Murray State's Cinema International program kicks off its Spring 2022 season with David Lowery's The Green Knight. Program director Dr. Thérèse St. Paul speaks to Tracy Ross about the upcoming screenings.
From the MSU Cinema International website:
"David Lowery gives a fresh and bold spin on the classic 14th century English tale Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, inspired by 1980s films such as Excalibur. Sir Gawain (Dev Patel), King Arthur's reckless and headstrong nephew, embarks on a quest to confront the eponymous Green Knight, a giant with whom he has a terrible bargain.
Faithful to the medieval heroic tradition, Gawain's journey aims to prove his character and worth in the eyes of his family and kingdom. Mixing fantasy and art, The Green Knight produces an enthralling and meditative tale that both honors and deconstructs its source material."
St. Paul explains that Lowery's rendition of this classic tale "translates really well the intent of the original poem. It's a quest. It is very much what happened in the poem, except the poem developed a lot more the lavish court of King Richard II."
"I see this movie as a Gawain walkabout," St. Paul continues. "It's rendered very much by beautiful, eerie dreamscapes of the movie where you see Gawain wandering. For the most part of this movie, he's in this green nature: lush, eerie. There's a knightly ethos of loyalty and honor that is repeated."
"There are a lot of similarities to Aurherean tales that are found in this movie, over and above the actual other interpretation," St. Paul says.
"I thought [Dev Patel] was wonderful. If you know the story and you also know other Autherean tales of literature, 12th-century French, and others, you can pick these details that Lowery has actually mingled in there. He's added things that are not in the original poem."
"To keep the flavor of this otherworldly world Gawain is evolving in, there is magic. I find that Dev Patel has shown another side of his art knowing he's versatile."
MSU Cinema International presents The Green Knight on Thursday, January 27, in the Barkley Room and Saturday, January 29, in the Curris Center Theater. Both locations are on the third floor of the Curris Center, and both screenings take place at 7:30 pm, with a discussion to follow.
For more information on the Cinema International program, visit its website or contact Dr. Thérese St. Paul at tsaintpaul@murraystate.edu.