Directed By: David Lowery
Starring: Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton
So Beautiful. You can watch this movie over and over again.
The visuals are so fascinating. The realization of this visual gem is just excellent.
You would like to see this all on a live stage. It would be spectacular.
This is for live theater.
What about the story?
This is all happening in some distant past, but the messages are timeless. In short, the point of this tale is that first: you cannot get honour by cheating- you are brave and have guts or you are a quitter and a looser; and second: if “the mighty ones” decide to roll your head, you can run, but you can’t hide. In the end the head is going to roll.
Our hero, Gawain (played by Dev Patel) is an overly self-confident young man with lots of bad habits. Straight from a wild night at a bordello, he jumps into the King’s party, volunteering himself for the role of big national saver who will win the battle against the big and scary Green Knight.
Here the trap is set. With one hit, the small fella is shreds the head of Greeny. But the prehistoric Terminator simply picks up his head with his own hands and says: “Hasta la vista, baby! I”ll be back!” –you win your home game, I’ll wait for you on the away match in exactly one year time.”
And here the troubles start for our small hero. In the days following the home win, he is a celebrity. He is a superstar. Everybody loves him, kids are asking for his autograph… But, the year passes by fast and it is now time to pack up his stuff going away to meet Greeny.
The journey is long and horrible. Almost nothing good happens to him all the way to Greeny’s temple. Just intrigues and lots of suspicious people (and animals) with a lot of mixed messages.
Finally, he meets up with Greeny. He wants his points back and gets in position to snatch the head of “the small one”- but no guts- no glory-and the “hero” runs away from the battlefield crying and begging for his life.
He comes back home as the winner- does not tell anyone the real outcome of the away game. He was promoted for his “bravery” and becomes a real knight. Later, he even becomes the King. But the sadness in his eyes stays. He knows he is a looser and that the punishment will catch up with him in the end.
Some will see this movie as some kind of centuries old, sad saga, but, in fact, it is one funny story about events and people- it could happen at anytime and anywhere. Actually, if you look carefully, you will see many similar tales all around you.
Try this: black out the picture and listen to the dialogue and monologues from this movie on your headphones. You will enjoy and relax. All the voices are so good, so perfectly measured, quiet enough and loud enough at the same time. It will sound like one great old time radio dramatization full with background hell and mysterious echo.
