In fact, combined with the background story, watching the movie plot is simple and easy to understand. But the charm of this film lies precisely in the fragmented narrative, which makes people full of doubts, has many problems, and can't help but speculate. And once the whole main line is put on, the gripping magic is gone. If you like the film very much and don't want to lose the aftertaste, I don't recommend watching the next content.
story background
The previous answers are not entirely accurate retellings of the original story. Here is a rough description of the plot description of the original story in English Wikipedia.
In the court of King Arthur on New Year's Eve, before the banquet began, King Arthur asked the guests to tell some adventure stories. At this time, a huge figure dressed in green and riding a green horse broke in. He was not wearing armor, but he had an axe in one hand and a holly branch in the other. He refuses to fight anyone because they are too weak to deal with him. He insisted that he was here for a friendly Christmas game: one had to cut him once with his axe, and the green knight would fight back in a year and a day, and the ornate axe would be gifted to those who took part in the game. . When no other knight dared to challenge and King Arthur himself was ready to take on the challenge, his nephew, Sir Gawain, the youngest of the Knights of the Round Table, asked for the honor. The green knight bent down and slaughtered, and Gao Wenli beheaded him with a single blow. As a result, the green knight didn't shake at all, just stretched out his hand to pick up his severed head and mounted his horse again, holding the bloody severed head to Queen Guinevere, and at the same time reminding Gawain that the two of them must be in the green church again. Meet. Then he rode away. Gawain and King Arthur liked the axe, hung it as a trophy, and reassured Queen Guinevere not to take it too seriously.
As the appointment date approached, Gawain kept his appointment and set off to find the Green Church. After many adventures along the way (not detailed), Gawain arrives at a magnificent castle, where he meets the lord of the castle and his beautiful lady, who are delighted to have such a famous guest. Also present was an old and ugly lady who was respected by all. Gawain talked about his agreement with the green knight, and he only had a few days left. The lord smiled, said that the Green Church was just two miles away, and suggested that Gawain take a break in the castle. Gawain agreed.
The lord made a deal: he went hunting every day, and he would give Gawain whatever he hunted, on the condition that Gawain gave him everything he got during the day. Gawain accepted. After the lord left, his wife visited Gawain's bedroom, she tried her best to lure Gawain but failed. In order not to anger the lord's wife, Gawain gave her a kiss. When the lord came back and gave Gawain the deer he killed, Gawain kissed him, but did not reveal the source of the kiss. The lord's wife came again the next day, and Gawain stopped her courtship again in the same way. That night, the lord exchanged the hunted wild boar for two kisses from Gawain. The lord's wife came again on the third morning, and her courtship was again rejected. She wanted to give Gawain a gold ring as a souvenir. Gawain refused gently but firmly, but she begged him to at least take away her belt, a green and gold silk belt. The lord's lady assured him that the belt had magic attached to protect him from any bodily harm. Thinking that he might die on an appointment, Gawain accepted the belt. Gawain and the lord's wife kissed three times. The woman made Gawain swear that he would keep the belt a secret from her husband. That night, the lord returned with a fox, and he and Gawain exchanged three kisses—but Gawain said nothing about the belt.
The next day, Gawain tied the belt around his waist. Outside the so-called Green Chapel, he found the Green Knight sharpening his axe. According to the agreement, Gawain was ready to kill him. When the green knight swung the axe for the first time, Gawain flinched, and the green knight taunted him. Because he was ashamed of himself, Gawain did not flinch when the green knight swung his axe for the second time. But the green knight did not strike to the end. The knight explained that he was testing Gawain's mettle. The angry Gawain asked him to do his best, and the knight did so, but only inflicted a minor wound on Gawain's neck. Game over. The green knight smiled and said that he was actually the lord of the castle (no wonder he was the green knight based on what his wife did...), and was turned into this by magic. He explained that the entire adventure was a ruse by the "old lady" Gawain had seen in the castle, King Arthur's stepsister or witch Morgan Le Fay, who planned to test the courage of Arthur's knight and scare Gurney. Queen Vale. Gawain was scratched by the third slash because he tried to conceal the receipt of the belt. Gawain was ashamed of his deceit, but the green knight laughed and called him the most blameless knight in the land. Gawain went back with a belt, as a symbol of his failure to keep his promise. The Knights of the Round Table did not accuse him, and decided that everyone from now on would wear a green belt in recognition of Gawain's adventures and as a reminder to always be honest.
film adaptation
By comparing it with the original story, it can be seen that the movie has restored the original to a large extent. The main difference is that Gawain's adventure before arriving at the castle is specifically described in the movie. And it can basically follow the whole movie plot:
Gawain was born in a noble family, but he eats, drinks, and plays all day. His mother hates iron and steel for her son who is not good, so he played tricks on Christmas Eve and wanted to hone and hone Gawain. The high-level diploma's brave hand chopped the green knight cheaply, and it was still hard to change his nature when he became famous, and he didn't even think about going to the appointment. So his mother brought his uncle King Arthur to beat him again, forcing him to fulfill the contract. There was no way for Gao Wen to pack his luggage and go on the road. He went through nine to eighty-one hardships (fog) along the way and arrived at a castle. Wang Wen was reluctant to think about Shu in Wenwen Township. He went on to make appointments. In the end, Gawain saw that the green knight had experienced Huang Liang's dream and finally summoned up the courage to be slaughtered and completed the trial.
personal impression
When I was watching this film, I didn't read the original story, and the director didn't want to explain the background of the story and the relationship between the characters. The dialogue and scenes in the film are vague and full of metaphors. There are apparent contradictions in the plot. These are combined with the film's tone, soundtrack, various details, and religious background, forming a unique atmosphere with a sense of cult. People who like it eat this set very much, and people who don't like it are black question marks.
some details
The Green Knight and its associated witchcraft are characteristic of the Celtic religion of pre-Christian Britain. At the beginning, the knight in green holds holly in his hand. As the name suggests, holly is still green in winter and has red fruits. According to the interpretation of the parasite in "Golden Bough", I think holly here also symbolizes exuberant vitality and fertility. In addition, from the scene where the green knight's big axe falls on the ground and grows a lot of moss, it can be seen that the green knight symbolizes vitality, rebirth, and revival. In contrast, the Christian king Arthur and his knights. Although the old grandfather with the ghost on his face did not mention his name, it was obviously the wizard Merlin.
The scene painted in the film is imaged in a small hole in a dark room. It is said that the painter Vermeer (author of "Girl with a Pearl Earring") often used this technique to capture light and color, which is why his paintings are so realistic and lifelike. In the film, the lord's wife happened to be wearing pearl earrings at this time. Maybe the director is paying tribute to this stalk.
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