‘The Green Knight’ – Review
Visionary writer-director David Lowery brings to life a fantastic fantasy world in The Green Knight. Re-interpreting this classic Arthurian tale for a new audience, he seeks to challenge and explore the depths of the heroes journey. And audiences will be in for a surprise with where he takes them with this picture.
King Arthur’s headstrong nephew embarks on a daring quest to confront the Green Knight, a mysterious giant who appears at Camelot. Risking his head, he sets off on an epic adventure to prove himself before his family and court.
Adapting the 14th-century medieval chivalric romance of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight to the big screen in The Green Knight, director David Lowery finds new ground to explore with this ancient text. His adaptation here is both a literal adaptation of the work, while also taking it to a place that audiences may not expect. Lowery strays little from the original text of the story but also re-interprets it in such a way that audiences who may be familiar with this story don’t know what comes next. As a director, he is clearly focused on the moral and internal journey that the main character of Dev Patel’s Gawain must take and this film is very much a character piece in construction.
The Green Knight also bears the style of a singular vision in its construction. And Lowery’s hand is present throughout all of it. From its sparse narrative to its dynamic and gothic visuals to its haunting music, all parts of The Green Knight serve in working to bring Lowery’s vision to life. And what a vision this is. Being very much reflective of the fantasy films of the late 1980s and early 1990s, The Green Knight is a very organic piece of work that focuses on character, rather than sheer swashbuckling theatrics. Lowery focuses on the tasks that form up Gawain’s quest to seek out the Green Knight and how they test the character of this would-be knight.
As the film’s leading man Dev Patel makes his mark as the would-be knight Gawain, and it’s a role that gives the young actor a strong test to take. Patel portrays Gawain as a rather headstrong and ego-bound young man who is eager to prove himself and become a true knight of the Round Table. But after accepting the challenge of the Green Knight he sets out on his quest in pursuit of honour and finds that the reality of his task is far harder than he could have ever foreseen. It’s shocking to see Gawain’s transformation from loutish lad to the would-be knight, honour-bound and facing death, and there’s a great honest quality, that borders on the spiritual, with Patel’s performance in the role.
Joining Patel in the duel role of his common lover Essel and the dignified Lady is Alicia Vikander and she is a terrific addition to the film. As the baseborn, brothel dwelling Essel, she is enamoured with the would-be knight, who is also a nephew to King Arthur, and her scenes here are sweet and genuine. But it’s in the role of The Lady where we see a far different performance. Cloaked in suspicion, temptation and sorcery, there is something edgy and off-putting about her performance as The Lady and she keeps this young knight on his toes. My favourite part of the film was a terrific mythological monologue that Vikander delivers with absolute conviction as The Lady and it certainly ensnares the attention of the audience.
To look upon The Green Knight is to witness a film that is a lavish and beautiful piece of creative expression. It is literally a work of art come to life. The cinematography of Andrew Droz Palermo, the costuming of Malgosia Turzanska, the production design of Jade Healy, the art direction of Louise Mathews and Christine McDonagh and the music of Daniel Hart produce a richly textured piece of cinema that will make your eyes marvel. Colour and light dance about the screen and audiences are pulled into a landscape that is both enchanting and dangerous and holding the touch of the mystic and bizarre. It’s a lavish fantasy landscape to look upon and you won’t be able to look away from the images that Lowery and his team bring to the screen.
Thematically there is also a lot going on within The Green Knight and it requires multiple viewing to seek out the themes that Lowery is playing with here. Not only does he keep to traditional elements of the original medieval text such as ‘the beheading game’ and ‘the exchange of winnings’, but he also dives deep into issues of morality, environmentalism and the heroes journey itself. Lowery uses The Green Knight to reconstruct the very nature of the heroes journey and the actions that it includes, but he also delves into the complex psychology that lies at the heart of all heroes. This exploration of themes by Lowery makes The Green Knight that much more complex of a picture and provides plenty of intellectual stimulation for audiences.
The Green Knight is a rich and textured exploration of chivalry, honour and the heroes journey and those seeking mysticism, magic and adventure will be well entertained. It is a beautiful picture to look upon and film aficionados who are up for something different will be well-rewarded with a very unique viewing experience.
Image: Amazon Prime
