Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf October 31, 2020

Director Stephen Weeks is apparently a massive fan of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” a 14th century offering of Arthurian storytelling the helmer initially explored in 1973’s “Gawain and the Green Knight.” Previously taking a more respectful route of interpretation, Weeks tries to crank up the blockbuster possibilities of the material with 1984’s “Sword of the Valiant.” For his second pass on this tale, Weeks goes the Cannon Films way, with producers Yoram Globus and Menahem Golan ordering up a low-budget riff on John Boorman’s “Excalibur” (with a bit of “Conan the Barbarian” thrown in for good measure), hoping to thrill audiences with a fresh helping of heavily suited knights, sword battles, and quests for peace and love. And there’s Sean Connery in here too, showing up to collect a nice paycheck and class up the joint with his take on the trickster fury of the Green Knight.

In a remote castle, The King (Trevor Howard) laments the loss of his brave army of knights who’ve grown too comfortable without a proper challenge to inspire them. Entering the castle one evening is the mysterious Green Knight (Sean Connery), who offers a test of courage to the inhabitants, with lowly squire Gawain (Miles O’Keeffe) accepting the opportunity to cut off the Green Knight’s head. Subjected to the villain’s devious magic, Gawain is soon cast out of the kingdom, tasked with spending a year in the wild to decode a riddle from the Green Knight before reuniting for a final standoff. Soon realizing the enormity of the world and its many threats, Gawain learns more about being a knight, and he finds love with Linet (Cyrielle Clair), a young woman with magical gifts soon claimed by the wicked Oswald (Ronald Lacey), son of Baron Fortinbras (John Rhys- Davies).

Weeks doesn’t have a lot of money to bring the vastness of this fantasy world to life, but he finds some space to explore in “Sword of the Valiant.” Most of the film’s bigness is found with Connery, who’s suited up in emerald armor, wearing an antler crown and covered with glitter as the Green Knight, looking as though he just got off a dance shift at Studio 54. Connery doesn’t hesitate for a moment, doing his best to make the Green Knight memorable with his threatening ways, and while the actor’s screen time is limited, Connery is easily the highlight of the endeavor, bringing regality alongside talented actors such as Peter Cushing, Howard, Rhys-Davies, and Douglas Wilmer.

“Sword of the Valiant” tracks Gawain’s development as a knight, dealing with traps and foes, including The Black Knight and Morgan (Emma Burdon Sutton), a temptress who doesn’t really get a chance to do much tempting, suggesting the picture was heavily cut down from a longer version that made more time for supporting characters. Gawain has his scraps while struggling with the Green Knight’s riddle, but once Linet enters the story, “Sword of the Valiant” becomes more of a swashbuckler, with O’Keeffe jumping around with weapons, endeavoring to protect his fair maiden from evildoers. The movie has its silliness, but it always does better with physical activity and far-off quests, finding dramatic stretches stopping the pace of the feature, with too much asked of the limited leading man. He’s been dubbed for maximum Englishness, but O’Keeffe is here for his physique, not his acting. And it shows throughout the effort.

Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.35:1 aspect ratio) presentation generally supports the low-budget fantasy game "Sword of the Valiant" wants to play without a fresh scan. Clarity is comfortable throughout the viewing experience, delivering softer but satisfactory detail with facial surfaces, highlighting bushy beards and makeup effects. Costuming is obviously a big draw for this feature, and the smoothness of metal armor is preserved, while fibrous qualities are also appreciable on dresses. Castle interiors retain dimensional. Colors emerge with the bold green of Connery's suit of armor, while such protection also brings out bright golds and silvers. Colder castle tours are preserved, while warmer elements such as fire and feminine outfits are equally communicative. Delineation is secure. Source has some wear and tear, with a few frame blemishes, scratches, and speckling. Compression issues are periodic, with brief banding. Blockiness detected as well.

Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix provides a wide listening event, with tremendous emphasis on scoring cues, which provide a sharp synth sound and fullness that carries throughout most of the picture. Dialogue exchanges are largely looped, but clarity is there with accents and emphasis, including Connery's booming voice. Sound effects are defined, with clanging metal and whipping winds.

Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview (11:03, HD) is a chat with Emma Burdon Sutton, with the actress exploring her professional relationship with director Stephen Weeks, brought to the production after previously working him. Moving to French locations to accommodate Sean Connery, Sutton recalls her nerves before their big scene together, learning more about the icon's professionalism and interest in thespian support, helping the actress find her moment with the gift of rehearsal. Sutton also details her experiences around cinematographer Freddie Young, showing kindness to his lonely wife, which brought out the short-tempered man's softer side. With Weeks slightly overwhelmed by the shoot, Sutton was called in to write a few scenes, receiving special credit for her contributions. The interviewee closes with a director assessment and shares her surprise with the cult appreciation of "Sword of the Valiant."

• Interviews (28:24, HD) collect recollections from crew members who worked on "Sword of the Valiant." Composer Ron Geesin shares his mission to generate a fantasy soundscape for the movie, overwhelmed by the amount of music he had to produce. Geesin shows off his home studio and instruments, and details his working relationship with Weeks, offered freedom to complete the score. Editor Barry Peters examines his initial hiring and time working out battle sequences, managing a shooting schedule that could only use Sean Connery for a short amount of time. Continuity errors are highlighted, and Peters offers thoughts on the changing times in the industry. Costume Designer Shauna Harwood talks up her time with the shoot, which required ingenuity to keep up with professional demands. Connery's Green Knight costume is examined, and Miles O'Keeffe's bad wig is teased. Hardwood also provides her impression of the film's stars. And Production Designer Derek Nice submits the realization of a dream by being allowed to build a knight hoist, completing the period vision. Castle tours are fondly remembered, along with locations that needed some help to create atmosphere. Armor craftsmanship is also celebrated.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:41, SD) is included.

Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Sword of the Valiant" teases magical happenings but doesn't go far enough in that direction to really inspire broad adventure. For example, one villain is turned into a talking red frog, and Weeks doesn't do anything interesting with it. Battles are limited to a handful of extras, and kingdom chess is played by great actors trying to make something connect with uninteresting characters. Weeks has the bright idea to create an epic (this being his second attempt with the source material), but he fumbles the execution, especially with a Cannon Films budget. It's amusing to watch the Green Knight in action, and the production's attention to the heaviness and immobility of armor is neat, but those are small pleasures. For those who crave sword and mild sorcery movies, the feature might scratch a few itches, but the subgenre has provided greater thrills from more cohesive productions.