Finally, an Adaptation Released
In 2021, I remember seeing ads for The Green Knight, directed by David Lowery, and being extremely excited because of my love for the story it is inspired by. If I am being honest, I have been afraid to watch the film because I was so taken by the poem when I was younger, I did not want it to be ruined for me.
However, now that I am writing this blog and have reread Gawain, I feel it was time to watch it. I wish I could say that was the right choice, but I cannot. I thoroughly did not enjoy this film, for a multitude of reasons. The largest one being its complete disrespect of the source material.
I rated this film 1 ½ stars on Letterboxd and it is only that high due to Dev Patel’s performance. This film fails on so many levels; its ratings are skewed between critics and viewers. It has an 89% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes but only 50% from the Popcornmeter. The critics reviewed a film, possibly without the background of having read the poem. The audience, however, is clear. The low ratings are due to the poor adaptation of the story.
Ralph Ineson as The Green Knight
I truly went into this film with high hopes. A24 has a good reputation as a company. I have only seen Ladybird, which I loved. I am aware they do get a lot of flak for style over substance, but they also seem to let the filmmakers choose their path, which is a good thing. Then, I watched The Green Knight, and I understand where this accusation comes from. I love artistic cinema. I love complicated symbolism and shots that may need time to interpret or contemplate. I love a film that challenges me and makes me ponder its themes for weeks after. I think this is the kind of film Lowery was attempting to direct. Ultimately, I believe he failed.
Where Does the Film Go Wrong?
The largest sore spot in this film for me is the changes made to the story. I truly do not understand what possessed Lowery, who is also the screenwriter, to make the choices he made. The addition of a love interest is questionable, but I can let that slide.
The bizarre choice to make Morgan le Fay Gawain’s mother, I just cannot understand. The entire theme of the story is changed from testing a knight’s chivalry as a game to a young man proving he is worthy of being a knight. Morgan le Fay did not create this test to assist Gawain but to test him. By making him Morgan Le Fay’s son, not only do we give him an upper hand, but it negates his own free will.
Sarita Choudhury as Morgan le Fay
In our poem, Gawain is just a human man and must make his own choices, and in the end, he is rewarded for his bravery. In this film, he is assisted at every turn by the green sash. The green sash is presented to him by his mother, which all but confirms its magic. In the poem, he does not receive this until the third day at the castle, and the magic is questionable.
There are also sweeping changes made when Gawain arrives at the castle. The lord’s part is diminished in favor of focusing on the exchanges between the lady and Gawain. The deal that is so central to the poem, the three days of exchanges, is not properly played out. We mostly spend time with the lady and Gawain, where she is far more sexually aggressive than chivalric code would allow.
Gawain’s sash had been stolen from him on his journey. The lady presents it to him, but the manner in which it is given is anachronous to the time period of the movie and left me feeling a bit gross. I would also like to address the way the kiss between the men progressed. I am not sure what the purpose of the change was; perhaps the director found it symbolic, but it is not canon to the story.
Alicia Vikander as Lady Bertila
Which brings us to the third act of this film. I liked it a lot better when I saw it first in The Last Temptation of Christ. This story did not need a fifteen-minute sequence pondering, What if Gawain was a coward and a horrible person?. I felt myself get legitimately angry when he ran on the third blow. Making it all a vision does not end the changes. We also do not see him receive a blow at all. It is also not revealed who the knight is or why Gawain does not die. I will also not dignify the end where his head falls off at all.
My impressions of The Green Knight
It is plain I did not enjoy this movie on a story level, but what about the acting and directing? The saving grace of this film is Dev Patel. Save the fifteen-minute, bizarre dream sequence; Gawain is played with a subtlety and grace that I would expect from the character. Gawain is brave and chivalrous, but also young. He would have problems controlling his emotions and processing the things happening to him. Patel shows this development mostly through his expressions, which is beautiful. The story is told on his face, so it's a good thing it is done well.
The direction of the film is uneven. There are shots in the film that are breathtaking, but I can see where letting the artist roam free can create issues. It is obvious to me that the director is drawn to color saturation and long shots for atmosphere. While this can be effective, it can also get distracting and annoying. A large portion of the film is shot darkly. I had issues determining the action on the screen. Other times the color saturation was so high it was distracting. The scene before Gawain goes to the Green Chapel was so yellow, I was concerned about my television.
Dev Patel as Sir Gawain (Oh ,so yellow!)
Overall, I did not enjoy this film, which was a great disappointment, as this had never been put to film before and I had high hopes. My recommendation is to stick with the poem. I would rather struggle with difficult language but take away the correct meaning. This film did not portray the original moral of this story. I am not sure the director even knows what it is.
What did you think of this movie? Were you able to get past the sweeping changes? Was it a new story for you so it was enjoyable? I would like to know. Drop me a comment.
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