The Green Knight is probably my favorite thing I've seen in theaters so far this year, but there's a ton of amazing stuff coming up in the rest of 2021, what are you most looking forward to watching this year?
The Green Knight is my favorite of this year. It was my most antecipated movie of 2020/2021. And now i´m in the wait for Dune, Last Night in Soho, The French Dispatch, The Power of the Dog, Nightmare Alley, Lamb and a movie from my country Brazil, calling '7 Prisoners'.
Yes thank you for your insights on The Green Knight, really loved that movie too! But I have been looking forward to Dune for so long now and finally gonna see it now on monday, so excited! ^^
Along with the colors red and green, I loved the use of yellow in this film to illustrate Gawain's fear in facing his challenge. Gawain wears his distinctive bright yellow cloak throughout the film and the forest surrounding the Green Chapel is bathed in a sickly yellow hue. However, once Gawain sees the vision of Camelot falling to ruin under his rule, the ending of the movie shows the yellow tint of the forest is gone after Gawain has found the resolve to remove the enchanted sash and accepts his fate.
Yes, I think red (blood) represents life that has a definite end, whereas the green represents cyclical life. However Gawain cannot see that it is the same thing. His fear of the end does not allow him to see the circle. He brings those red-coded fears with him to the chapel. What happens when you mix red and green? You get yellow.
"What else ought there be?" Was such a perfect line to sum up the themes of the film. I knew I was going to enjoy the movie, but I didn't anticipate just how much I'd love it.
My wife and I saw this in theaters a few weeks ago and were the only two people for our showing. After seeing the film, my wife astutely said, "There will be no middle ground on this one. People will either love it or hate it." Glad to see this film is getting some attention. It has been the source of numerous hours of discussion in our house. This video essay will undoubtedly lead to hours more. Good job!
Have been dealing with a degenerative illness I can totally relate to this. It has taken up my respiratory system and breathing has been getting harder and harder.. When I prepare my meals at night I do it with all the love I have as if it is my last night on this earth. Accepting death brought me peace and I'm smiling again since then. It can happen to all of us, at any time, any age.. Gotta enjoy the show before the curtain closes, right? =) Thanks for this video!
“Today a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively. There is no such thing as death; life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves. Here's Tom with the weather.”
There's an aspect of the game you've overlooked here. Gawain chose, when presented with the rules, to deliver a fatal blow. He COULD have opted to simply give the Green Knight a minor wound, but he felt compelled to prove his 'worth' by killing him, and in so doing demonstrating his preparedness to die in turn. He CHOSE to opt for the risk of death because he felt that valor demanded it. He was interested in establishing his own legend, and given a year to stave off consequences, was irresponsible enough not to worry about the costs, again emphasizing his immaturity and ill-preparedness. I also think the shot of the medallion was not as you took it. Asked what he saw around the table, he responds that he sees legends. I think the views of the knights at that point, and their various trophies and adornments, was simply to evidence an implied history behind them - there's a story behind how the knight acquired the medallion, and we don't need to know what it is.
Great take. I thought the same thing when the Knight specified the rules and he still went for the fatal blow because the potential to become immortalized through legend took over him in that moment, which ultimately led to his demise he wasn't ready to face.
You must read the book to understand the movie. The medallion is the pentangle meant to symbolize a knights code due to its five key aspects. In the book, Gawain does cut the knights head off but the knight gives him only a minor blow. The theme from the book and the movie seems to be that the knight and the subsequent tale are meant to change Gawain. Metaphorically killing him but not litterally.
I really liked that aspect and I think another way to possibly interpret it is as the Green Knight representing nature and man's relationship to it. The knight offers his head to Gawain who takes it with little hesitation in exchange for a tool, but like a plant, beheading is not the end for the knight as he just rises again. Man taking too much from nature leads to nature returning the favor in due time.
fun fact: In the original tale The Green Knight doesn't actually cut off his head, he just nicks it again and then Morgan Le Fey comes out all "Yo this whole thing was a plot to try and scare Guinevere to death so..." And so Gawain goes back to Camelot not feeling very good about himself, but then Arthur and the other knights wear honory green sashes to commemorate Gawain going through with all of this. Though apparently the director of this movie straight up said he wanted it to end with Gawain being beheaded and dying as a result.
@Brandon Bidder eh death of the author and all that, interviews arent plot they arent in the movie, id say on screen leads towards suggesting he survives, but still leaves it ambiguous which i think its important
@@generalhorse493 i think he actually succeeded the "test" though the nick in the neck was due to the sash being kept as secret from him. even then the green knight considered him to be a blameless knight and gawain thought he failed and he carried the sash on the way back to camelot as his sign of "failure"
@@aceuxroo in the movie I was pretty much just inner yelling at the fool to give the lord the book he recieved from his wife.. ffs is your honor not worth a damn book? I could understand he kept that magic belt of +100 deffence, that one I would keep too - but a book (especially for a wealthy knight).
@@generalhorse493 He literally doesn't die at the end and you clearly didn't get the last moment. When the Green Knight says "Now, off, with your head" he means to leave with his head attached and it's extremely obvious. He even says it in a nice way. It was just a trial, a lesson. Also I checked everywhere and no where did I find that David Lowery even explained the ending at all.
Interesting take but I feel it leaves some things out. "The Christmas Game" is conjured by his mother. What is a mother's duty? To see her beloved son grow from a boy to a man. The film is about Initiation. Gawain is a typical manboy, into alcohol and fornication and unsure if he wants to be a knight. When the King asks him his deeds he has nothing to share of import. He is envious of the legends of the Round Table but uncertain he could live up to their deeds. Uninitiated. The Green Knight is his opportunity. The Legends in the room stand back from the task. They are Initiated and have no need to prove themselves. The call was always to Gawain. As others have pointed out, he makes the most dire cut he can -- and is celebrated. Severing the head from the body can echo circumcision or the painful detachment boys must go through to "kill the boy" inside in order to give birth to the mature man. The Initiated men would have scorned him if he'd just given the Knight a tiny scratch. He understands the challenge and is accepting getting as good as he's given. A year passes and we see Gawain has not matured much. When is lover asks to be his lady, to be accepted as his full bridge and transition from Princess to Queen, he does not answer. The anger in her eyes tell us all. She loves him but cannot stand his immature, un-Initiated self. Gawain is a reluctant adventurer and has to tell multiple character he is NOT a Knight, despite them mistaking him for one. He is unkind to strangers, takes advantage of them without considering their needs, has to be cajoled into the tiniest kindness, and tries to transact with a dead girl -- when an Initiated man would have just fetched her head without complaint, knowing he'd already benefited from the shelter of her house. His reluctant agreement to complete her quest is the bare minimum effort and so he gets the Axe and his Cloak back to return to his Quest. So close to the end of his journey, he is seduced into Comfort and Pleasure at the Lord's castle. Elle, the Lady, easily seduces him to climax and gives him his security blanket / apron strings to momma back. She lets him know he failed the test once again by telling him "You are no Knight." He rushes from the Castle immediately, realizing he is derelict in his duty. This is what gives him the motivation to enter the Yellow Wood. His mother watches him through the familiar fox, and tries to scare him off the Final Initiation, back into a life of comfort. But his experience with the Lady has given him the courage to see it through. He waits patiently at the feet of the Green Knight, displaying the patience that is necessary to persist through challenges (Initiation is not Immediate). Finally we see the final drama unfold in his head and he answers the call that the Queen gave him and that his Mother so hoped he would answer: he has courage. When he finally removes the sash, he faces certain Death with a clear and calm mind, and he is Initiated. His life or death at the chronological end of the film is irrelevant which is why we never see the axe fall (or be stayed) -- Gawain has become a Knight. The tale of Initiation is complete. Roll credits.
I think the film also interrogates the system of values by which manhood is achieved through violence and pokes quiet fun at the absurdity of the whole enterprise. Gawain’s immaturity is in subscribing to and acting on a code he doesn’t believe in and can’t defend.
@@apricity-y8j As her teacher Merlin knows exactly what’s going on and this is why the Kings only words to him is to “remember it’s only a game” And asks does he understand”trying to give him the opportunity to think about his choices. The Young Gawain is extremely naive and to have a good tale for himself,one worthy of his interpretation of what a knight is or would do he slays the GK! His Aunt/Mother in the film knowing the death of both the King and Queen is near and the fact her son/nephew is still a boy and not a knight much less a good future King creates the GK and the tests of the five pointed star begins! He fails his first test when he doesn’t spare the GK. He truly believes there’s more to the game than just his beheading he just doesn’t understand till the end. Almost all the characters in the film are represented by or as the Green knight. The entire film is a beautiful fever dream. Ones where his mistakes repeatedly lead to his possible ambiguous death and possible other deaths through out time depending on his choices both brave and cowardly. While Gawain lives in the already established stories i felt he actually dies in the film.
It’s so interesting to me the way Gawain in this adaptation stands in direct contrast to the original story. In the original Gawains struggle is that he doesn’t live up to his own standard. He faces his death but he flinches when the ax is swung at him, he gives the lord of the castle the kisses he took from his wife, but doesn’t give him the sash. The green knight ultimately spares him, because despite these failures he ultimately still possessed a knights Valor. He doesn’t loose points for being human. The movie doesn’t make it explicit that these were tests he was facing, but it’s very clear that he fails them all. I saw his vision of running away as a realisation of what his life would be if he gave up hope on Valor. All that misery and cruelty just to end up with ultimately the same fate.
i thought the message was all you needed to do was succeed in one test because a knight doesn’t need to be perfect he just needs to be honorable and every test was a test of Honor and he succeeded in the final test of honor.
One thing else worth considering: if I’m not mistaken in the original Arthurian myth the lord of the house IS the green knight. Therefore by removing the magic cord, he is fulfilling his promise to the lord of the house. The film never really acknowledged directly this part of the original myth, but, given how much thought obviously went into the film, I like to think that Lowry knew of this.
@@dylanferguson7773I read an interview with Lowery. He said that in the last scenes, the green knight's face changes into all the faces Gawain had faced. Green knigth is everyone.
To me this movie is about accepting the inevitability of death and the importance of living your life truthfully. The ending is wholesome, at least to me. The Green Knight is gentle in a brutal kind of way. I have a soft spot for this movie.
The Green Knight is a treasure map that requires "keys" to reveal particular ideas. The one line that defined the lens through which I saw the events in the film was said by Essel in the forest before the quest..."Why greatness? Isn't goodness enough?".
@@elizabayroff7106 Totally! İt took me a day to realize it clealy. It reminded me of Stalker, as well! İ'm glad other people have the same feeling, because they are quite different genres. But especially the sound design gave me subconscious Stalker vibes. İ should rewatch Stalker 😅
I remembering going into the theater the first day this film came out and I was the only one in the theater. I walked out of there and one of the workers asked me what I thought of the movie and I honestly couldn't give him an answer. Despite how much I loved it, It took me a day or two to really process it.
sounds about right i walked out of the theater and said to my girlfriend that i really liked it but i wasnt quite sure why. def took some thinking and discussion to fully figure it all out
i liked it visually, CGI was great, and costumes were fine (the green knight himself looks like expensive larp costume) but it had so many storyteling problems (too slow tempo for every single shot, way too dark moments - like literal dark where I could barely see what is going on and just watched vague shapes in the dark, no explanation of who characters are would it kill them to tell the king by name, or absolutely useless giants)
Interesting. My take on the film is that it's about learning to face the hardships of life head on and not taking any shortcuts/easy ways out. You won't always have a magic belt/mommy to help you - you need to learn how to overcome things on your own. That's how I read the fake ending where he goes to be a king. His rule ends badly because he got to that point cheating as much as he could. When he decides to take off the belt he actually takes the first step to becoming a real knight.
Yeah, that's what I thought as well. Many people say they didn't like this movie, that it was a waste of their time. I say it's more of an experience, as if we were there, listening to the tale being told by the storytellers and the bards.
@@Duiker36 I was surprised that some people seemed to miss of just dismiss that part. Maybe because it's a divergence from the source material. But his mom and Arthur know he's going to be king and he'll be a terrible one unless he changes.
My husband and I went to see "The Green Knight" when it was first released in theaters. There were only four people in the theater. When the film ended, my husband and I were the only ones left. The visuals were stunning, and while neither of us understood everything about the film, we enjoyed it just the same. When the 4K became available, we bought it, and discovered that it was even more striking on 4K. We watched it again and were mesmerized, and found ourselves picking up much more of the film's meaning in repeat viewings, which we thoroughly enjoy. We are having our adult son and daughter and their mates coming over for a special screening of the film, as they were not able to see it in the theater. We are eager to share the film, as we cannot compare it to any other film experience we've ever had. It is visually arresting and feels like a series of paintings placed in motion. Thank you for sharing your insights. The film may not be everyone's cup of tea, but for us, this was one of the very best films of 2021 ... original, bold, dense with meaning and insight and told with incredible visual style. And the use of CGI is so subtle as to be perfectly rendered with the outstanding production design. Looking forward to Oscar nominations for a truly worthy film.
I hope you did not hyped your kids for watching too much :D the movie is not a good movie, its more of an art project than movie. Its not telling understandable story on its own and first watching was even for you a mess.
I really appreciate this sort of criticism, because I didn't read the movie through this lens at all. For me, the journey was about his maturing into being a good man; a knight. He's constantly faced with challenges that test him on the honourable attributes a knight is supposed to represent, and in all of them he fails. It's only when he's confronted with the Green Knight's axe that he sees what it is to live his life dishonourably, to embrace fear instead of virtue and to rise as a knight. Both readings fit comfortably inside of each other - it's the depth and the quality of your analysis that I really appreciate for making my own viewing more expansive.
The Green Man is truly ancient and he represented the cycle of life and death to our ancestors. Most English towns had a pub named The Green Man and his face was carved into the fabric of many churches by the masons and carpenters.
My local is called The Green Man, and I've only got to travel about 4 miles up the road to find another. We still do have a Green Man almost everywhere
@@feloniousbutterfly Only superstitious people do that. People that live in the modern reality rely on science and factual evidence to guide us. Not ghosts, fairy tales and "gods."
“When Gawain finds the courage to face his death, he finds the courage to live his life.” This line… The ending where he is decapitated as king never made sense to me until I watched your video. What an incredible analysis and video essay. Well done 👏
One of my favorite movies ever! The explanation of mortality and death was the missing piece from what I got from the movie. I felt like the message of the movie was outright said at the beginning. Garwain’s freaking out at the Green Knight just presenting his neck with no fight. He screams “WHAT MUST I DO!?”, to which Guinevere says under her breath “show courage!”. Showing courage in the face of death, and in the face of all of his challenges and encounters would’ve given Garwain a much different outcome.
What do you make of the final line, "Now, off with your head"? I took it to mean that accepting and embracing ones mortality is a first step towards ego transcendence. Gawain is now on that path.
It's not very subtle but I love how every scene of Gawain in the chapel is completely bathed in yellow, the color of cowardice. And it only goes away when Gawain removes the sash.
10:43 "His death of old age..." That... is NOT old age that kills him! It's very clear that Gawain is depicted as unknightly throughout the movie. His path of cowardice, laziness and dishonour leads him to a point where he becomes king if he flees, yes, but what sort of king? We see that too. He is hated, overthrown, the rebels are literally breaking down the doors as his friends and family abandon him. And what do you do with deposed kings? Off with their head. It is his choices, not simple time, that he cannot escape. If his end is the same, all he can choose is if that death will be with honor. And when he makes that choice and takes off the sash, he finally becomes the knight he should have been all along.
I absolutely loved how you imbued this particular essay with yet another personal perspective (the Appalachian Mountains). Watching the Green Knight, for the first time was an unforgettable experience, and very personal for me. The slow double pan in the film was a part of the film that I couldn't get over and sunk into the idea that I believe Lowery was aiming for, for the audience, and that same idea that you laid out in this video. When the final scene came, I cheered quietly for Gaiwain to remove the sash, (even already knowing the outcome the story) and was invigorated to tackle goals in my life fearlessly because of Gaiwain's decision to remove it. True courage of a Knight.
I watched this film at the "peak" of my thanatophobia. I was paranoid. Every moment, I thought, could mean my certain death. After watching this film, it gave me a sense of comfort. It made me feel like dying was meeting an old friend, or going to an appointment made a long time in advance. It made me feel comfortable for the first time in a long while. I thank The Green Knight for helping me come to invaluable realizations about my mortality.
I really like this take! I find 'the green knight' a really fascinating "experience" film, which, to some degree, is extended to its takes, too. so, I'm really glad you did an essay on this one!
As a student of stoicism, I appreciate your take on this film! You brought to my mind comparisons that I hadn’t thought about before. Love the film, love your essays. Keep up the incredible work!
I think the ultimate way of winning against the green knight was forfeiting in laying down the sword and realizing it was an inevitable battle against death itself, also paying attention to the fact that it was game for green knight. Death has nothing to lose but Life itself is too precious to wager with
The fucked up part about this is that he probaly could of avoided death by the green knight he could have just knicked his shoulder the knight and king Arthur did tell him initially it was just a friendly game
@@YodasPapa Guaranteed yes, but guaranteed in 1 year or guaranteed in 40+ are two very different things, and suggesting otherwise is simply intellectually dishonest.
Wow! The ending of this video watered my eyes, wonderful analysis, something that thoroughly resonated with me and helped me better understand. Also piquing further pondering and consideration for me. The symbolism of the 'green' and issues of time, death, nature, etc. Are all things that are very interesting to me.
on seeing it a 2nd time, I think the protagonist's first lines inform us his dilemma and perhaps flaw. he believe he has time and lots of it (to be a knight). and when demanded to hurry up and get to his next destination, in this instance, literally to goto church, he responds, "I'm not ready." and therefore his collision with time and death.
I'am a french amateur of cinema. I have to say, your text is very precise and rich when you summon other films in your video. And above all, you have a very good voice for these kind of videos. Well done !
@x ZFighter x It is purposely left open to interpretation but as i understand it, in the original tale, the Knight lets him go with his head. You could interpret that what the knight tells him at the end was kind of a joke
I saw this in the cinema a few days ago and i haven't been able to stop thinking about it. Weirdly wonderful and wonderfuly weird, this film will be talked about for many years to come! Great essay and thoughts as usual!
i interpreted "the green knight" as a movie about generosity. throughout the film, gawain is selfish and reserved. he is given to vices, cannot commit to relationships, and almost refuses to help others on his quest. this selfishness is a way of life, and those two slow, 360-degree pans show us the consequences of it. a life of selfishness is one of decay. it forces one to close oneself off from the world, leading to the slow death of isolation. however, gawain's quest cuts to the core of his selfishness by forcing him to give up the most valuable thing in his possession: his life. at first, he refuses, and the cost of his refusal is high. but in letting go and giving up his life, he is able to avoid that fate. he clung to life, and so he died. he gave up his life, and so he lived. throughout the entire movie, he was destined for the fate we see in his final vision, but he was able to avoid it by learning generosity. i think your interpretation is much better. i admit that mine feels like a stretch and leaves a lot of loose ends (like that entire conversation on primary colors). but i think mine puts a very slightly positive spin on an overwhelmingly negative story. either way it's a great movie, and i guess i'm due for a rewatch.
"i think your interpretation is much better..." No, you've got it mostly right. Gawain is a poor knight, every test of virtue he is faced with on his quest, he fails. He is selfish, lazy, and cowardly. It is only at the end, when he see where this path will lead him, does he understand that perhaps it would be better to die with honour and dignity. At the moment he decides to accept the blow, he truly becomes a knight. And at that point, I believe the green knight would have spared him, having learned his lesson.
Alicia Vikander's performance in that scene is so incredible. It's such a long shot, and the way her delivery and tone shifts as her message is further brought to the surface is really powerful. I love the way the hunters interjections in this speech work to tamp down Gawains emotions to keep him focused and not feel attacked, helping to ensure that he is listening with reason and not diving into an emotional response that may distract him from the point. It's beautiful.
My interpretation of the ending was that the green knight DOES behead Gawain after he removes his sash, however I do agree with you that it doesn't seem to matter what choices he makes - his own death is inevitable. Great video
I think a lot of people assume that he goes free because that's how the original tale ends, but the major differences between the original story and this film change the ending a lot. Gawain was not chaste with the Lady of the House, and the Lord of the House seems to know this. If the Lord of the House is also the Green Knight - which I don't think the film suggests - then the Green Knight has no reason to spare him. Besides all this, Gawain lived out the best possible version of his life, and still died, why would the Green knight spare him and have him go through it all again when it has been shown to be meaningless?
The difference is that the second time he goes through he's accepted his coming death, instead of living in fear of it the entire time. There's a little scene at the very end of the film of a young girl putting on the crown- I think this suggests that in Lowery's mind Gawain does go free (otherwise where does the daughter come from).
I saw this ending scene but considering that it was after the credits of the movie I didn't really take it to be part of the story, more of a cute shot of the daughter that didn't fit in the possible future. I do see what you're saying about his new life unafraid of death, and I think it was left intentionally vague so that it could be open to interpretation, so I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.
I agree with you. I saw it more as in the end, brave or not he meets his death regardless. And it asks the question if that decision ultimately matters. But I do find his interpretation interesting and think it’s meant to be open. Great film
The Green Knight flicks him with his finger and almost playfully says 'off with your head'. It's like congratulations, you passed. Thus letting him live. Also the post credit stinger.
I've been watching for you for a long time. Your analyses have become more concrete and accessible over time, without losing any of their nuance, and I am very happy to see you develop
Sometimes you watch a movie and you’re so charmed by it, you nearly consider it a masterpiece. But as you think about it over time, you slowly become disenchanted. Well, for me, The Green Knight is the opposite case. I wasn’t sold on it at first viewing, but weeks after I still keep thinking about it and reading articles, watching video essays dedicated to the movie, etc. It is truly outstanding! Thanks for the video, Thomas.
The moment I finished watching the movie, I made my own interpretation of what it meant. As I was watching the ending segment, I thought it was about the duality of the truth behind the legend. Legend is always based on one or more facts, in one way or another. On one side, it's a fantastic interpretation of a true story of virtue and valour, enhanced into the mystical. On the other hand, it can be a misunderstanding, a false rumor, or the subjective understanding of events, which lead into an inspiring lie. So, as I watched the ending segment, with Gawain running away, returning home, I assumed it was a case of the latter. We see him living his life, receiving empty honors and hollow joys, betraying his own, and suffering major losses. All without a single grin or smile in sight, and a dull grey painting the scene. And always with the enchanted sash on his waist, never removing it. I thought at the moment that he still feared the return of the Green Knight, so he always wanted to have it by him, as the coward he still was. And then, the moment where everyone leaves his side, while his kingdom collapses. For one reason or another, he looks tired of living his live, and willing to give it up. He removes the sash from beneath his clothes, making visceral sounds as if they were part of his entrails, since he had it on him for so long that it almost became a part of him. And as he removes it... his head rolls off. "So he returned his blow, after all" I thought, as I compared the sash to a band-aid, placed over a wound that would never heal, and would still bleed after removed. And then, the vision ended. It was all in his head. As the Knight was about to land the blow, I think Gawain realized that, in the end, his fate would be final, always the same, the fate that awaits every man, and that would meet him in every outcome. So, with courage, he embraces his fate, and truly honors his promise, by removing the thing that, allegedly, could possibly protect him from that blow. And thus, he passes the test. Gawain the Fool perishes, and Sir Gawain is born, in green, a personification of life and death. The Green Knight smiles upon him and, playfully, "slits" his throat. 'twas just a Christmas Game, after all. Or, so one could think. Because remember, there's two sides of the coin of the truth behind the legend. Maybe the vision was his imagination, and what followed was what happened. Or maybe the vision was what actually happened, and what followed was just the end of the tale that he told to his peers. We may never know... but personally, I'm on the optimistic side 😉
One thing someone mentioned earlier that I feel is important is the reason as to HOW the green knight (a mystical tree figure) exist and WHY he started the game. Gawain's mother is a witch. She knows her son will be king but she also knows he is not fit for it given the alcoholism and general irresponsibility he exemplifies in the film. At the beginning of the film while King Arthur and Gawain are with the party of "legends", the movie kept cutting to Gawain's mother doing some sort of summoning ritual to which you can presume is her initiating "The Christmas Game". The Christmas game is a test for his fitness for king and she knows he won't truly die at the end but she also knows that if he comes back with the belt then that means he failed. In the "Christmas game", Gawain essentially failed every quiz leading up to the test but ultimately passed the test itself when he was able to accept his fate. He will now be a good king.
Also, as far the the giant human sequence, I think that was him just on a psychedelic trip from the mushrooms. I think it's suppose to represent the phrase "Standing on the shoulders of giants". I am not too sure though.
I also think that Gawain beheading the Green Knight as oppose to giving him a small non fatal cut or even just a tap was the first quiz Gawain failed. He interpreted earning honor and respect among his peers to be that of needless violence. He knew he wouldn't have the respect as knight or as a man among the other legends if he gave the Green knight mercy. Maybe this movie is critiquing our ideas of how we earn our respect as men. I may be overthinking that but I feel I may be right.
@@victorl3969 I think these are all fantastic takes on the movie! After the beginning, I was thinking "Boy, I bet he regrets cutting his head now, instead of a simple jab on the knee". And yeah, needless violence, the heat of the moment, and the need to "prove" himself to others all contributed to that. A misundertanding of what earning honor and respect really means.
I had trouble finding a deeper meaning to this film. I knew there was something there, but it escaped me. I love your take on it. Beautiful as always man. Good job.
Excellent video! I haven't seen it since my time with it in the theater and I think I came out of it really liking the visuals but a bit vacant on what I had seen. The more I thought about it, as immediately as the walk back to my car and the ride home, I started to piece together more of what I liked about it. And this video really brought some more texture to some of the loose thoughts I had as well. Definitely enhanced my thoughts on the film overall! Great. (Also, mad you brought back Talking At the Party Guy from Ghost Story. THE WORST! -- but def proved your point)
Great video and analysis of such a beautiful story! Side note: the pendant wasn't put into focus for no reason, it was a reference to the original text in which Gawain's shield had a gold pentangle on his shield, representing the endless connection and knot between the important five fives in the story: "the five wounds That Christ got on the cross", "he was faultless in his five senses", "Nor found ever to fail in his five fingers", "That all his force was founded on the five joys" (Annunciation, Nativity, Resurrection, Ascension, and Assumption), and finally "beneficence boundless and brotherly love And pure mind and manners, that none might impeach, and compassion most precious". "These peerless five were forged and made fast in him, foremost of men." I love this story! Glad to see such a fun analysis of it.
Love this movie, specially the colors and some beautiful scenes that are practically paintings. And I love this take too, you have a new follower! :) i would like to add a tought that i had while watching both the movie and your review: i think that the green in the green knight not only simbolizes the life that comes after death, but the meaningless of this self-importance we feel as humans. The green knight comes to remind us that no life is more important that the one that comes after. And i think that's why it's an unpleasent thought, nobody likes to think that we are not really that special. For me it really breaks some tropes of this kind of epic adventure stories, were "the protagonist"/"chosen one" is seen as some perfect hero with no vulnerabilities. In this case the lack of vulnerability doesn't do Gawain any good, nor doesn't make him any stronger, only colder and less human (clearly shown in the scenes when we can see his "future"/bad ending). For me, him realizing he doesn't have to be this important character and embracing the meaningless of life liberates him and allows him to find courage and purpose from a differente (more genuine) perspective. Or gets him decapitated idk haha
I love the ending scene of this movie. The green knight acknowledges his bravery and then says “now… off with your head” in a playful manner which is then accompanied by a long pause. When I saw this scene, I felt like he was saying “off with your head” as in off with your ego. IMO, I feel like the Green Knights game was a lesson about shame & humility.
I read the original 14th century work in college, so I was so excited for this film. Seeing The Green Knight in theaters was one of the most immersive experiences I’ve ever had in cinema. I felt like I had been taken to that world they had created.
The green knight did not behead Gawain at the end. He said “now. Off with your head”. Meaning “go now with your head” Hence it is similar to the original tale.
I love those types of movies, they are those movies that you have to see more than once to understand what they are about, types of movies that leave you wondering, that surprise you if you let them. Like the Macbeth movie, the more you see them, the more you understand the message and the more fascinated you are.
I agree with your take. Lowry writes a downer (previously called tragedies) that says how we die is just as important as how we live. A really touching film, and I'm glad to see at least someone else acknowledge this.
I think a lot of people miss on , what I think is, one of the key aspects of the plot itself, which is that of the value of knighthood and what exactly does knighthood represent in a reality where laws and honor seem to hold less weight when seen within the larger scope of the world - in this case, a world full of magic, giants and chaos. Gawain's tale is that of a man becoming a knight by enacting an act of violence (one which is itself played as a game, and one for which he gains the title of a knight among the common folk of the kingdom) and that same violence getting back to him in return. Gawain could have scratched an arm, merely strike with the handle, or even try to talk with the Green Knight about the purpose of the game, but instead, he let himself be driven by the idea of valour and courage which he is shown to admire and that in turn becomes possibly the worst decision he will ever make in his entire life. Yes the story (both in the original poem and in the film) is about masculinity, but it's also about the structures which keep said masculinity in place. Things like honesty, gender equality, or kindness are seen as bothersome, unnecesary, unremarkable or trivial... until they're part of chivalry, or a game, or a quest.
Another point I remember in the film was gawains reluctance to accept the title of knight. While in most regards hes acting as one at the moment he has yet personally to accept that as he has yet to have done something that he feels is worthy of the title. And that might tie back to returning as he sees himself in a way a fake legendary figure. By the end of the film he himself is the green knight (and I like to see him as becoming a knight of the green man who is the force of nature that gawain now in a way believes in).
@@RaterProTrickster As with any art, it's open to interpretation. This take feels like a forced modern lense, socially woke interpretation rather than honouring the key themes of an ancient story about humanity, heroism and humility. Above all else, the concept of honour, this person is twisting that grotesquely
Personally I believe that the sequence near the end where Gawain becomes king and his life is played out is the best and strongest. It’s on the nose but it’s a fantastic show of the moral: immorality and dishonesty will leave you un whole. The whole purpose of the green knights challenge was not to pick up a sword and cut off a man’s head but to instead make peace. He shouldn’t attack and harm but defend and protect. Time is precious and spending it in aggression and violence brings only suffering and death, which eventually will be lost the the green of the earth.
Good video! I would also say that the Green Knight is a kind of ecological fable, where the titular Knight represents nature itself, and the game that he plays is the give and take dynamic that exists between humanity and nature. What you take from nature, it will take from you.
I was thinking something similar, you can cut as many "heads" of nature (like trees), but it will always come back alive and ready to cut humanity's head, but we (as single humans) don't grow back like nature does.
@@DarckAngel11 yesss the shot when Gawain is leaving the castle of him surrounded by a deforested area with people "beheading" trees felt really relevant to this interpretation
I think *The Green Knight* merits multiple viewings and lots of conversations. It is dense and surreal and meticulously crafted with care. I think a lot of people were expecting something else from the trailers and that can be pretty disappointing but this is a gorgeous film and that alone should be worth talking about.
I've never seen this movie, but I love how different people attempt to decode it in their own way; from some saying that it's about meaning/nihilism, others that it's about accepting death, others that it's about Gawain's journey to become a true man, & yet others saying it's actually a critique on masculinity with how confusing the Quest is ("What does society want of me? Am I doing this for myself, or as a performance to please others?") and the fact that killing the Green Knight is the only time he hurts someone, and it's portrayed as questionable. Yet the highest men there celebrate it, as their version of righteousness stems from not actual virtues, but from who is stronger. The journey is the opposite of becoming powerful, the point of every film like it- and accepting powerlessness. I like this theory & the theory of Death the most. But the fact that this film has many interpretations that can all be correct, just like a painting, shows that it really is art even though I haven't watched it.
everyone except arthur celebrates he even look’s disappointed he knows Gawain failed. the highest ranking man who everyone views as the peak of masculinity looks disappointed which makes me think the masculinity idea doesn’t work as much. i like to think it’s about gaining honor. each test is a test of honor and he fails them all. they were all test of honor to see if he was ready to be honorable and carry out the promise.
Let’s define death a bit better- we all have to come to the realization of WHAT ARE YOU? and/or WHO ARE YOU? The death that Lowery points to is the death of the ego, and the body we associate with it. We have to make the journey like Gawain does from head to heart- to realize we are not our heads or bodies after all, but we are timeless, undying, and unborn- we are eternal.
Excellent breakdown. I felt myself become very engaged with this film about a quarter of the way through. I believe someone said "it demands something of the viewer and then it delivers." It's not an escape; it's a meditation. Can anyone recommend more movies like this one, films that require engagement, filling in the details yourself, allegories, metaphors, etc?
Hmm. Have you seen any movies by Yorgos Lanthimos, like 'The Lobster' or 'The Killing of a Sacred Deer'? They are also pretty divisive but steeped in mythology, allegory, etc. They definitely demand something of you but not in an exhausting way. The acting style is not naturalistic which makes some people switch off immediately but it yields a lot of meaning and produces some lols, too.
I’d say batman v superman (the ultimate edition) is amazing too. At first it looks like a basic superhero movie but it has a lot of deep themes and allegories and beautiful cinematography and screenplay !
In the vision at the end, Gawain did not die of old age. He was about to be killed by the enemy soldiers battering down the door. But before that happened, he removed the green sash, his head fell off, and he died.
The Holy Mountain is one of the movies that got me really into film. I'd never had artistry, weirdness, and symbolism resonate so strongly with me before. It inspired me to find other weird, symbolic movies like the Green Knight!
The final line of the film is "Now off with your head" which the Green Knight delivers with a smirk that is all but a wink to the audience. This is a pun. Now off [go away], with your head.
Can we all just agree that A24 is the best company for film out thete right now!!!their list of films is amazing and just continue to have banger after banger and everything everywhere all at once is no exception. I know it's off topic but I had to say it
Great analysis Thomas. There's though another topic that I still didn't see dwelved which is the Gawain's choice of cutting the Green Knight head: I remember the King's quote saying "remember, it's just a game", and game is also about strategy, but the Gawain, young and thirsty of being seen courageous he decided to completely not think about the consequence of his choices. For instance he could have just hit the Green Knight without killing him. Gawain here, in this movie is depicted as a bit naive, non-self aware and lost. I think the director also wanted to highlight this because it is somehow relevant to our recent times. Thanks again for your work.
Thanks for this! I was left a bit underwhelmed by this movie, I don't know if I was expecting too much (I had heard great things about it from many people I admire, like Edgar Wright) or because I didn't see it in theaters. This is such an "experience" kind of film. Maybe in a theater I would have liked it more. But your video really helped me to see so many great things I hadn't noticed before. As usual!
As a photographer I really enjoyed the colour messages and cinematography (this alone was worth it!). Sometimes however I am not that bright and enjoy some enlightenment at the end of the showing. Thanks for this.
His mother conjures the "game". Was that aimed at Arthur? The fact Gawain played means it backfired? The "side quest" to retrieve the woman's head. Where does that fit? He never confronts the robbers, but the axe and the horse are returned to him. The green Knight's demeanor is puzzling. There's no urge to kill Gawain. He finds the man's reluctancy strange. One line that carries a lot of weight: "a hundred years wouldn't make a difference". The moment we have to face death is always hard no matter what.
The quest was for Gawain. They make it clear early on that he's going to be Arthur's heir (possibly because his son, the vacant chair, is missing and presumed dead). But he's not even worthy of being a knight, so he has to be tested. Every step along the way is a test he fails because he doesn't live up to knightly values -- he doesn't show charity to the boy on the battlefield, he succumbs to the lady's seduction, lies to the lord, and goes to the green knight wearing a sash that he thinks will let him avoid his fate. With the woman in the cabin he fails by asking her what she'll give him for retrieving her head -- but in the end he still does the right thing which is why it's one of the few points in the film where he's rewarded -- by the return of the axe so he can continue his journey. The other being when he finally leaves the lord's castle and goes to meet the knight and the fox is returned to him. Really a wonderful film. Such an interesting take on the original story
Something I noticed after my second watch was a parallel between Gawain's last words and some of his first. Obviously, his last are "I'm ready. I'm ready now." But in the beginning when he falls to the ground after chasing Essel he says "I'm not ready" (or something similar, thats just off the top of my head). I thought that was interesting when I first watched but after your analysis it made me think of it again. Stellar video! The Green Knight is my favorite of 2021 so far so I'm glad to see some discussion about it thats not just hate.
I personally interpreted the last scene as The Green Knight beheading Gawain anyway - so, his death was inevitable and the moral of the story was to face it with courage. Then again, I've never read the poem, so idk if that holds up with the original text or if that was Lowery's intention when directing it or not.
When you read the poem ***SPOILER ALERT*** You realize that The Green knight strikes his neck in a way where it only grazes him, and doesnt kill him. So he does return the same blow, only poorly, and Gawain gets to live his life as a knight, and man of honor. (the green knight was never planning to kill him) I also see that as happening in the movie too...just never gets that far
@@vincemelson9655 dude, yes, but I don't think you should make a spoiler alert for a fifteenth century manuscript written in Middle English. Like, I wouldn't make a spoiler alert for Hamlet. Even the movie is so abstract and dense with meaning, that no one is going to be delightfully surprised in learning the "true ending". In fact this movie leaves the end open to interpretation, to give away the book ending does not even give away the film's ending, it's just one interpretation that you can think of this ending as similar. I think as a culture a a whole, we need to give up on this "spoiler alert" thing. It's like we're five year olds, demanding a "surprise birthday party". If describing the end spoils the entire movie, then it's probably not a very good movie, is it? Like, isn't the cinematography enough reason to watch?
Excellent work Thomas. I’m also thankful for the discussion in the comments because of the different interpretations that everyone has. This isn’t an easy movie to consume but you’ve made it easier. I’m debating a re-watch after this video.
I really enjoyed your essay! And this film for that matter. I think the new life stemming from decay is symbolised in the second death as well, when we see child wearing the crown, I can’t remember if it’s still green or it’s back to gold. I didn’t get that the green knight spares Gawain in the end though, the ending is left ambiguous for sure, but I took him gesturing and saying “off with your head” as what is about to happen, albeit in a “friendlier”, “warmer” way instead of the stark execution Gawain was facing before accepting his own mortality. Accept your fate and greet Death as a friend, basically.
I always took that final "Now off with your head" was not the Knight beheading and killing Gawain. He was saying, "Now, off. With your head." He let him go. Also I totally get why people wouldn't like this movie but my God it penetrated me down to the marrow of my bones. What a haunting movie.
I wonder if it had any ecological reference, regarding how the green knight acted as nature or the earth itself, you can cut as many "heads" of nature (like trees), but it will always come back alive and ready to cut humanity's head, but we (as single humans) don't grow back like nature does, maybe it was the reason to choose green?
What struck me about The Green Knight is similar to what stuck with me in Shazam. Gawain categorically fails all of the classical knightly virtues (represented in the 5-pointed pentangle medallion), just as Billy Batson uses his newfound powers to indulge every single one of the Seven Deadly Sins, but ultimately each hero proves themselves worthy in spite of their failures.
I loved this movie so much, glad to see you discuss this! "In finding the courage to face death, Gawain finds the courage to live his live." is such a great summary of it.
I don't understand what you say at 11:33. Doesn't the Green Knight say something like "Very good. Now, off with that head" when Gawain removes the green cord? I thought the point was, it's too late for Gawain. Even Gawain removing the cord and facing his death isn't enough for the Green Knight to spare him. Gawain made the choice to cut off the Green Knight's head. It's only fair the Green Knight removes his. I honestly love that final line, it made me smile and laugh in the theater, actually.
I think it's left somewhat ambiguous as to whether he dies or not. There's a little scene after the credits, where a young girl puts on the crown, I think possibly indicating that she's Gawain daughter, which would suggest he did live past the chapel. I think once you connect the beheading by The Green Knight to death in general, you see that Gawain will be beheaded no matter what, and so lets him go because he sees Gawain realizes that. It's a bit paradoxical, but that's the interesting part to me.
I was so excited for this film and wasn't disappointed. I could see if you don't understand metaphor, it's just a weird movie, but I knew what I was in for. I loved all the triangles view of most shots, including the scene at 11:55, of the trees at the Green Chapel surrounding Gawain and the Knight. Another perfect late night stoner film from A24 . Living in Appalachia as well, it was cool to hear you reference that. Great video, as always.
The Green Knight is Romanticism at it's best, ruminations over authenticity, nature, life, and death. This is honestly one of the best movies I've ever seen.
The Green Knight has the same central themes as The Lion King, the circle of life and honour, but the films couldn't be more different. That's the power of cinema.
A damn phenomenal video essay on this movie. Watching it for the first time I felt confused and somewhat unsatisfied. The trailer had looked really promising and I wanted to like the movie, but I couldn't (or wouldn't) understand it the first time around. This breakdown and analysis helped me see the level of meaning that I needed to be looking at it from to understand the story the way the filmmaker did - to truly see and appreciate the story for what it says to us. Brilliant stuff and thank you for bringing a window into meaning to us!
The Green Knight is probably my favorite thing I've seen in theaters so far this year, but there's a ton of amazing stuff coming up in the rest of 2021, what are you most looking forward to watching this year?
LAMB looks very interesting to me. Anthropomorphic lamb baby? Demonic sheep? Sign me up., VVitch walked so LAMB could run.
Either Dune, The Many Saints of Newark, or Last Night in Soho, can't pick
The Green Knight is my favorite of this year.
It was my most antecipated movie of 2020/2021. And now i´m in the wait for Dune, Last Night in Soho, The French Dispatch, The Power of the Dog, Nightmare Alley, Lamb and a movie from my country Brazil, calling '7 Prisoners'.
Yes thank you for your insights on The Green Knight, really loved that movie too! But I have been looking forward to Dune for so long now and finally gonna see it now on monday, so excited! ^^
venom 2 no cap
Along with the colors red and green, I loved the use of yellow in this film to illustrate Gawain's fear in facing his challenge. Gawain wears his distinctive bright yellow cloak throughout the film and the forest surrounding the Green Chapel is bathed in a sickly yellow hue. However, once Gawain sees the vision of Camelot falling to ruin under his rule, the ending of the movie shows the yellow tint of the forest is gone after Gawain has found the resolve to remove the enchanted sash and accepts his fate.
Ooh, that's one thing I didn't notice! Good eye!
I saw the same! And immediately kept hearing Dwight Schrute's voice in my head... "yellow for cowardly".
man how do yall notice these stuff... love it
@@spanielchin3933 I could be completely wrong and maybe David Lowery just really liked the color yellow lmao
Yes, I think red (blood) represents life that has a definite end, whereas the green represents cyclical life. However Gawain cannot see that it is the same thing. His fear of the end does not allow him to see the circle. He brings those red-coded fears with him to the chapel. What happens when you mix red and green? You get yellow.
"What else ought there be?" Was such a perfect line to sum up the themes of the film. I knew I was going to enjoy the movie, but I didn't anticipate just how much I'd love it.
My wife and I saw this in theaters a few weeks ago and were the only two people for our showing. After seeing the film, my wife astutely said, "There will be no middle ground on this one. People will either love it or hate it." Glad to see this film is getting some attention. It has been the source of numerous hours of discussion in our house. This video essay will undoubtedly lead to hours more. Good job!
I might be the exception. I’m not sure what to think of the film, although I quite like this analysis. Felt similarly about Annette.
I watched it today and, I'm not gonna lie, I actually kinda loved it. The only dude on the family to like it, actually.
Pagenkopf is a sick last name
I dunno, I'm sort of middling on it. Loved the imagery, the setting etc, but it never quite came together for me. It felt a bit cold.
i hated it
Have been dealing with a degenerative illness I can totally relate to this. It has taken up my respiratory system and breathing has been getting harder and harder.. When I prepare my meals at night I do it with all the love I have as if it is my last night on this earth. Accepting death brought me peace and I'm smiling again since then. It can happen to all of us, at any time, any age.. Gotta enjoy the show before the curtain closes, right? =) Thanks for this video!
“Today a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively. There is no such thing as death; life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves. Here's Tom with the weather.”
@@anypercentdeathless exactly.. got love this quote
the great randomness of life. Only people who realize this are the people who positioned on the unfortunate part of life.
Wim hof breathing method,can really help your breathing, look it up on youtube try it 3 times before you give up
There's an aspect of the game you've overlooked here. Gawain chose, when presented with the rules, to deliver a fatal blow. He COULD have opted to simply give the Green Knight a minor wound, but he felt compelled to prove his 'worth' by killing him, and in so doing demonstrating his preparedness to die in turn. He CHOSE to opt for the risk of death because he felt that valor demanded it. He was interested in establishing his own legend, and given a year to stave off consequences, was irresponsible enough not to worry about the costs, again emphasizing his immaturity and ill-preparedness.
I also think the shot of the medallion was not as you took it. Asked what he saw around the table, he responds that he sees legends. I think the views of the knights at that point, and their various trophies and adornments, was simply to evidence an implied history behind them - there's a story behind how the knight acquired the medallion, and we don't need to know what it is.
Great take. I thought the same thing when the Knight specified the rules and he still went for the fatal blow because the potential to become immortalized through legend took over him in that moment, which ultimately led to his demise he wasn't ready to face.
I agree, and afterwards I think it's Arthur who seems to be shaking his head at this choice. Gawain is too young to understand reciprocity.
The five pointed star stands for the five knightly virtues referenced later by the Queen when blessing Gawain for his journey.
You must read the book to understand the movie. The medallion is the pentangle meant to symbolize a knights code due to its five key aspects. In the book, Gawain does cut the knights head off but the knight gives him only a minor blow. The theme from the book and the movie seems to be that the knight and the subsequent tale are meant to change Gawain. Metaphorically killing him but not litterally.
I really liked that aspect and I think another way to possibly interpret it is as the Green Knight representing nature and man's relationship to it. The knight offers his head to Gawain who takes it with little hesitation in exchange for a tool, but like a plant, beheading is not the end for the knight as he just rises again. Man taking too much from nature leads to nature returning the favor in due time.
I like how at the end of the movie Gawain was like: "If that's how my life will pan out just kill me bruh"
fun fact: In the original tale The Green Knight doesn't actually cut off his head, he just nicks it again and then Morgan Le Fey comes out all "Yo this whole thing was a plot to try and scare Guinevere to death so..."
And so Gawain goes back to Camelot not feeling very good about himself, but then Arthur and the other knights wear honory green sashes to commemorate Gawain going through with all of this.
Though apparently the director of this movie straight up said he wanted it to end with Gawain being beheaded and dying as a result.
@Brandon Bidder eh death of the author and all that, interviews arent plot they arent in the movie, id say on screen leads towards suggesting he survives, but still leaves it ambiguous which i think its important
@@generalhorse493 i think he actually succeeded the "test" though the nick in the neck was due to the sash being kept as secret from him. even then the green knight considered him to be a blameless knight and gawain thought he failed and he carried the sash on the way back to camelot as his sign of "failure"
@@aceuxroo in the movie I was pretty much just inner yelling at the fool to give the lord the book he recieved from his wife.. ffs is your honor not worth a damn book? I could understand he kept that magic belt of +100 deffence, that one I would keep too - but a book (especially for a wealthy knight).
@@generalhorse493 He literally doesn't die at the end and you clearly didn't get the last moment. When the Green Knight says "Now, off, with your head" he means to leave with his head attached and it's extremely obvious. He even says it in a nice way. It was just a trial, a lesson. Also I checked everywhere and no where did I find that David Lowery even explained the ending at all.
Interesting take but I feel it leaves some things out.
"The Christmas Game" is conjured by his mother.
What is a mother's duty? To see her beloved son grow from a boy to a man. The film is about Initiation.
Gawain is a typical manboy, into alcohol and fornication and unsure if he wants to be a knight. When the King asks him his deeds he has nothing to share of import. He is envious of the legends of the Round Table but uncertain he could live up to their deeds. Uninitiated.
The Green Knight is his opportunity. The Legends in the room stand back from the task. They are Initiated and have no need to prove themselves. The call was always to Gawain.
As others have pointed out, he makes the most dire cut he can -- and is celebrated. Severing the head from the body can echo circumcision or the painful detachment boys must go through to "kill the boy" inside in order to give birth to the mature man. The Initiated men would have scorned him if he'd just given the Knight a tiny scratch. He understands the challenge and is accepting getting as good as he's given.
A year passes and we see Gawain has not matured much. When is lover asks to be his lady, to be accepted as his full bridge and transition from Princess to Queen, he does not answer. The anger in her eyes tell us all. She loves him but cannot stand his immature, un-Initiated self.
Gawain is a reluctant adventurer and has to tell multiple character he is NOT a Knight, despite them mistaking him for one. He is unkind to strangers, takes advantage of them without considering their needs, has to be cajoled into the tiniest kindness, and tries to transact with a dead girl -- when an Initiated man would have just fetched her head without complaint, knowing he'd already benefited from the shelter of her house. His reluctant agreement to complete her quest is the bare minimum effort and so he gets the Axe and his Cloak back to return to his Quest.
So close to the end of his journey, he is seduced into Comfort and Pleasure at the Lord's castle. Elle, the Lady, easily seduces him to climax and gives him his security blanket / apron strings to momma back. She lets him know he failed the test once again by telling him "You are no Knight."
He rushes from the Castle immediately, realizing he is derelict in his duty. This is what gives him the motivation to enter the Yellow Wood.
His mother watches him through the familiar fox, and tries to scare him off the Final Initiation, back into a life of comfort. But his experience with the Lady has given him the courage to see it through.
He waits patiently at the feet of the Green Knight, displaying the patience that is necessary to persist through challenges (Initiation is not Immediate). Finally we see the final drama unfold in his head and he answers the call that the Queen gave him and that his Mother so hoped he would answer: he has courage. When he finally removes the sash, he faces certain Death with a clear and calm mind, and he is Initiated.
His life or death at the chronological end of the film is irrelevant which is why we never see the axe fall (or be stayed) -- Gawain has become a Knight. The tale of Initiation is complete. Roll credits.
This text is distilled art.
You've a gift friend.
I think the film also interrogates the system of values by which manhood is achieved through violence and pokes quiet fun at the absurdity of the whole enterprise. Gawain’s immaturity is in subscribing to and acting on a code he doesn’t believe in and can’t defend.
You got it, thanks for this.
@@apricity-y8j As her teacher Merlin knows exactly what’s going on and this is why the Kings only words to him is to “remember it’s only a game” And asks does he understand”trying to give him the opportunity to think about his choices.
The Young Gawain is extremely naive and to have a good tale for himself,one worthy of his interpretation of what a knight is or would do he slays the GK!
His Aunt/Mother in the film knowing the death of both the King and Queen is near and the fact her son/nephew is still a boy and not a knight much less a good future King creates the GK and the tests of the five pointed star begins!
He fails his first test when he doesn’t spare the GK.
He truly believes there’s more to the game than just his beheading he just doesn’t understand till the end.
Almost all the characters in the film are represented by or as the Green knight. The entire film is a beautiful fever dream.
Ones where his mistakes repeatedly lead to his possible ambiguous death and possible other deaths through out time depending on his choices both brave and cowardly.
While Gawain lives in the already established stories i felt he actually dies in the film.
@@Ultra-Collector the directors already said he lives.
It’s so interesting to me the way Gawain in this adaptation stands in direct contrast to the original story. In the original Gawains struggle is that he doesn’t live up to his own standard. He faces his death but he flinches when the ax is swung at him, he gives the lord of the castle the kisses he took from his wife, but doesn’t give him the sash. The green knight ultimately spares him, because despite these failures he ultimately still possessed a knights Valor. He doesn’t loose points for being human. The movie doesn’t make it explicit that these were tests he was facing, but it’s very clear that he fails them all. I saw his vision of running away as a realisation of what his life would be if he gave up hope on Valor. All that misery and cruelty just to end up with ultimately the same fate.
i thought the message was all you needed to do was succeed in one test because a knight doesn’t need to be perfect he just needs to be honorable and every test was a test of Honor and he succeeded in the final test of honor.
One thing else worth considering: if I’m not mistaken in the original Arthurian myth the lord of the house IS the green knight. Therefore by removing the magic cord, he is fulfilling his promise to the lord of the house.
The film never really acknowledged directly this part of the original myth, but, given how much thought obviously went into the film, I like to think that Lowry knew of this.
@@dylanferguson7773I read an interview with Lowery. He said that in the last scenes, the green knight's face changes into all the faces Gawain had faced. Green knigth is everyone.
It's because of his failings, I really did expect him to die in the end. The story of a fail knight, I'd still have love it
To me this movie is about accepting the inevitability of death and the importance of living your life truthfully. The ending is wholesome, at least to me. The Green Knight is gentle in a brutal kind of way. I have a soft spot for this movie.
This movie stuck with me long after
And I believe it’s very very well done in many ways.
Yup. Well written story
I liked it. It’s a stoic movie. I mean philosophically. “Now, off, with your head.” I’m glad I let the end credits finish.
The Green Knight is a treasure map that requires "keys" to reveal particular ideas. The one line that defined the lens through which I saw the events in the film was said by Essel in the forest before the quest..."Why greatness? Isn't goodness enough?".
This is very overlooked. Nothing but greatness is enough.
@@BusinessWolf1 So you don't think Essel was right?
The connection to Ingmar Bergman is on point.
Nobody's done "death comes for us all" better than Bergman in Seventh Seal.
I see Bergman, but I also see Tarkovsky. The scene with the scavager felt like something out of Stalker
Exactly what I thought, this film gave me strong Ingmar Bergman vibes, especially his Seventh Seal movie
@@elizabayroff7106 Totally! İt took me a day to realize it clealy. It reminded me of Stalker, as well! İ'm glad other people have the same feeling, because they are quite different genres. But especially the sound design gave me subconscious Stalker vibes. İ should rewatch Stalker 😅
I remembering going into the theater the first day this film came out and I was the only one in the theater. I walked out of there and one of the workers asked me what I thought of the movie and I honestly couldn't give him an answer. Despite how much I loved it, It took me a day or two to really process it.
sounds about right i walked out of the theater and said to my girlfriend that i really liked it but i wasnt quite sure why. def took some thinking and discussion to fully figure it all out
Those are the movies that make it so special!
I forget a Marvel movie almost entirely within an hour 😄
i liked it visually, CGI was great, and costumes were fine (the green knight himself looks like expensive larp costume) but it had so many storyteling problems (too slow tempo for every single shot, way too dark moments - like literal dark where I could barely see what is going on and just watched vague shapes in the dark, no explanation of who characters are would it kill them to tell the king by name, or absolutely useless giants)
It doesn't surprise me you were the only person in the theatre. It was a steaming turd of self indulgent art house crap
This is the vid I was waiting for
You got a director’s parody coming up on this one? 😏
Directors Parody of David Lowery but its a 9 minute long take of Nikhil editing like in A Ghost Story
ay man its you
damn this is some of your finest work
(also how in the ever loving hell did you get away with playing so much of that 360 take without the copyright cops busting you lol)
Interesting. My take on the film is that it's about learning to face the hardships of life head on and not taking any shortcuts/easy ways out. You won't always have a magic belt/mommy to help you - you need to learn how to overcome things on your own. That's how I read the fake ending where he goes to be a king. His rule ends badly because he got to that point cheating as much as he could. When he decides to take off the belt he actually takes the first step to becoming a real knight.
Yeah, that's what I thought as well. Many people say they didn't like this movie, that it was a waste of their time. I say it's more of an experience, as if we were there, listening to the tale being told by the storytellers and the bards.
I feel like it's relevant to point out that Mommy is also *summoning* the Green Knight.
@@Duiker36 I was surprised that some people seemed to miss of just dismiss that part. Maybe because it's a divergence from the source material. But his mom and Arthur know he's going to be king and he'll be a terrible one unless he changes.
But his chivalry also leads to his death. He didnt overcome anything in the end.
@@dirkdiggler. He doesn't die in the movie. That green knight says well done, smiles, and draws his finger over his throat. It's just a game.
My husband and I went to see "The Green Knight" when it was first released in theaters. There were only four people in the theater. When the film ended, my husband and I were the only ones left. The visuals were stunning, and while neither of us understood everything about the film, we enjoyed it just the same. When the 4K became available, we bought it, and discovered that it was even more striking on 4K. We watched it again and were mesmerized, and found ourselves picking up much more of the film's meaning in repeat viewings, which we thoroughly enjoy. We are having our adult son and daughter and their mates coming over for a special screening of the film, as they were not able to see it in the theater. We are eager to share the film, as we cannot compare it to any other film experience we've ever had. It is visually arresting and feels like a series of paintings placed in motion. Thank you for sharing your insights. The film may not be everyone's cup of tea, but for us, this was one of the very best films of 2021 ... original, bold, dense with meaning and insight and told with incredible visual style. And the use of CGI is so subtle as to be perfectly rendered with the outstanding production design. Looking forward to Oscar nominations for a truly worthy film.
I hope you did not hyped your kids for watching too much :D the movie is not a good movie, its more of an art project than movie. Its not telling understandable story on its own and first watching was even for you a mess.
It's really cool how this version of green Knight looks like a anthology of poems
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.” - Mark Twain
I really appreciate this sort of criticism, because I didn't read the movie through this lens at all. For me, the journey was about his maturing into being a good man; a knight. He's constantly faced with challenges that test him on the honourable attributes a knight is supposed to represent, and in all of them he fails. It's only when he's confronted with the Green Knight's axe that he sees what it is to live his life dishonourably, to embrace fear instead of virtue and to rise as a knight. Both readings fit comfortably inside of each other - it's the depth and the quality of your analysis that I really appreciate for making my own viewing more expansive.
The Green Knight was one, of if not my favorite movie theatre experiences ever. Such a strange movie with so much beauty and rich sub text.
If you liked the vibe of this, you might like Embrace of the Serpent (2012?) which is similarly symbolic and strange if you haven't already seen it.
The Green Man is truly ancient and he represented the cycle of life and death to our ancestors. Most English towns had a pub named The Green Man and his face was carved into the fabric of many churches by the masons and carpenters.
The GK is just a nature and a mother's forces for Gawein
Based and greenpilled.
My local is called The Green Man, and I've only got to travel about 4 miles up the road to find another. We still do have a Green Man almost everywhere
@@jamesduffy7549 He is everywhere and everwatching. This is why we knock wood to forgive our trespasses ;)
@@feloniousbutterfly Only superstitious people do that. People that live in the modern reality rely on science and factual evidence to guide us. Not ghosts, fairy tales and "gods."
“When Gawain finds the courage to face his death, he finds the courage to live his life.” This line… The ending where he is decapitated as king never made sense to me until I watched your video. What an incredible analysis and video essay. Well done 👏
One of my favorite movies ever! The explanation of mortality and death was the missing piece from what I got from the movie. I felt like the message of the movie was outright said at the beginning. Garwain’s freaking out at the Green Knight just presenting his neck with no fight. He screams “WHAT MUST I DO!?”, to which Guinevere says under her breath “show courage!”. Showing courage in the face of death, and in the face of all of his challenges and encounters would’ve given Garwain a much different outcome.
What do you make of the final line, "Now, off with your head"?
I took it to mean that accepting and embracing ones mortality is a first step towards ego transcendence. Gawain is now on that path.
I took it to mean that dance till you're dead
Someone said that he meant be “off, with your head” and that makes a lot of sense to me
@@nl1638 i believe its both, similar to the ending to the sopranos ;D
@@nl1638 that's funny
I think its an ejaculation refrence
love that you used your mubi ad as a moment to plug Jodorowsky XD
It's not very subtle but I love how every scene of Gawain in the chapel is completely bathed in yellow, the color of cowardice. And it only goes away when Gawain removes the sash.
10:43 "His death of old age..."
That... is NOT old age that kills him! It's very clear that Gawain is depicted as unknightly throughout the movie. His path of cowardice, laziness and dishonour leads him to a point where he becomes king if he flees, yes, but what sort of king? We see that too. He is hated, overthrown, the rebels are literally breaking down the doors as his friends and family abandon him. And what do you do with deposed kings? Off with their head. It is his choices, not simple time, that he cannot escape.
If his end is the same, all he can choose is if that death will be with honor. And when he makes that choice and takes off the sash, he finally becomes the knight he should have been all along.
I absolutely loved how you imbued this particular essay with yet another personal perspective (the Appalachian Mountains). Watching the Green Knight, for the first time was an unforgettable experience, and very personal for me. The slow double pan in the film was a part of the film that I couldn't get over and sunk into the idea that I believe Lowery was aiming for, for the audience, and that same idea that you laid out in this video. When the final scene came, I cheered quietly for Gaiwain to remove the sash, (even already knowing the outcome the story) and was invigorated to tackle goals in my life fearlessly because of Gaiwain's decision to remove it. True courage of a Knight.
I watched this film at the "peak" of my thanatophobia. I was paranoid. Every moment, I thought, could mean my certain death. After watching this film, it gave me a sense of comfort. It made me feel like dying was meeting an old friend, or going to an appointment made a long time in advance. It made me feel comfortable for the first time in a long while. I thank The Green Knight for helping me come to invaluable realizations about my mortality.
I really like this take! I find 'the green knight' a really fascinating "experience" film, which, to some degree, is extended to its takes, too. so, I'm really glad you did an essay on this one!
As a student of stoicism, I appreciate your take on this film! You brought to my mind comparisons that I hadn’t thought about before. Love the film, love your essays. Keep up the incredible work!
I think the ultimate way of winning against the green knight was forfeiting in laying down the sword and realizing it was an inevitable battle against death itself, also paying attention to the fact that it was game for green knight. Death has nothing to lose but Life itself is too precious to wager with
How can one avoid wagering one's life? You are already guaranteed to lose it.
The fucked up part about this is that he probaly could of avoided death by the green knight he could have just knicked his shoulder the knight and king Arthur did tell him initially it was just a friendly game
@@nickkiger2594 Exactly
@@YodasPapa Guaranteed yes, but guaranteed in 1 year or guaranteed in 40+ are two very different things, and suggesting otherwise is simply intellectually dishonest.
Wow! The ending of this video watered my eyes, wonderful analysis, something that thoroughly resonated with me and helped me better understand. Also piquing further pondering and consideration for me. The symbolism of the 'green' and issues of time, death, nature, etc. Are all things that are very interesting to me.
on seeing it a 2nd time, I think the protagonist's first lines inform us his dilemma and perhaps flaw. he believe he has time and lots of it (to be a knight). and when demanded to hurry up and get to his next destination, in this instance, literally to goto church, he responds, "I'm not ready." and therefore his collision with time and death.
I'am a french amateur of cinema. I have to say, your text is very precise and rich when you summon other films in your video. And above all, you have a very good voice for these kind of videos. Well done !
I needed this LMFAO because I felt like I was on acid trip the whole movie
haha, i kind of got it, but also needed someone to explain wtf i just watched
it's funny you say that since i actually was
@x ZFighter x It is purposely left open to interpretation but as i understand it, in the original tale, the Knight lets him go with his head. You could interpret that what the knight tells him at the end was kind of a joke
I literally watched this movie on acid. The use of color in this film is insane.
Thomas, you are truly blessed with understanding and the ability to help the rest of us "get it".
I saw this in the cinema a few days ago and i haven't been able to stop thinking about it. Weirdly wonderful and wonderfuly weird, this film will be talked about for many years to come! Great essay and thoughts as usual!
I am saying this without a doubt. This may be the BEST channel on youtube.
It is ridicoulous how good the content is.
You can´t find it anywhere else
i interpreted "the green knight" as a movie about generosity.
throughout the film, gawain is selfish and reserved. he is given to vices, cannot commit to relationships, and almost refuses to help others on his quest. this selfishness is a way of life, and those two slow, 360-degree pans show us the consequences of it. a life of selfishness is one of decay. it forces one to close oneself off from the world, leading to the slow death of isolation.
however, gawain's quest cuts to the core of his selfishness by forcing him to give up the most valuable thing in his possession: his life. at first, he refuses, and the cost of his refusal is high. but in letting go and giving up his life, he is able to avoid that fate.
he clung to life, and so he died. he gave up his life, and so he lived. throughout the entire movie, he was destined for the fate we see in his final vision, but he was able to avoid it by learning generosity.
i think your interpretation is much better. i admit that mine feels like a stretch and leaves a lot of loose ends (like that entire conversation on primary colors). but i think mine puts a very slightly positive spin on an overwhelmingly negative story. either way it's a great movie, and i guess i'm due for a rewatch.
Ooooo neat take! I enjoyed reading this.
"i think your interpretation is much better..."
No, you've got it mostly right. Gawain is a poor knight, every test of virtue he is faced with on his quest, he fails. He is selfish, lazy, and cowardly. It is only at the end, when he see where this path will lead him, does he understand that perhaps it would be better to die with honour and dignity. At the moment he decides to accept the blow, he truly becomes a knight. And at that point, I believe the green knight would have spared him, having learned his lesson.
Alicia Vikander's performance in that scene is so incredible. It's such a long shot, and the way her delivery and tone shifts as her message is further brought to the surface is really powerful. I love the way the hunters interjections in this speech work to tamp down Gawains emotions to keep him focused and not feel attacked, helping to ensure that he is listening with reason and not diving into an emotional response that may distract him from the point. It's beautiful.
My interpretation of the ending was that the green knight DOES behead Gawain after he removes his sash, however I do agree with you that it doesn't seem to matter what choices he makes - his own death is inevitable. Great video
I think a lot of people assume that he goes free because that's how the original tale ends, but the major differences between the original story and this film change the ending a lot. Gawain was not chaste with the Lady of the House, and the Lord of the House seems to know this. If the Lord of the House is also the Green Knight - which I don't think the film suggests - then the Green Knight has no reason to spare him. Besides all this, Gawain lived out the best possible version of his life, and still died, why would the Green knight spare him and have him go through it all again when it has been shown to be meaningless?
The difference is that the second time he goes through he's accepted his coming death, instead of living in fear of it the entire time. There's a little scene at the very end of the film of a young girl putting on the crown- I think this suggests that in Lowery's mind Gawain does go free (otherwise where does the daughter come from).
I saw this ending scene but considering that it was after the credits of the movie I didn't really take it to be part of the story, more of a cute shot of the daughter that didn't fit in the possible future.
I do see what you're saying about his new life unafraid of death, and I think it was left intentionally vague so that it could be open to interpretation, so I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.
I agree with you. I saw it more as in the end, brave or not he meets his death regardless. And it asks the question if that decision ultimately matters. But I do find his interpretation interesting and think it’s meant to be open. Great film
The Green Knight flicks him with his finger and almost playfully says 'off with your head'.
It's like congratulations, you passed. Thus letting him live.
Also the post credit stinger.
I've been watching for you for a long time. Your analyses have become more concrete and accessible over time, without losing any of their nuance, and I am very happy to see you develop
Sometimes you watch a movie and you’re so charmed by it, you nearly consider it a masterpiece. But as you think about it over time, you slowly become disenchanted. Well, for me, The Green Knight is the opposite case. I wasn’t sold on it at first viewing, but weeks after I still keep thinking about it and reading articles, watching video essays dedicated to the movie, etc. It is truly outstanding! Thanks for the video, Thomas.
Hehe, yeah... That happened to me in the course of a few hours, actually :D
Hopefully the same happens to my family...
Hehe, yeah... That happened to me in the course of a few hours, actually :D
Hopefully the same happens to my family...
"The attitude in the face of your own death" is a perfect phrase of my impression of the Green Knight's lesson.
The moment I finished watching the movie, I made my own interpretation of what it meant. As I was watching the ending segment, I thought it was about the duality of the truth behind the legend.
Legend is always based on one or more facts, in one way or another. On one side, it's a fantastic interpretation of a true story of virtue and valour, enhanced into the mystical. On the other hand, it can be a misunderstanding, a false rumor, or the subjective understanding of events, which lead into an inspiring lie.
So, as I watched the ending segment, with Gawain running away, returning home, I assumed it was a case of the latter. We see him living his life, receiving empty honors and hollow joys, betraying his own, and suffering major losses. All without a single grin or smile in sight, and a dull grey painting the scene. And always with the enchanted sash on his waist, never removing it. I thought at the moment that he still feared the return of the Green Knight, so he always wanted to have it by him, as the coward he still was.
And then, the moment where everyone leaves his side, while his kingdom collapses. For one reason or another, he looks tired of living his live, and willing to give it up. He removes the sash from beneath his clothes, making visceral sounds as if they were part of his entrails, since he had it on him for so long that it almost became a part of him. And as he removes it... his head rolls off. "So he returned his blow, after all" I thought, as I compared the sash to a band-aid, placed over a wound that would never heal, and would still bleed after removed.
And then, the vision ended. It was all in his head. As the Knight was about to land the blow, I think Gawain realized that, in the end, his fate would be final, always the same, the fate that awaits every man, and that would meet him in every outcome. So, with courage, he embraces his fate, and truly honors his promise, by removing the thing that, allegedly, could possibly protect him from that blow. And thus, he passes the test. Gawain the Fool perishes, and Sir Gawain is born, in green, a personification of life and death. The Green Knight smiles upon him and, playfully, "slits" his throat. 'twas just a Christmas Game, after all.
Or, so one could think. Because remember, there's two sides of the coin of the truth behind the legend. Maybe the vision was his imagination, and what followed was what happened. Or maybe the vision was what actually happened, and what followed was just the end of the tale that he told to his peers. We may never know... but personally, I'm on the optimistic side 😉
One thing someone mentioned earlier that I feel is important is the reason as to HOW the green knight (a mystical tree figure) exist and WHY he started the game. Gawain's mother is a witch. She knows her son will be king but she also knows he is not fit for it given the alcoholism and general irresponsibility he exemplifies in the film. At the beginning of the film while King Arthur and Gawain are with the party of "legends", the movie kept cutting to Gawain's mother doing some sort of summoning ritual to which you can presume is her initiating "The Christmas Game". The Christmas game is a test for his fitness for king and she knows he won't truly die at the end but she also knows that if he comes back with the belt then that means he failed. In the "Christmas game", Gawain essentially failed every quiz leading up to the test but ultimately passed the test itself when he was able to accept his fate. He will now be a good king.
Also, as far the the giant human sequence, I think that was him just on a psychedelic trip from the mushrooms. I think it's suppose to represent the phrase "Standing on the shoulders of giants". I am not too sure though.
I also think that Gawain beheading the Green Knight as oppose to giving him a small non fatal cut or even just a tap was the first quiz Gawain failed. He interpreted earning honor and respect among his peers to be that of needless violence. He knew he wouldn't have the respect as knight or as a man among the other legends if he gave the Green knight mercy. Maybe this movie is critiquing our ideas of how we earn our respect as men. I may be overthinking that but I feel I may be right.
@@victorl3969 I think these are all fantastic takes on the movie! After the beginning, I was thinking "Boy, I bet he regrets cutting his head now, instead of a simple jab on the knee". And yeah, needless violence, the heat of the moment, and the need to "prove" himself to others all contributed to that. A misundertanding of what earning honor and respect really means.
I just watched this last night and the more I think about it the more I loved it. This is a fantastic video and just made me love the movie more.
Good to see conversations being held over this film; such an immersive and experiential film. Excellent video, m8!
I had trouble finding a deeper meaning to this film. I knew there was something there, but it escaped me. I love your take on it. Beautiful as always man. Good job.
read the original story! very deep
Excellent video! I haven't seen it since my time with it in the theater and I think I came out of it really liking the visuals but a bit vacant on what I had seen. The more I thought about it, as immediately as the walk back to my car and the ride home, I started to piece together more of what I liked about it. And this video really brought some more texture to some of the loose thoughts I had as well. Definitely enhanced my thoughts on the film overall! Great. (Also, mad you brought back Talking At the Party Guy from Ghost Story. THE WORST! -- but def proved your point)
Great video and analysis of such a beautiful story! Side note: the pendant wasn't put into focus for no reason, it was a reference to the original text in which Gawain's shield had a gold pentangle on his shield, representing the endless connection and knot between the important five fives in the story: "the five wounds That Christ got on the cross", "he was faultless in his five senses", "Nor found ever to fail in his five fingers", "That all his force was founded on the five joys" (Annunciation, Nativity, Resurrection, Ascension, and Assumption), and finally "beneficence boundless and brotherly love And pure mind and manners, that none might impeach, and compassion most precious".
"These peerless five were forged and made fast in him, foremost of men."
I love this story! Glad to see such a fun analysis of it.
Love this movie, specially the colors and some beautiful scenes that are practically paintings. And I love this take too, you have a new follower! :) i would like to add a tought that i had while watching both the movie and your
review: i think that the green in the green knight not only simbolizes the life that comes after death, but the meaningless of this self-importance we feel as humans. The green knight comes to remind us that no life is more important that the one that comes after. And i think that's why it's an unpleasent thought, nobody likes to think that we are not really that special. For me it really breaks some tropes of this kind of epic adventure stories, were "the protagonist"/"chosen one" is seen as some perfect hero with no vulnerabilities. In this case the lack of vulnerability doesn't do Gawain any good, nor doesn't make him any stronger, only colder and less human (clearly shown in the scenes when we can see his "future"/bad ending). For me, him realizing he doesn't have to be this important character and embracing the meaningless of life liberates him and allows him to find courage and purpose from a differente (more genuine) perspective. Or gets him decapitated idk haha
I love the ending scene of this movie. The green knight acknowledges his bravery and then says “now… off with your head” in a playful manner which is then accompanied by a long pause. When I saw this scene, I felt like he was saying “off with your head” as in off with your ego. IMO, I feel like the Green Knights game was a lesson about shame & humility.
I read the original 14th century work in college, so I was so excited for this film. Seeing The Green Knight in theaters was one of the most immersive experiences I’ve ever had in cinema. I felt like I had been taken to that world they had created.
The green knight did not behead Gawain at the end. He said “now. Off with your head”. Meaning “go now with your head” Hence it is similar to the original tale.
Green Knight gets us all in the end.
He just got a gift of time....
Many of us never will.
"Is there a chapel?"
"You're in it"
"Generally speaking, the Way of the warrior is resolute acceptance of death." Miyamoto Musashi.
I love those types of movies, they are those movies that you have to see more than once to understand what they are about, types of movies that leave you wondering, that surprise you if you let them. Like the Macbeth movie, the more you see them, the more you understand the message and the more fascinated you are.
I agree with your take. Lowry writes a downer (previously called tragedies) that says how we die is just as important as how we live. A really touching film, and I'm glad to see at least someone else acknowledge this.
I think a lot of people miss on , what I think is, one of the key aspects of the plot itself, which is that of the value of knighthood and what exactly does knighthood represent in a reality where laws and honor seem to hold less weight when seen within the larger scope of the world - in this case, a world full of magic, giants and chaos. Gawain's tale is that of a man becoming a knight by enacting an act of violence (one which is itself played as a game, and one for which he gains the title of a knight among the common folk of the kingdom) and that same violence getting back to him in return. Gawain could have scratched an arm, merely strike with the handle, or even try to talk with the Green Knight about the purpose of the game, but instead, he let himself be driven by the idea of valour and courage which he is shown to admire and that in turn becomes possibly the worst decision he will ever make in his entire life.
Yes the story (both in the original poem and in the film) is about masculinity, but it's also about the structures which keep said masculinity in place. Things like honesty, gender equality, or kindness are seen as bothersome, unnecesary, unremarkable or trivial... until they're part of chivalry, or a game, or a quest.
Reminds me of when Gaiwan’s girlfriend asks him why chasing greatness is so important. Is goodness not enough?
You're seeing this through a modern lens and it's a pretty poor take
Another point I remember in the film was gawains reluctance to accept the title of knight. While in most regards hes acting as one at the moment he has yet personally to accept that as he has yet to have done something that he feels is worthy of the title. And that might tie back to returning as he sees himself in a way a fake legendary figure. By the end of the film he himself is the green knight (and I like to see him as becoming a knight of the green man who is the force of nature that gawain now in a way believes in).
@@TS-jd9qs I think the movie works through many lenses its messages are quite variable.
@@RaterProTrickster As with any art, it's open to interpretation. This take feels like a forced modern lense, socially woke interpretation rather than honouring the key themes of an ancient story about humanity, heroism and humility. Above all else, the concept of honour, this person is twisting that grotesquely
That was exquisite. The visuals Mr. Flight chooses paired with his voice makes his meditations on film an incantatory experience.
Personally I believe that the sequence near the end where Gawain becomes king and his life is played out is the best and strongest. It’s on the nose but it’s a fantastic show of the moral: immorality and dishonesty will leave you un whole. The whole purpose of the green knights challenge was not to pick up a sword and cut off a man’s head but to instead make peace. He shouldn’t attack and harm but defend and protect. Time is precious and spending it in aggression and violence brings only suffering and death, which eventually will be lost the the green of the earth.
This is exactly what I took from the film. I loved it very much. Thank you for creating this essay.
Good video! I would also say that the Green Knight is a kind of ecological fable, where the titular Knight represents nature itself, and the game that he plays is the give and take dynamic that exists between humanity and nature. What you take from nature, it will take from you.
I was thinking something similar, you can cut as many "heads" of nature (like trees), but it will always come back alive and ready to cut humanity's head, but we (as single humans) don't grow back like nature does.
completely agree
@@DarckAngel11 yesss the shot when Gawain is leaving the castle of him surrounded by a deforested area with people "beheading" trees felt really relevant to this interpretation
No, you're literally just bending it to your agenda.
I think *The Green Knight* merits multiple viewings and lots of conversations. It is dense and surreal and meticulously crafted with care. I think a lot of people were expecting something else from the trailers and that can be pretty disappointing but this is a gorgeous film and that alone should be worth talking about.
I've never seen this movie, but I love how different people attempt to decode it in their own way; from some saying that it's about meaning/nihilism, others that it's about accepting death, others that it's about Gawain's journey to become a true man, & yet others saying it's actually a critique on masculinity with how confusing the Quest is ("What does society want of me? Am I doing this for myself, or as a performance to please others?") and the fact that killing the Green Knight is the only time he hurts someone, and it's portrayed as questionable. Yet the highest men there celebrate it, as their version of righteousness stems from not actual virtues, but from who is stronger. The journey is the opposite of becoming powerful, the point of every film like it- and accepting powerlessness.
I like this theory & the theory of Death the most. But the fact that this film has many interpretations that can all be correct, just like a painting, shows that it really is art even though I haven't watched it.
Have you watched it yet? :)
everyone except arthur celebrates he even look’s disappointed he knows Gawain failed. the highest ranking man who everyone views as the peak of masculinity looks disappointed which makes me think the masculinity idea doesn’t work as much.
i like to think it’s about gaining honor.
each test is a test of honor
and he fails them all.
they were all test of honor to see if he was ready to be honorable and carry out the promise.
Masterful. Well done. Thank you.
Nice, I'm going to watch this film later this day. I haven't seen your video but it will be the first thing I do after watching the film!
Let’s define death a bit better- we all have to come to the realization of WHAT ARE YOU? and/or WHO ARE YOU? The death that Lowery points to is the death of the ego, and the body we associate with it. We have to make the journey like Gawain does from head to heart- to realize we are not our heads or bodies after all, but we are timeless, undying, and unborn- we are eternal.
Excellent breakdown. I felt myself become very engaged with this film about a quarter of the way through. I believe someone said "it demands something of the viewer and then it delivers." It's not an escape; it's a meditation. Can anyone recommend more movies like this one, films that require engagement, filling in the details yourself, allegories, metaphors, etc?
Hmm. Have you seen any movies by Yorgos Lanthimos, like 'The Lobster' or 'The Killing of a Sacred Deer'? They are also pretty divisive but steeped in mythology, allegory, etc. They definitely demand something of you but not in an exhausting way. The acting style is not naturalistic which makes some people switch off immediately but it yields a lot of meaning and produces some lols, too.
I’d say batman v superman (the ultimate edition) is amazing too. At first it looks like a basic superhero movie but it has a lot of deep themes and allegories and beautiful cinematography and screenplay !
"one year or a hundred, it wouldn't make a difference" for some reason that line stuck with me so hard I keep thinking about it.
In the vision at the end, Gawain did not die of old age. He was about to be killed by the enemy soldiers battering down the door. But before that happened, he removed the green sash, his head fell off, and he died.
The Holy Mountain is one of the movies that got me really into film. I'd never had artistry, weirdness, and symbolism resonate so strongly with me before. It inspired me to find other weird, symbolic movies like the Green Knight!
I need to see this movie more than ever, now that you have made an essay on it!
The final line of the film is "Now off with your head" which the Green Knight delivers with a smirk that is all but a wink to the audience.
This is a pun. Now off [go away], with your head.
Can we all just agree that A24 is the best company for film out thete right now!!!their list of films is amazing and just continue to have banger after banger and everything everywhere all at once is no exception. I know it's off topic but I had to say it
Great analysis Thomas. There's though another topic that I still didn't see dwelved which is the Gawain's choice of cutting the Green Knight head: I remember the King's quote saying "remember, it's just a game", and game is also about strategy, but the Gawain, young and thirsty of being seen courageous he decided to completely not think about the consequence of his choices. For instance he could have just hit the Green Knight without killing him.
Gawain here, in this movie is depicted as a bit naive, non-self aware and lost. I think the director also wanted to highlight this because it is somehow relevant to our recent times.
Thanks again for your work.
Thanks for this! I was left a bit underwhelmed by this movie, I don't know if I was expecting too much (I had heard great things about it from many people I admire, like Edgar Wright) or because I didn't see it in theaters. This is such an "experience" kind of film. Maybe in a theater I would have liked it more. But your video really helped me to see so many great things I hadn't noticed before. As usual!
As a photographer I really enjoyed the colour messages and cinematography (this alone was worth it!). Sometimes however I am not that bright and enjoy some enlightenment at the end of the showing. Thanks for this.
His mother conjures the "game".
Was that aimed at Arthur? The fact Gawain played means it backfired?
The "side quest" to retrieve the woman's head. Where does that fit?
He never confronts the robbers, but the axe and the horse are returned to him.
The green Knight's demeanor is puzzling. There's no urge to kill Gawain. He finds the man's reluctancy strange.
One line that carries a lot of weight:
"a hundred years wouldn't make a difference". The moment we have to face death is always hard no matter what.
The quest was for Gawain. They make it clear early on that he's going to be Arthur's heir (possibly because his son, the vacant chair, is missing and presumed dead). But he's not even worthy of being a knight, so he has to be tested.
Every step along the way is a test he fails because he doesn't live up to knightly values -- he doesn't show charity to the boy on the battlefield, he succumbs to the lady's seduction, lies to the lord, and goes to the green knight wearing a sash that he thinks will let him avoid his fate.
With the woman in the cabin he fails by asking her what she'll give him for retrieving her head -- but in the end he still does the right thing which is why it's one of the few points in the film where he's rewarded -- by the return of the axe so he can continue his journey. The other being when he finally leaves the lord's castle and goes to meet the knight and the fox is returned to him.
Really a wonderful film. Such an interesting take on the original story
Something I noticed after my second watch was a parallel between Gawain's last words and some of his first. Obviously, his last are "I'm ready. I'm ready now." But in the beginning when he falls to the ground after chasing Essel he says "I'm not ready" (or something similar, thats just off the top of my head). I thought that was interesting when I first watched but after your analysis it made me think of it again. Stellar video! The Green Knight is my favorite of 2021 so far so I'm glad to see some discussion about it thats not just hate.
I personally interpreted the last scene as The Green Knight beheading Gawain anyway - so, his death was inevitable and the moral of the story was to face it with courage. Then again, I've never read the poem, so idk if that holds up with the original text or if that was Lowery's intention when directing it or not.
When you read the poem ***SPOILER ALERT***
You realize that The Green knight strikes his neck in a way where it only grazes him, and doesnt kill him. So he does return the same blow, only poorly, and Gawain gets to live his life as a knight, and man of honor. (the green knight was never planning to kill him)
I also see that as happening in the movie too...just never gets that far
@@vincemelson9655 dude, yes, but I don't think you should make a spoiler alert for a fifteenth century manuscript written in Middle English. Like, I wouldn't make a spoiler alert for Hamlet. Even the movie is so abstract and dense with meaning, that no one is going to be delightfully surprised in learning the "true ending". In fact this movie leaves the end open to interpretation, to give away the book ending does not even give away the film's ending, it's just one interpretation that you can think of this ending as similar. I think as a culture a a whole, we need to give up on this "spoiler alert" thing. It's like we're five year olds, demanding a "surprise birthday party". If describing the end spoils the entire movie, then it's probably not a very good movie, is it? Like, isn't the cinematography enough reason to watch?
Excellent work Thomas. I’m also thankful for the discussion in the comments because of the different interpretations that everyone has. This isn’t an easy movie to consume but you’ve made it easier. I’m debating a re-watch after this video.
I really enjoyed your essay! And this film for that matter.
I think the new life stemming from decay is symbolised in the second death as well, when we see child wearing the crown, I can’t remember if it’s still green or it’s back to gold. I didn’t get that the green knight spares Gawain in the end though, the ending is left ambiguous for sure, but I took him gesturing and saying “off with your head” as what is about to happen, albeit in a “friendlier”, “warmer” way instead of the stark execution Gawain was facing before accepting his own mortality. Accept your fate and greet Death as a friend, basically.
I always took that final "Now off with your head" was not the Knight beheading and killing Gawain. He was saying, "Now, off. With your head." He let him go.
Also I totally get why people wouldn't like this movie but my God it penetrated me down to the marrow of my bones. What a haunting movie.
I wonder if it had any ecological reference, regarding how the green knight acted as nature or the earth itself, you can cut as many "heads" of nature (like trees), but it will always come back alive and ready to cut humanity's head, but we (as single humans) don't grow back like nature does, maybe it was the reason to choose green?
What struck me about The Green Knight is similar to what stuck with me in Shazam. Gawain categorically fails all of the classical knightly virtues (represented in the 5-pointed pentangle medallion), just as Billy Batson uses his newfound powers to indulge every single one of the Seven Deadly Sins, but ultimately each hero proves themselves worthy in spite of their failures.
I loved this movie so much, glad to see you discuss this!
"In finding the courage to face death, Gawain finds the courage to live his live." is such a great summary of it.
Absolutely thank you for this coverage, amazing work
I don't understand what you say at 11:33. Doesn't the Green Knight say something like "Very good. Now, off with that head" when Gawain removes the green cord? I thought the point was, it's too late for Gawain. Even Gawain removing the cord and facing his death isn't enough for the Green Knight to spare him. Gawain made the choice to cut off the Green Knight's head. It's only fair the Green Knight removes his. I honestly love that final line, it made me smile and laugh in the theater, actually.
I think it's left somewhat ambiguous as to whether he dies or not. There's a little scene after the credits, where a young girl puts on the crown, I think possibly indicating that she's Gawain daughter, which would suggest he did live past the chapel. I think once you connect the beheading by The Green Knight to death in general, you see that Gawain will be beheaded no matter what, and so lets him go because he sees Gawain realizes that. It's a bit paradoxical, but that's the interesting part to me.
@@ThomasFlight Crap, I didn't stay for the post credit scene. Thanks for responding, great video, great movie.
I was so excited for this film and wasn't disappointed. I could see if you don't understand metaphor, it's just a weird movie, but I knew what I was in for. I loved all the triangles view of most shots, including the scene at 11:55, of the trees at the Green Chapel surrounding Gawain and the Knight. Another perfect late night stoner film from A24 . Living in Appalachia as well, it was cool to hear you reference that. Great video, as always.
I just realized that there's green in every Gawain's deaths
The Green Knight is Romanticism at it's best, ruminations over authenticity, nature, life, and death. This is honestly one of the best movies I've ever seen.
The Green Knight has the same central themes as The Lion King, the circle of life and honour, but the films couldn't be more different. That's the power of cinema.
Books can did that too though
Return of the King of movie video essays. 👍🏿👍🏿
This is the type of film which can only be appreciated through its cinematography and editing, because the rest, my goodness..
Thank you, that was really a sweet in-depth ride putting into words what i just saw and understood in part.
I've always heard Gawain pronounced, 'G'wayne;' not _Gowan,_ the Canadian 80s pop singer of _Strange Animal,_ and _Criminal Mind._
Well it’s Celtic so
A damn phenomenal video essay on this movie. Watching it for the first time I felt confused and somewhat unsatisfied. The trailer had looked really promising and I wanted to like the movie, but I couldn't (or wouldn't) understand it the first time around. This breakdown and analysis helped me see the level of meaning that I needed to be looking at it from to understand the story the way the filmmaker did - to truly see and appreciate the story for what it says to us.
Brilliant stuff and thank you for bringing a window into meaning to us!