Sword of the Valiant (1984)
[+]
(Foreign Titles)
Nomination Year: 2009
SYNOPSIS: The movie starts with an unnamed King lamenting that no Knight in his Court has done any deed even remotely worthy of valor. Suddenly, a weird pagan-looking guy on a big horse (The Green Knight, though he never calls himself that) rides into the King's hall. Since he's played by Sean Connery (during hiatus while otherwise filming Never Say Never Again) everyone takes notice. The Green Knight offers a game. Anyone can take a whack at his neck, but in return, he'll take a whack at theirs. None of the King's knights are brave enough to take up this strange challenge. The King is disgusted with the lot of them, and is about to take up the challenge himself when a squire (Gawain) offers to play the game. The Green Knight allows him a whack (literally), and since Gawain is played by Miles O'Keeffe, he has no trouble severing the neck. Unfortunately, The Green Knight is no mere mortal, and offers to let Gawain live one year, at which time he (the Knight) will take his (the Knight's) swing at his (Gawain's) neck. Unless, of course, Gawain can solve The Green Knight's four-line riddle. In recognition of this act, the King knights Gawain, and then the grand feast (interrupted by The Knight) resumes.
Sir Gawain, canonically, is the "Larry the Cable Guy" of the Knights of the Round Table. And even though this movie is really not all that congruent with the 14th-century poem from which the tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight originates, Gawain is still pretty thick. The next morning, he rides out with his new squire, Humphrey (who had been the king's squire), on a grand quest to solve the Knight's riddle. They come across a unicorn, and what does Gawain do? He tries to shoot it so they can eat it. That doesn't work, so they enter a random tent that mysteriously appeared nearby. When they complain about how hungry they are, food appears. What are the odds?
When it's Morgan La Fey's tent, pretty darn good. The next morning, she sends them off to Lyonesse. Gawain kind of accidentally slays the guardian of Lyonesse (The Black Knight), and ends up going to Lyonesse (whose inhabitants are kind of upset that their guardian is dead), falling in love with a woman named Linet, and basically traipsing all over creation. There's a ring which grants its wearer Invisibility (and which is criminally underused). John Rhys-Davies makes an appearance as the murderous glutton Baron Fortinbras. There are wenches galore, and even a few winches. Plus one of the extras looks a lot like Tony Robinson ("Baldrick" from the British series Blackadder).
Gawain saves the day, of course, and keeps his head, even though his beloved must return to Lyonesse (oh! that Lyonesse...), so the movie ends on a bit of a downer. But after more than 100 minutes, darn near any ending is a good one (see Knight Riders for a film where this is not the case).
Sir Gawain, canonically, is the "Larry the Cable Guy" of the Knights of the Round Table. And even though this movie is really not all that congruent with the 14th-century poem from which the tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight originates, Gawain is still pretty thick. The next morning, he rides out with his new squire, Humphrey (who had been the king's squire), on a grand quest to solve the Knight's riddle. They come across a unicorn, and what does Gawain do? He tries to shoot it so they can eat it. That doesn't work, so they enter a random tent that mysteriously appeared nearby. When they complain about how hungry they are, food appears. What are the odds?
When it's Morgan La Fey's tent, pretty darn good. The next morning, she sends them off to Lyonesse. Gawain kind of accidentally slays the guardian of Lyonesse (The Black Knight), and ends up going to Lyonesse (whose inhabitants are kind of upset that their guardian is dead), falling in love with a woman named Linet, and basically traipsing all over creation. There's a ring which grants its wearer Invisibility (and which is criminally underused). John Rhys-Davies makes an appearance as the murderous glutton Baron Fortinbras. There are wenches galore, and even a few winches. Plus one of the extras looks a lot like Tony Robinson ("Baldrick" from the British series Blackadder).
Gawain saves the day, of course, and keeps his head, even though his beloved must return to Lyonesse (oh! that Lyonesse...), so the movie ends on a bit of a downer. But after more than 100 minutes, darn near any ending is a good one (see Knight Riders for a film where this is not the case).
Kevin Hogan
Stephen Weeks
Miles O'Keeffe
Lila Kedrova
Peter Cushing
John Rhys-Davies
