Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Encyclopedia
Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a 1984 film starring Miles O'Keeffe
, Cyrielle Claire, Leigh Lawson
, and Sean Connery
. The film is based on the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
, written in the late 14th century, but the narrative differs substantially.
Gawain is then knighted by King Arthur and is given King Arthur's blessing and ceremonial armour to accomplish a seemingly chivalrous task. He heads out with a loyal servant in search of the answer to the Green Knight's riddle. When asked which way they should be heading, his servant suggests due west, as that is the direction the wind is blowing.
Sir Gawain then meets another knight, in black armor, claiming to defend a lost and hidden city. After a short duel (in which Sir Gawain's thin armor is revealed by the servant to him) the knight in black armor concedes to the challenger and shows the whereabouts of a secret city. However, upon arriving there, the knight in black armor, close to death, lies about his wounds and calls the victorious Sir Gawain a murderer, setting the city and her guards upon him. He manages to escape the guards, thanks to the aid of a beautiful lady in the castle, who gives him a ring with which to escape.
Upon escaping he is told by the Green Knight that the game he has accepted as a challenge has rules, rules of which have been broken.
Later, Gawain returns to the secret city, only to find it deserted, with the denizens old and covered in cob webs, frozen in time. However he is able to revive and bring back the youth of the lady that helped him escape by giving her the magic ring he used to escape the city (that previously broke the rules). Unfortunately, in his hours of peace and love, the lady is kidnapped by a lustful prince.
Gawain is convinced that saving her is his only option and rediscovers his friend and servant along with a band of men willing to assist. Whilst the rescue mission is under way, a rival Baron of the captors arrives and threatens war if certain demands are not met. The rival Baron has accepted the beautiful lady as a tribute to avert war. The rescue mission fails, with Sir Gawain under the false impression that the beautiful lady has been killed in a fire thanks to the acts of the lustful prince.
Later Gawain asks his comrades to disband, including the men that followed him to raid the castle in an attempt to save the lady. He then discovers to his joy that the lady has in fact been saved by the rival Baron who accepted her as tribute and even gave her her freedom at no cost. Eternally grateful, Sir Gawain once more gathers his men and his servant and encounters the forces of the prince who kidnapped the lady. Despite being outnumbered and lacking archers, Sir Gawain and his men triumph over the forces of the lustful prince. Whilst in single combat, Sir Gawain has the upper hand when the prince calls for assistance from an archer nearby. The archer is about to fire into Gawain's back when the seneschal of the Prince's father orders the archer to stop, preferring to see his son die in honorable combat then let him cheat. The Seneschal then orders his men to withdraw, leaving Gawain to take the field.
Following his finale with the lustful prince, Gawain is approached by the Green Knight. Gawain has failed to solve the final line of the riddle within the time limit, and must therefore allow the Green Knight one swing at his neck with an axe.
Gawain rides out to meet the Knight. He has around his neck a piece of magical cloth from the lady, showing her favor. The Green knight takes aim with his axe at Gawain's neck and strikes a blow. To his dismay, Gawain survives thanks to the cloth given to him by the lady. Gawain then tells the Green Knight that the game is over since he has struck his single blow. The Green Knight and Sir Gawain then do battle, with Sir Gawain triumphing. As the Green Knight suffers a mortal wound, he asks Sir Gawain to stop battle, realizing that he has already lost.
Sir Gawain returns to the beautiful lady. Near the sea, he talks with her and she tells him: "I too live a borrowed year. It began with your act of valor before the Green Knight and now is at an end." As he touches her on the cheek, she flies away as a dove, returning to Lyonesse
.
and Ireland
, as well as the Château de Pierrefonds
and the Palais des Papes
in France
. Period wardrobe was culled from the collections of stock rooms of the Royal National Theatre
and the Bristol Old Vic
as well as Berman's and Nathan's, the French Aristide Boyer and the Spanish Cornejo
.
Director Stephen Weeks hoped to cast Mark Hamill
as Gawain, but producers Menahem Golan
and Yoram Globus
insisted on Miles O'Keeffe
for the role. The film also stars Emma Sutton who would later appear in another film about the Arthurian legends, Merlin of the Crystal Cave.
Steptoe and Son actor Wilfrid Brambell
made a guest appearance. This was his last ever performance.
The current USA DVD release has received negative reviews as it is mastered in a 4:3 pan and scan picture. However, the Polish release has the film in the original 2.35:1 Cinemascope ratio which has proved more popular. This film is currently unreleased in the United Kingdom.
Miles O'Keeffe
Miles O'Keeffe is a television and movie actor. O'Keeffe got his first big break playing the title role in the 1981 version of Tarzan, the Ape Man.-Early life:...
, Cyrielle Claire, Leigh Lawson
Leigh Lawson
Leigh Lawson is a film and stage actor, director, and writer.-Career:Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Lawson has acted in film and television since the early 1970s, directed plays in the West End and on Broadway...
, and Sean Connery
Sean Connery
Sir Thomas Sean Connery , better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930), better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy...
. The film is based on the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a late 14th-century Middle English alliterative romance outlining an adventure of Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur's Round Table. In the poem, Sir Gawain accepts a challenge from a mysterious warrior who is completely green, from his clothes and hair to his...
, written in the late 14th century, but the narrative differs substantially.
Plot
The film begins with a feast in a great hall during winter. A knight on horseback storms through the door and the crowd falls silent as the knight, all in green and carrying a large axe, walks up to the throne. He asks if any man has enough courage to challenge him to a game and finally a young squire named Gawain accepts. The knight tells Gawain that he has one chance to behead him, but then the knight gets to return the favor. Gawain beheads the knight but then the knight's torso walks up and grabs the head and puts it back on his body. The crowd is stunned and the knight tells Gawain to kneel so he can make his blow. The king stops the knight, saying Gawain is only a boy. The knight agrees and says he will return in one year, unless Gawain solves one riddle, which consists of four lines:- Where life is emptyness, gladness.
- Where life is darkness, fire.
- Where life is golden, sorrow.
- Where life is lost, wisdom.
Gawain is then knighted by King Arthur and is given King Arthur's blessing and ceremonial armour to accomplish a seemingly chivalrous task. He heads out with a loyal servant in search of the answer to the Green Knight's riddle. When asked which way they should be heading, his servant suggests due west, as that is the direction the wind is blowing.
Sir Gawain then meets another knight, in black armor, claiming to defend a lost and hidden city. After a short duel (in which Sir Gawain's thin armor is revealed by the servant to him) the knight in black armor concedes to the challenger and shows the whereabouts of a secret city. However, upon arriving there, the knight in black armor, close to death, lies about his wounds and calls the victorious Sir Gawain a murderer, setting the city and her guards upon him. He manages to escape the guards, thanks to the aid of a beautiful lady in the castle, who gives him a ring with which to escape.
Upon escaping he is told by the Green Knight that the game he has accepted as a challenge has rules, rules of which have been broken.
Later, Gawain returns to the secret city, only to find it deserted, with the denizens old and covered in cob webs, frozen in time. However he is able to revive and bring back the youth of the lady that helped him escape by giving her the magic ring he used to escape the city (that previously broke the rules). Unfortunately, in his hours of peace and love, the lady is kidnapped by a lustful prince.
Gawain is convinced that saving her is his only option and rediscovers his friend and servant along with a band of men willing to assist. Whilst the rescue mission is under way, a rival Baron of the captors arrives and threatens war if certain demands are not met. The rival Baron has accepted the beautiful lady as a tribute to avert war. The rescue mission fails, with Sir Gawain under the false impression that the beautiful lady has been killed in a fire thanks to the acts of the lustful prince.
Later Gawain asks his comrades to disband, including the men that followed him to raid the castle in an attempt to save the lady. He then discovers to his joy that the lady has in fact been saved by the rival Baron who accepted her as tribute and even gave her her freedom at no cost. Eternally grateful, Sir Gawain once more gathers his men and his servant and encounters the forces of the prince who kidnapped the lady. Despite being outnumbered and lacking archers, Sir Gawain and his men triumph over the forces of the lustful prince. Whilst in single combat, Sir Gawain has the upper hand when the prince calls for assistance from an archer nearby. The archer is about to fire into Gawain's back when the seneschal of the Prince's father orders the archer to stop, preferring to see his son die in honorable combat then let him cheat. The Seneschal then orders his men to withdraw, leaving Gawain to take the field.
Following his finale with the lustful prince, Gawain is approached by the Green Knight. Gawain has failed to solve the final line of the riddle within the time limit, and must therefore allow the Green Knight one swing at his neck with an axe.
Gawain rides out to meet the Knight. He has around his neck a piece of magical cloth from the lady, showing her favor. The Green knight takes aim with his axe at Gawain's neck and strikes a blow. To his dismay, Gawain survives thanks to the cloth given to him by the lady. Gawain then tells the Green Knight that the game is over since he has struck his single blow. The Green Knight and Sir Gawain then do battle, with Sir Gawain triumphing. As the Green Knight suffers a mortal wound, he asks Sir Gawain to stop battle, realizing that he has already lost.
Sir Gawain returns to the beautiful lady. Near the sea, he talks with her and she tells him: "I too live a borrowed year. It began with your act of valor before the Green Knight and now is at an end." As he touches her on the cheek, she flies away as a dove, returning to Lyonesse
Lyonesse
Lyonesse is a country in Arthurian legend, particularly in the story of Tristan and Iseult. Said to border Cornwall, it is most notable as the home of the hero Tristan, whose father was king...
.
Production
The film was copyrighted in 1983 and released the following year. Filming took place in WalesWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, as well as the Château de Pierrefonds
Château de Pierrefonds
The Château de Pierrefonds is a castle situated in the commune of Pierrefonds in the Oise département of France. It is on the southeast edge of the Forest of Compiègne, north of Paris, between Villers-Cotterêts and Compiègne....
and the Palais des Papes
Palais des Papes
The Palais des Papes is a historical palace in Avignon, southern France, one of the largest and most important medieval Gothic buildings in Europe....
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Period wardrobe was culled from the collections of stock rooms of the Royal National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
and the Bristol Old Vic
Bristol Old Vic
The Bristol Old Vic is a theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, King Street, in Bristol, England. The theatre complex includes the 1766 Theatre Royal, which claims to be the oldest continually-operating theatre in England, along with a 1970s studio theatre , offices and backstage facilities...
as well as Berman's and Nathan's, the French Aristide Boyer and the Spanish Cornejo
Sastreria Cornejo S.A.
Sastreria Cornejo S.A. is a company that specialises in costumes for film, television and theater. It is a Spanish company headquartered in Madrid...
.
Director Stephen Weeks hoped to cast Mark Hamill
Mark Hamill
Mark Richard Hamill is an American actor, voice artist, producer, director, and writer, best known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy of Star Wars. More recently, he has received acclaim for his voice work, in such roles as the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series, Firelord...
as Gawain, but producers Menahem Golan
Menahem Golan
Menahem Golan is an Israeli director and producer. He has produced movies for such stars as Sean Connery, Sylvester Stallone, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Charles Bronson, and was known for a period as a producer of comic book-style movies like Masters of the Universe, Superman IV:...
and Yoram Globus
Yoram Globus
Yoram Globus Yoram Globus Yoram Globus (born 21 October 1941 in Tiberias, Israel, is an Israeli director and producer who is most famous for his association with Cannon Films Inc., a company he ran with his cousin Menahem Golan....
insisted on Miles O'Keeffe
Miles O'Keeffe
Miles O'Keeffe is a television and movie actor. O'Keeffe got his first big break playing the title role in the 1981 version of Tarzan, the Ape Man.-Early life:...
for the role. The film also stars Emma Sutton who would later appear in another film about the Arthurian legends, Merlin of the Crystal Cave.
Steptoe and Son actor Wilfrid Brambell
Wilfrid Brambell
Henry Wilfrid Brambell was an Irish film and television actor best known for his role in the British television series Steptoe and Son. He also performed alongside The Beatles in their film A Hard Day's Night, playing Paul McCartney's fictional grandfather.- Early life :Brambell was born in Dublin...
made a guest appearance. This was his last ever performance.
The current USA DVD release has received negative reviews as it is mastered in a 4:3 pan and scan picture. However, the Polish release has the film in the original 2.35:1 Cinemascope ratio which has proved more popular. This film is currently unreleased in the United Kingdom.
Cast
- Miles O'KeeffeMiles O'KeeffeMiles O'Keeffe is a television and movie actor. O'Keeffe got his first big break playing the title role in the 1981 version of Tarzan, the Ape Man.-Early life:...
as Sir Gawain - Cyrielle ClairCyrielle ClairCyrielle Clair is a French actress. She has appeared in 55 films and television shows since 1978. She starred in the 1983 film La Belle captive, which was entered into the 33rd Berlin International Film Festival....
as Linet - Leigh LawsonLeigh LawsonLeigh Lawson is a film and stage actor, director, and writer.-Career:Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Lawson has acted in film and television since the early 1970s, directed plays in the West End and on Broadway...
as Humphrey - Sean ConnerySean ConnerySir Thomas Sean Connery , better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930), better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy...
as The Green Knight - Trevor HowardTrevor HowardTrevor Howard , born Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith, was an English film, stage and television actor.-Early life:...
as The King - Peter CushingPeter CushingPeter Wilton Cushing, OBE was an English actor, known for his many appearances in Hammer Films, in which he played the handsome but sinister scientist Baron Frankenstein and the vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing, amongst many other roles, often appearing opposite Christopher Lee, and occasionally...
as Seneschal - Gaspar - Ronald LaceyRonald LaceyRonald Lacey was an English actor. He made numerous television and film appearances over a 30 year period and is perhaps best remembered for his villainous roles in Hollywood films, most famously Major Arnold Toht in Raiders of the Lost Ark.-Career:Lacey attended Harrow Weald Grammar School and...
as Oswald - Lila KedrovaLila KedrovaLila Kedrova was a Russian-born French actress.-Biography:Kedrova claimed to have been born in 1918, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Her parents were Russian opera singers. Lila Kedrova's brother was Nikolay Kedrov, Jr...
as Lady of Lyonesse - John Rhys-DaviesJohn Rhys-DaviesJohn Rhys-Davies is a Welsh actor and voice actor. He is perhaps best known for playing the charismatic Arab excavator Sallah in the Indiana Jones films and the dwarf Gimli in The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
as Baron Fortinbras - Wilfrid BrambellWilfrid BrambellHenry Wilfrid Brambell was an Irish film and television actor best known for his role in the British television series Steptoe and Son. He also performed alongside The Beatles in their film A Hard Day's Night, playing Paul McCartney's fictional grandfather.- Early life :Brambell was born in Dublin...
as Porter - Bruce Lidington as Sir Bertilak
- Douglas WilmerDouglas Wilmer-Early life:Wilmer was born in London and educated at King's School, Canterbury and Stonyhurst College. He trained at RADA but was called up to the Army in World War II. Posted to an antitank battery in the Royal West African Frontier Force, he was invalided out after he acquired tuberculosis. He...
as The Black Knight - Brian Coburn as Friar Vosper
- David RappaportDavid RappaportDavid Stephen Rappaport was an English actor, probably one of the best known dwarf actors in television and film...
as Sage - Emma Sutton as Morgan La Fay