David Lowery's movie version of the Middle English poem known as "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" is a thing of visual beauty and story weirdness. Believed to be written about the time of Chaucer in a completely different dialect of English, its basic story -- Gawain accepts a Christmas challenge by the Green Knight at blows with his axe; one year later, Gawain must present himself to the Green Knight and accept a similar blow. Gawain knocks off the fellow's head; the Knight picks it up, reminds Gawain of his promise and toddles off -- begins with the fantastic.
Lowery's version is about the honesty of the world, and whether honor is more than thin air; whether, in the words of John Wooden, there is a difference between character and reputation. At first glance, Dev Patel would seem to be a bizarre choice for Gawain. Well, he is, but he handles the role very well, acting with face and body as well as words. Joel Edgerton is also excellent as the friendly lord who seriously tempts Patel. Cameraman Andrew Droz Palermo shoots the locations in Ireland and the whole thing is given a subtle muddy green tone that makes it all seem even weirder than it might.
Because it is weird. Although this poem contains elements that hook into better known examples of the Matter of Britain as amplified by the French, there are hints in it that it partakes in other, forgotten traditions. Like Arthurian legends' British source, Welsh mythology, we no longer have any clear idea what they're about. The best we can manage are some rough parallels with other mythologies, but like the Mabinogion, they must remain obscure.
Maybe that's a good thing for the individual artist. If no one can state authoritatively what a particular symbol means, then the artist is free to interpret. Indeed, that is the constant that gives these works their longevity: if the symbol remains constant, but the meaning changes, then each generation can find its own meaning. It may not suit people like me, who want their butterflies neatly pinned, labelled and stuck behind glass, but it does keep things lively.
Lowery's version is about the honesty of the world, and whether honor is more than thin air; whether, in the words of John Wooden, there is a difference between character and reputation. At first glance, Dev Patel would seem to be a bizarre choice for Gawain. Well, he is, but he handles the role very well, acting with face and body as well as words. Joel Edgerton is also excellent as the friendly lord who seriously tempts Patel. Cameraman Andrew Droz Palermo shoots the locations in Ireland and the whole thing is given a subtle muddy green tone that makes it all seem even weirder than it might.
Because it is weird. Although this poem contains elements that hook into better known examples of the Matter of Britain as amplified by the French, there are hints in it that it partakes in other, forgotten traditions. Like Arthurian legends' British source, Welsh mythology, we no longer have any clear idea what they're about. The best we can manage are some rough parallels with other mythologies, but like the Mabinogion, they must remain obscure.
Maybe that's a good thing for the individual artist. If no one can state authoritatively what a particular symbol means, then the artist is free to interpret. Indeed, that is the constant that gives these works their longevity: if the symbol remains constant, but the meaning changes, then each generation can find its own meaning. It may not suit people like me, who want their butterflies neatly pinned, labelled and stuck behind glass, but it does keep things lively.