The Green Knight: Free screening for students, faculty and staff
The Medieval and Renaissance Studies program is excited to bring David Lowery's 2021 feature film, The Green Knight to campus. The UNL community is invited to attend the screening on October 25, 6-8:30 pm. There will be an option talkback following the film with Prof. Kelly Stage of MRST and English.
Lowery's film is based on the anonymous 14th century poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, but definitely has its own take on the legend. The talk back will consider the filmic elements of the adaptation as well as its medievalism. The film stars Dev Patel, with Alicia Vikander, Sean Harris, Joel Edgerton, and Sarita Choudhury.
Several critics have commended the film; we invite you to talk about your own thoughts after watching in the discussion period as we think through the critical moves the film makes and its overall aesthetics, adaptation approach, and composition.
Time Out's David Hughes writes of the film: "A tale told mainly via startling visuals requires an actor with a singularly expressive face, and Patel rises to the challenge. He strips away knightly courage to reveal the fear lurking behind every so-called ‘hero’. Lowery wittily interprets the original text, adding a sexual dimension and a better ending, and only once strays close to Python terrain (when the ever-brilliant Barry Keoghan pops up as a lolloping scavenger). It’s close to a cinematic holy grail."
Mark Kermode of The Observer: "What a strange and peculiarly powerful film this is...Lowery’s sumptuously elusive film ... makes several innovative leaps, emphasising duality and ambiguity."
Ann Lee of RadioTimes.com: "Digging into themes of masculinity, honour and morality, Lowery shoots with the same visual poetry that he brought to _Ain't Them Bodies Saints_ and _A Ghost Story_, infusing Arthurian legend with supernatural horror. As intriguing as it is challenging, The Green Knight excels as a hallucinatory cinematic puzzle that will scramble your brain in the best possible way."
