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The Green Knight(2021)
A24 Jul 30, 2021 | Wide
A fantasy retelling of the medieval story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Releases
Original Release | Jul 30, 2021
Box Office
Results
$6,790,917
$17,173,321
$1,714,632
$18,887,953
Director & Top Cast
Technical Specifications
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: 1.85 : 1
Other Details
Country of Origin: United States
Summaries
Plot Summary
- Gawain is seated alone in a great hall upon a throne in kingly regalia. A crown floats down from above as a narrator tells of his tale. As the crown alights, his head erupts in flames.Gawain is awakened on Christmas morning in a brothel by his lover, the commoner Essel. He returns to Camelot and, after being scolded by his mother Morgan le Fay, attends a feast at the Round Table with his uncle King Arthur, who invites Gawain to his side. In a tower, le Fay performs a magic ritual. The mysterious Green Knight barges into Arthur's court on horseback and challenges the court: any knight who is able to land a blow on him will win his green axe. However, he must travel to the Green Chapel next Christmas and receive an equal blow in return. Gawain takes up the challenge. Instead of fighting, the Green Knight kneels and lowers his head. Gawain decapitates him. The Green Knight rises and lifts his severed head, reminds Gawain of the bargain, and rides off from the castle, laughing.Over the next year, Gawain's story is retold and his reputation grows, yet he spends his days drinking. When Christmas time approaches, the King reminds Gawain to uphold his end of the game. Gawain departs on horse for the Green Chapel, taking the green axe and a green girdle made by his mother, who claims that no harm will come to him so long as he wears it.During his journey, Gawain meets a boy scavenging a dead battlefield. He directs Gawain to a stream that will lead him to the Green Chapel. Gawain gives him a coin in return. Shortly after, the scavenger and two others ambush Gawain and steal the axe, girdle, and horse, leaving him tied up. Gawain severs his bonds with his sword and pursues.At night, he comes to an abandoned cottage and falls asleep in the bed. He is awakened by the ghost of a young woman named Winifred who asks Gawain to retrieve her head from a nearby spring. When he returns with her skull, he sees her skeleton in the bed, to which he adds the skull. The next morning, the axe has been returned to him.Gawain encounters a fox that befriends him. They witness female giants marching through a valley. Eventually, Gawain reaches a castle inhabited by a Lord who informs him that the Green Chapel is nearby, accepting his invitation to stay. The castle is also occupied by a blindfolded old woman and the Lord's wife, who makes seductive overtures towards Gawain. The Lord proposes they exchange what he obtains while hunting with whatever Gawain finds at the castle. The next morning, the Lady presents Gawain with the green girdle, which she claims to have made herself. Gawain relents to her advances in exchange for it, and ejaculates on the girdle. The Lady rebukes him as not a knight. The old woman has borne witness to this. Gawain escapes the castle, but encounters the Lord in the forest, who reminds him of their game. The Lord kisses Gawain in turn for the Lady's actions, but Gawain does not give him the girdle. The Lord reveals that he has captured Gawain's fox, but releases it.Gawain reaches a stream where a boat is waiting. The fox impedes his way, imploring Gawain in a human voice to abandon the quest. Gawain refuses and takes the boat to the chapel, where the Green Knight is seated in hibernation. After waiting the night, the Green Knight awakens on Christmas morning. Finishing the game, the Knight swings the axe, but stops short twice as Gawain flinches. Before the third swing, Gawain flees and rushes back to Camelot. He is knighted and becomes king when his uncle dies. Essel bears his son, but Gawain abandons her and marries a noblewoman. As an adult, his son dies in battle and, after many years, Gawain becomes a reviled king. With his castle under siege and his family abandoning him, Gawain pulls the green girdle from inside his abdomen. His decapitated head falls off.Gawain wakes from this vision, still kneeling on the ground in the Green Chapel. Gawain removes the girdle and accepts the blow. The Green Knight praises Gawain for his bravery. He drags his finger across Gawain's throat and says, "Now, off with your head."A post-credits scene shows a young girl finding the King's crown and putting it on her head.
Storyline
- An epic fantasy adventure based on the timeless Arthurian legend, "The Green Knight" tells the story of Sir Gawain (Dev Patel), King Arthur's reckless and headstrong nephew, who embarks on a daring quest to confront the eponymous Green Knight, a gigantic emerald-skinned stranger and tester of men. Gawain contends with ghosts, giants, thieves, and schemers in what becomes a deeper journey to define his character and prove his worth in the eyes of his family and kingdom by facing the ultimate challenger. From visionary filmmaker David Lowery comes a fresh, bold spin on a classic tale from the Knights of the Round Table. On Christmas Day, before the noble King Arthur and his loyal Knights of the Round Table, an Excalibur-wielding Sir Gawain, the ruler's nephew, takes up a challenge a priori impossible: travel to the remote Green Chapel and face its ghastly lord, the mysterious Green Knight. Now, precisely one year after the fateful encounter with the formidable adversary, Sir Gawain embarks on a peril-laden quest into unknown, fable-ridden territories to keep his promise and prove his mettle. However, from this life-threatening mission, there is no turning back, and only death, or glory, awaits those who dare to challenge the pitiless, green-hued adjudicator of men. Is audacious Sir Gawain destined to be a hero? — Nick Riganas
