The Green Knight
Essel (Alicia Vikander) wears bells on her shroud because during the Middle Ages, it was common for people who were considered unclean, such as prostitutes, to be forced to wear bells on their clothing to warn others of their presence. She has her hair cropped for the same reason; in medieval London and many other places, prostitutes had their hair cut short as a public humiliation and punishment.,The woods that Sir Gawain goes through are clearly modern plantations of Sitka spruce (a tree that did not reach Britain until the 19th century), all planted at equal distances apart and all grown to the same size; they look nothing like the old-growth deciduous forests that would have been in medieval Britain.,[last lines]
Green Knight: Well done, my brave knight. Now... off with your head.,There is a short scene at the very end of the credits.,Featured in The Oscars (2021),Before I viewed this movie I was aware of the polarized reviews and ratings, some think it is great while others consider it a complete miss. So I was curious.

It is a lesser-known story on the fringes of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Sir Gawain (they pronounce it 'GAW-in') is the King's nephew, it is Christmas, and a mysterious Green Knight shows up, inviting a challenge. None of the Knights step up but Gawain does.

Then a year later, on Christmas, he must travel 'six days north' to meet up with the Green Knight again, to settle the score.

My wife and I viewed it at home on BluRay from our public library. At just over two hours it was a fantastical, mystical movie. It has very accomplished actors who play their roles well. The locations (shot in Ireland) and cinematography are excellent all the way through. The sound track is really great. That's all the good stuff.

The not-so-good is that the story is very obscure much of the time. Things happened (like, what was up with the blindfolded woman who never spoke?) that cannot easily be interpreted as part of the story. So what we end up with is a pretty good viewing experience that leaves you figuratively scratching your head and wondering, "What was that all about?"

I am glad I watched it, I doubt that I will ever want to watch it again. The "making of" extra on the disc contains lots of discussion for those wanting to dig deeper into it. I viewed some of it. The cast and filmmakers clearly had a good time making it.,Beau Is Afraid, The Green Knight, and more striking images from A24 studio's films.,