

6. The spiral tower that appears many times is a real building.

The Wonderful Barn in Lexlip, Ireland, was built by the Connolly family on Castletown Manor in 1743.

7. The crossroads of skeletons hanging in cages is similar to the image in the movie "Willow" (1988).

A new deconstruction of small rhymes,

The spirit of chivalry turned.

This is the distribution center for hardcore movie fans, welcome to pay attention to the public number: Miaokan Film and Television

View more about The Green Knight reviews

Extended Reading
  • Shawna 2022-03-25 09:01:22

    6.5 A fable, the trial of the knight. Test will, quality, and virtue. The opening ending is left blank, and the audiovisual is excellent. The aesthetic is unique, the gloomy atmosphere elevates the film, the pacing is a little too long, and it has a beautiful shell but no real core.

  • Sydnie 2022-03-26 09:01:14

    It's a pity that I can't see the big screen, but the images, including the lighting, are great.

The Green Knight quotes

  • Gawain: I fear I am not meant for greatness.

  • Gawain: Honor. That is why a knight does what he does.