Game of Thrones Fan Film: A Tale of Benjen Stark

I didn’t really expect a Game of Thrones fan film to be anything halfway decent, but I was actually pleasantly surprised by “A Tale of Benjen Stark.” As show watchers and book readers alike will know, Ben Stark disappeared incredibly early on in the story, and hasn’t been heard from since. This short film imagines what he’s possibly been up to, running into Wildlings and ice zombies and White Walkers alike. And they’ve done a pretty damn good job of it. Sure, it’s more of an action sequence than character development, but it’s well done.

BOOK SPOILERS

Though Ben Stark hasn’t yet been located even after five books (which seems weird) there are theories that he’s the mysterious “Coldhands” who serves as guide to both Sam and Bran. We never fully see his face, and it’s implied he was a Night’s Watch brother, but I also do remember reading that Coldhands is supposed to be exceptionally old, so maybe it isn’t him. But it would almost be weirder if it wasn’t, because then where is he?

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3 Comments

  1. Regarding Coldhands’ age – the children of the forest say something to the effect that the Others (White Walkers) killed him long ago. Unless he is thousands of years old, it can’t have been that long since the Others only just started to return shortly before Benjen went missing.

  2. While reading the books, I’ve always taken it that Benjen is dead, that he disappeared north of the Wall and died “offscreen”. It goes along with GRRM’s idea that you don’t always know was happens to characters and, like real life, someone on a dangerous mission in a dangerous place may just “disappear”.

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