So it’s been a while since I posted here. I’ve had a lot of huge life changes. I quit my job. I bought a car. I moved out of state. I have an apartment now. I returned to academia. I’ve enrolled in a PhD program at the University of Georgia. It’s a whole lot. And I have to say now that it is *ALL* thanks to the amazing generosity of my parents. They’ll tell you it’s not, but it is. And I cannot believe how blessed I am to be here writing this now. I’m also terrified of what the next 5 years will bring. But that’s not what I’m here to talk about. I’m here to talk about the one and only film that got me back into a theatre after the onset of the pandemic: The Green Knight.
I’m absolutely obsessed with this film. I love it. I have critique, of course. But I loved it. And now, because you chose to click this link absolutely knowing what you were getting in for, you’re gonna have to hear about it. - oh and here is your BIG SPOILER WARNING because I’m not gonna even try to not spoil this one. Go watch it. Please. (If you choose to watch it do know that it is R rated for a reason and that reason is the sex scenes, of which there are 2-3. I think they are both well done and important, not gratuitous or exploitative. But if you absolutely refuse to watch sex scene then... I guess don't.)
Ok so my prior knowledge of the Green Knight is interesting, because I could have *sworn* I’d read the legend before - for a course in undergrad. But after I watched the film, I went back home to check my books and the story of Gawain and the Green Knight just… wasn’t there. So either I’ve read it but since lost the text which I read OR I just like. Somehow dreamed the whole thing. I dunno. But all this to say - with all my knowledge of mythology, and all my penchant for knights and such, it is by some ridiculous joke of the gods and an oversight on the part of the fates that I must admit - Arthurian legends are SOMEHOW not one of my strong suits. But… I’ve read the entire Wikipedia article on Gawain and the Green Knight, if it helps. And I plan on reading Tolkien’s translation sometime soon.
All that aside, I’d first like to talk about the things I LOVED about this film, then the reason I see behind some of the choices they made to go off-script from the myth as I understand it, and finally a few things I would have changed if I had any say on this masterpiece of a film. (oh my gosh does this post actually have some organization? wild.)
Ok so the first thing that I am just. Ecstatic about. Is the COSTUMING. The costume department for The Green Knight absolutely SHOWED UP TO WORK in a way I rarely see with fantasy or historical fiction set in this time period. Yes I know, I know, it’s set in Camelot, whatever. It’s set in western England, Cornwall, and Wales. Mostly Wales. To be hones,t the entire time I was watching this film the first time I was looking to try and pinpoint when in history it was set (they mention Saxons once but it's hard to understand in what light). It’s not, of course, and there is a huge mix - especially with the architecture, which is wild, btw, and later set than it should be. But the costuming is shockingly good for Arthurian times! The absolute LACK of plate mail is just… YES. THANK YOU. I‘m in love. Gawain’s weird padded pant-shoes? YES. Arthur’s entire get up? YES PLEASE. Whatever it is that Guinevere is wearing? Yes. Good. Just. All of the costumes. Absolutely stellar. (actually there are two exceptions: Alicia Vikander’s entire deal with the low cut dress, and the weird long baseball t shirt that Gawain wears to dinner in that scene. What is even happening here. Excuse me? The Lady looks like she belongs in A Knights Tale. What happened?)
Secondly, I’m in love with the music of this film. Especially the choral and sung pieces - especially the Christmas ones. I’ve wondered if, if it hadn’t been for the pandemic, this would have premiered around Christmas and have been considered an Xmas film. I’m glad it came out when it did. It’s nice to have some wonderful, haunting carols in the late summer.
Third, the cinematography. I’m no expert in film making but I can say that this film is absolutely gorgeous. Beautiful. The color. The mood. The just… ~vibe~ of this film. I love the way this film makes me feel. It makes me feel serious, and invested. I love it.
Oh fourth - I’m absolutely in love with Old Man Arthur. He’s my favorite. I also love how little focus is given to the rest of the Knights of the Round Table. They don’t feel like they have to shoe-horn in all the name drops. This film feels like the exact opposite of Guy Ritchie’s “King Arthur and the Legend of the Sword” (Yes mom I know you love that movie but this one is better, let me explain).
Ok to that’s actually a pretty good transition into Part the Second (it’s almost like I planned this). So let’s talk about the differences between the legend and I know it and the film - and the reasons I see for the changes. The Green Knight is a modern adaptation of a late medieval text based on a much older oral tradition. And no, it’s not a perfect adaptation. It’s not word for word. Yes, it changes some things. And you know what? I am okay with that. In fact, I am more than okay with it.
So here’s the thing. One of the things I love most about mythology - what is perhaps the most important aspect of it, even - is our ability to tell and retell it. Mythology changes over time. And it’s allowed to change. You’re allowed to change it. One of the best ways I’ve seen this happen recently is the huge surge of stories about Hades and Persephone - and their love story. Originally, the myth of Hades and Persephone was horrific. It was a story about a young maiden who was abducted against her will (and probably raped) and tricked into spending half of her life with her abductor - it was to explain the harsh reality of a world where once a year everything dies. But you know what? Stories about abduction and rape suck! Greek views of relationships suck. I don’t want to hear that story. You know what I DO want to hear? A love story between two people the world thinks would be terrible together and would never been good enough for each other, but them falling deeply in love - them having to trick the world, and work through their differences like adults. Love that. Yes. So the story was re-told. And this kind of thing is everywhere - people love Marvel’s Thor and Loki. But in the myth, Loki is the blood-brother of Odin, not Thor, and Frigg is neither of their mother, and other people can definitely weird Mjulnir. But tellings change. And that's good. We add to the text. We get to participate. It's why I love myth.
And that’s what The Green Knight is. It is a retelling. And I want to honor it as such. I think The Green Knight is exactly the retelling that we need right now. I’ve heard that The Green Knight was almost completely re-edited during the pandemic, and I think it shows, in a good way.
When Guy Richie wanted to make a movie about Arthur for the modern day he did so with elaborate action set pieces, showy magic, and a pace that hurts your head. The plot made just about as much sense as The Green Knight, but you didn’t have time to notice that - you were so captured by The Next Thing. The pacing was so fast to keep you Entertained - there were deaths you didn’t have time to process, and plot pieces played in the wrong order. It was a lot. The Green Knight does the exact opposite of this. It’s pace is slow and meandering. It spends time on it’s journey. It does not entertain. There are NO fight sequences in the whole film, did you notice? None. The closest you get is Gawain's attack on the Green Knight, and the bandit's assault on him in the woods, and I don't think either count as "fights". It's not an action film.
What The Green Knight does do is meditate on its themes - something that The Legend of the Sword did not have. And these themes are many and varied! To me, The Green Knight is essentially a story of a man having to confront the reality of his own mortality. And the theme of death - imminent or eventual - is evident throughout. It’s in the plot - with St Winifred - it’s in the world - with the skeletons and the mushrooms and the rot - it’s in the script - with the lady’s wonderful monologue. It’s about confronting Nature, as well. Everything changes. Everything dies. To me the message of the film is thus: Death is both inescapable and natural. To defy it is not honor but cowardice. Only in accepting this truth can we have honor, life, or anything else. We don’t have to like it. In fact, we can fear it, we can dread it, we can have emotions about it. But we needn’t flee it, or fight it. For from death comes all life.
And that’s not even looking at the Christian aspect of this story - about trusting God vs trusting our own might. I loved Arthur’s line about how no man has ever faced death before his time. It’s so GOOD!
Ok but anyway. Adaptation. What are some of the major changes from the text to screen? Well, first off, the Green Sash is introduced much much earlier - through Gawain’s mother, Morgan le Fay. Then it get cut and then shows up later and the lady claims to have made it? Is it the same one? Who knows. I don’t. This movie isn’t about logistics! That’s not the point. Why would they make this change? Well, if they didn’t, then the EXTREMELY important idea of “this green scarf will make you not die” wouldn’t appear until essentially act III - or the very end of act II. By introducing it earlier, the viewer is allowed to sit and understand it’s meaning, and even grow attached to it when it is lost. You want Gawain to have it. And you really understand what it means for him to take it off.
Second big change - several friends have asked me “you know about mythology - what’s with the fox??”. So the fox friend is not in the book lol but there is a fox. The fox, though, represents cunning - often at the expense of honor. Which is just. Everything about what Gawain is trying with the green sash. I think the film would be less without the fox to both move it along, provide some audience buy in, and give Exposition at that one point. It seems to represent his mother’s wishes. But I also think the film gave the fox a bit too much screen time. Which brings me to…
What was with those giants tho?? This is the one scene I really really think the film could have done without. Like. I get it - seeing giants in the mountains is a big part of fantasy literature. We get it in the Silver Chair and in the Hobbit and they both get it from the same places in folklore. And yes, Gawain does have unspecified trials on his way. And yes, it makes sense for where in England/Wales they are. But STILL. It wasted a lot of time and money that could have been spend elsewhere - namely the Lord and Lady’s house.
Ok so. This is the biggest deviation, and the one I would have fixed. The timeline in this house is super off. The Lord doesn’t ask for the exchange of winnings until the second night, and the first and second Temptation are rolled into one, and there is only one kiss with the lady and one kiss with the lord and also a sex scene… what is. What are you doing. Also the lord’s hunting is very played down. The parallel is lost.
Sorry. If you don’t know - in the original myth Gawain spends 3 days with the Lord and Lady, and this is the focal point of his entire trip. It’s all about if he can be Honorable. So he and the Lord gave their game of exchanging winnings. The first day the Lord is gone, the Lady flirts with Gawain, but gently, politely - and the Lord hunts a noble stag. Gawain and the lady exchange a kiss - and so Gawain and the Lord exchange a kiss as well (Gawain can get it, ok?). The Lady and Gawain are both being genteel. But then the next day, the Lord hunts a boar - dangerous, aggressive. The lady is now REALLY flirting with gawain pretty shamelessly. (in the film this is their convo about “a knight knows nothing of love?” by the painting). Two kisses are exchanged between the lady and gawain - and so two kisses between gawain and the lord. The third day, the Lord hunts a fox. He is tricky, dishonorable, crafty, hard to catch. And the Lady also uses a trick on Gawain. She gives him the green sash. By chivalry, he must accept the gift. In the story, it is not in his accepting that he is at fault. He has been given a gift and accepts, and that's okay. But then, though he does exchange the three kisses given him by the lady to the lord, he does NOT exchange the sash. And it's here that he fails. He does not fulfill his promise to the lord. He keeps the sash a secret, because he thinks it will help him survive his encounter with the Green Knight. He values his survival more than his honor, values magic over his word. He is now the one who is tricksy like the Fox.
Ok so besides the fact that there should have been a lot MORE kissing and not less (also don’t tell me that the lady giving him her sash wasn’t sexual in the myth at all, y’all. YALL) and the confusing timeline which squishes the good good parallels of the hunt and the flirting. They didn’t do a horrid job with the Lord and Lady. But it could have been better. Personally? How I would fix this is to get rid of scenes like the giants - and maybe shorten that drug trip (Also - You couldn’t have picked an actually hallucinogenic mushroom? Really? Fly agaric is RIGHT THERE.) - and given more time to the Exchange of Winnings. I would have had the Lord propose the exchange first thing - when Gawain is still in bed, before he meets the Lady at all. I would have made the timeline more explicit, etc. I think it would help. But besides that? Very little I would change.
Ok but back to the good stuff. The Fox - the dishonorable trickstery - is a wonderful image for Gawain. And in the end he denies the fox - and the green sash. And it’s very good. Gawain is not honorable. It does not save him. But it also does not condemn him. It just is. And in the end, he does do the honorable thing. The important thing isn’t even that Gawain is or is not dishonorable - it’s that he WANTS to be honorable.
My friend Kaitlyn, who was the person who originally brought me to watch The Green Knight (thank you, I love you, you’re the best), pointed out to me that every single person in this film takes a chance to tenderly caress Gawain’s face. Not as a lover, but almost as a parent towards a child. It’s an act of comfort, of cherishing. She said that it was like every other character - Arthur, Gwen, Morgan le Fay, the Lord, the Lady, Winifred, even the Green Knight himself - saw the potential in Gawain. The potential that he himself did not see. They see the “Yet”. Whereas all Gawain saw was that he had no tales to tell, and wants to forge one. And yet - the tale he forges. It does away with all of the “yet”. It does away with potential. In trying to live out that potential that everyone else saw, Gawain loses - or risks losing - all possibility of it.
And what's more than that? Gawain FAILS. Or at least, he sort of does. "You are no knight" is pretty strong. Yet this was always part of the plot. Gawain is a very human hero, in a very human world, for all its absurdity. But he is the hero. Honor true or besmirched, we value him. Perhaps he is honorable solely because we honor him? In the original legend, all the knights take to honoring his green sash a as reminder to be true.
Kaitlyn also highlighted the most powerful line in the film (besides the Lady’s “green” monologue): “Is this all there is?” God, that’s good. Is there all there is to what? Life? Honor? Being a Knight? Yes. To all. Or no? Maybe. What else ought there be? It’s a question we could spend forever answering, and one that Gawain encounters before, with the Lord. It’s also (as Kaitlyn pointed out to me!) an absolute MOOD. I think in this decade and this year we’ve all had that moment. Is this all there is? Is my life, as I am living it, it? There is a deep human longing and need for there to be MORE. More what, we don’t know. But more. More meaning. More something. More testament to the significance of our experience. More purpose. Just more. And while I could talk about how this is a sign that we were made by a creator and for a purpose and to live and bring about a Kingdom we do not yet fully inhabit… I think, after the year we’ve all had, I’d rather just sit in this question for a while instead. And let myself ask it. Not be ashamed of my own disappointment. And keep answering this question, and know I never could.
The end of the Green Knight features a long “what if?” section. It’s not the first in the film - the concept is masterfully introduced and keyed in with a slow spinning pan, which is used again at the end of the second sequence to communicate really beautifully. But one thing I love is that we are not told what exactly causes this horrible AU. Is it the dishonor of lying? Is it his paranoia and fear of death? Is this what his mother wanted all along - to put him both in power and under her control? We are also not told, after, what happens next. Is this all there is?
In the original myth, Gawain does get to go home. He gets a scar on his neck as testament to his failure to act honorably toward the Lord (it turns out the Lord and the Green Knight are one). But this time, we don’t know. Maybe he dies. After the choice he makes - to remove the sash, to accept the death coming to him., to abandon his trick and his claim on immortality - it almost seems cruel for him to have to live on. Perhaps he does live, and has a completely different story, and honorable one. Perhaps not. It doesn’t actually matter to the film.
Ok, I’ve rambled on for a while now. But in the end, I love this film for so many reasons. I love it visually, I love the design, I love the music, I love the pace, the cinematography, even the choices they made the form their re-telling of the text. But most of all, I love that this film is completely unashamed to have a theme and embrace it, and to have a message and show it through. It’s not afraid to sit in discomfort without trying to exploit it’s viewers. It’s not horrific. It does not entertain. It is earnest, and curious, and beautiful. And those are all things I find very lacking in the modern superhero cinema. (Side note: I love that this film embraces its book origins with the title cards. They’re so pretty!! And I love the structure it gives).
Would I change The Green Knight? Yes, but only in some minor ways. Is it a perfect retelling of the text? No, but it’s not meant to be. It is a modern telling - not in the sense of modern action films. It’s actually EXTREMELY well grounded in it’s historical setting - with the costume and the music. And in fact “grounded” is exactly what it is. I’ve focused on the theme of death, but the theme of nature - of green - of Gawain’s journey from the manmade stone towers of Camelot to the wild wood of the Green Chapel, through forested land, through battle grounds, through wild giant lands - is a huge part of the theme. So very grounded. But also allowed to do things that don’t need to make sense. With the spring for winifred - where’s that red light coming from? Same place the music is.
The Green Knight is an exploration. It is grounded yet absurd. It is uncomfortable, yet not exploitative. It is historical, and yet modern. It is quiet, and yet it says so much. I’m absolutely in love with it. And I could say so, so much more.
Did I write this whole thing last night after a strong mug of mead? Yes. Did it take me the whole length of the soundtrack? Also yes. In any case, I want to thank you all for reading, if you’ve read this far. I really loved this film. I loved how it made me feel. I know that a film means something to me when all I can do after is sit in silence for a while. Both times I watched The Green Knight in theatres I sat, without saying a word, through the entire credits sequence. The film gives me a sense of.. Weight. Of moment. Of importance. As if every move I make is meaningful. As if no words need be said. It is heavy and hearty and complex and gorgeous. And I am so glad to have seen it. Thanks again, Kaitlyn!
I will probably have more updates about my life once again in grad school. We shall see. But for me personally this film could not have been better timed. The night I watched it with Kaitlyn was my last night in Texas. Talk about someone knowing they must leave on a journey and not wanting to depart! Talk about someone needing to confront and accept the unstoppable passage of change and of time. It’s me! It’s also just meshed really well with the other stories I’ve been reading and writing recently - of Ragnarok. Of change. Of new beginnings, and how they always start from ends.
Is this all there is?
What else ought there be??
Thanks
Rissa
Praise God from whom all blessings flow, praise him all creatures here below, praise him above ye heavenly hosts, praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.
P. S. holy shit I’ve just realized in posting this that I never wrote a post about Assassin’s Creed Valhalla! I absolutely adore that game and I’m writing a bit of historical fiction inspired by it about the creation of the Danelaw. I have so many thoughts and emotions about Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, I can’t. I will probably be back soon to talk about that. Thanks!
