Gawain and the Green Knight (review)
1998; Scriptoriun Press; Volume: 8; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/art.1998.0049
ISSN1934-1539
Autores Tópico(s)Medieval Literature and History
Resumo124ARTHURIANA name is misspelled on-screen, and he is not acknowledged in the final credits. The producers seem to have got the Kennedy/Camelot connection backwards. The assertion that 'clearly Merlin is something more than just an evil sorcerer,' and the depiction of Arthur as a 'cattle boy' who made good might give one pause as well. And this is the first I've heard that Malory was imprisoned in the Tower of London (have they confused Sir Thomas with Sir Walter, perchance?). I also find the underlying ideology unpalatable. Latent in the conservative, veritably Gibbonesque historiography of the production's earlier moments, particularly in its treatment of the 'Dark Ages' and its touting of the Romans as heralds of Western Civilization (as opposed to the barbaric Celts, whose 'primitive' religion 'included human sacrifice), the ideological subtext emerges unvarnished in a disastrous finale, where narration and imagery collaborate to sabotage the relatively objective stance that has been heretofore espoused, and by the very nature ofits positioning transforms documentary into propaganda. Excalibur becomes an icon of patriotism and imperialistic fervor through the bizarre visual collocation of Lincoln's statue with film clips oftanks on the move (the GulfWar, perhaps?), while an attempt to render the Grail intelligible to modern viewers through a questionably protracted succession of Eucharistie and other identifiably Roman Catholic or High Church images effectively excludes what I would hope to be the majority ofthe target audience. Cap this off with two church choirs, one singing 'God Save the Queen,' the other 'My Country 'Tis ofThee' (with only one non-Caucasian face in the entire sequence) and you've got a message many ofus would be reluctant to purvey to our students—only white anglophones need apply. As for classroom use, I'd label this package 'handle with care.' Preceded by a series ofcaveats (particularly concerning the anachronistic nature ofthe armor, the musical underlay, and most of the paintings), and followed by a discussion of the ideologies encoded therein, it might well prove productive. It's sufficiently attractive in terms of narration, imagery, and pacing to keep most students from falling asleep, and sufficiently informative to provide, with adequate guidance, a reasonable entree into Arthurian studies. ELIZABETH SKLAR Wayne State University Gawain and the Green Knight. Films for the Humanities & Sciences, P.O. Box 2053, Princeton, NJ 0—8543-2053 (1-800—257-5126), 90 minutes, $159. Within the past twenty-five years, three cinematic adaptations ofSir Gawain andthe Green Knight, the premier fourteenth-century English romance, have appeared. While the initial film versions directed by Stephen Weeks—Gawain and the Green Knight (1973) and Swordofthe Valiant (1983)—are marred by shifting storylines and fanciful dialogue, the latest movie treatment (1992), an educational product ofBritain's Thames Television, offers a relatively mature narrative vision. Such an intelligent evocation of the original's narrative patterns reflects the efforts of both the film's screenwriter (David Rudkin) and director-producer (John Michael Phillips). REVIEWS125 The opening scenes in the videotape, however, suddenly introduce cinematic flourishes and plot jumps that may bewilder an audience familiar with the Middle English poem. As Gawain kneels before an enthroned Arthur, the young blond hero (Jason Durr) voices an individualized attachment to the pledged word: ' Lord [Arthur] of my life, I must be good to the word I gave and go now.' Although the Green Knight (Malcolm Storry) has not yet appeared at Camelot's Yuletide festivities and although Arthur (Marc Warren) laments Gawain's imminent departure, the stalwart Round Table knight must begin his adventure. The quest, however, remains veiled, for Gawain's urgent meeting with an unnamed man is not sparked by a distinct motive (? must meet with this man. IfI win, all's well. IfI lose my life, it's little loss'). Once Gawain leaves Arthur's court and journeys northward, Rudkin's screenplay employs flashbacks, essentially voice-overs by Gawain, in order to reveal the knight's memories of and reactions to the Green Knight's challenge to the Camelot brotherhood. Such flashbacks, intercut with Gawain's arduous trek to the Green Chapel, cleverly highlight the importance ofGawain's task—the preservation ofboth Arthur's and his own honor and integrity. Central...
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