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Sir Gawain and the Sparkly Knight
Jan. 19th, 2011 11:10 pmDo you know what Netflix has streaming? A little 80s gem that is called Sword of the Valiant, a very loose (very) adaptation of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." It features Gawain with a funny wig and many corny quips, a lady in an amazingly shiny dress, a gleefully evil Morgan, and, well, this:
Alternatively, you can watch the youtube vid that DW doesn't want to embed.
Is that glitter or really shiny paint? I am not sure. Connery sure was having a blast, though. (Also, it was the 80s and "doing the best you can" in the 80s looks bad to us now, but really, what's with the shirt having a giant hole in the chest?)
It has the basic framework of the poem, but the main plot is a much more modern idea of heroism, and to say it "took liberties" would be something of an understatement. The romantic plotline was pretty much made up for the movie. Linnet incorporates some of the functions of Bertilak's wife, but is more of a Princess In The Tower/Tragic Lady character (playing with some tropes I like, though, and reminding me that wee!Megan associated "damsel in distress" with "lady in pretty dress who needs to get rescued, but saves the dude a bunch, too") and incorporates some of the Lost Lyonesse fables. I...actually think she's based on a legend I'm not quite pinging on due to my laughing at her and Gawain's epic and eternal love of ten minutes.
The movie itself...ah, entertained me. Quite a bit. But in that way you kind of adore something that you know you would have thought was the most epic and awesome thing ever when you were 10, or the super campy 90s adventure shows when they're at their absolute campiest.
ETA: And since I had to edit this to add pictures anyway, have more pics!
( 10 pictures )
Alternatively, you can watch the youtube vid that DW doesn't want to embed.
Is that glitter or really shiny paint? I am not sure. Connery sure was having a blast, though. (Also, it was the 80s and "doing the best you can" in the 80s looks bad to us now, but really, what's with the shirt having a giant hole in the chest?)
It has the basic framework of the poem, but the main plot is a much more modern idea of heroism, and to say it "took liberties" would be something of an understatement. The romantic plotline was pretty much made up for the movie. Linnet incorporates some of the functions of Bertilak's wife, but is more of a Princess In The Tower/Tragic Lady character (playing with some tropes I like, though, and reminding me that wee!Megan associated "damsel in distress" with "lady in pretty dress who needs to get rescued, but saves the dude a bunch, too") and incorporates some of the Lost Lyonesse fables. I...actually think she's based on a legend I'm not quite pinging on due to my laughing at her and Gawain's epic and eternal love of ten minutes.
The movie itself...ah, entertained me. Quite a bit. But in that way you kind of adore something that you know you would have thought was the most epic and awesome thing ever when you were 10, or the super campy 90s adventure shows when they're at their absolute campiest.
ETA: And since I had to edit this to add pictures anyway, have more pics!
( 10 pictures )
