In northern mists: Beowulf and Grendel
M. and I finally got to see the new Beowulf and Grendel movie. (Earlier entry here.)
All right, it's not the 8th-century poem we all know and love. There are new characters (the Irish priest, the witch, Grendel's son) and new plot points.
But it is still a simply told tale, visually gorgeous, and tinged with the tragic overtone of the Northern tales--no victory is forever.
Tag: Beowulf
All right, it's not the 8th-century poem we all know and love. There are new characters (the Irish priest, the witch, Grendel's son) and new plot points.
But it is still a simply told tale, visually gorgeous, and tinged with the tragic overtone of the Northern tales--no victory is forever.
Tag: Beowulf
posted by Chas S. Clifton at 8:52 PM Permalink
4 Comments:
Enjoyed it m'self, and the heathen elements were well-placed. Still, Sarah Polley seemed wretchedly out of place as Selma, don't you think?
Why do I think that everybody in it is young, probably barely out of their teens, muscular, lithe, handsome, and beautiful, and that stripped down to it's bear essence Grendel and his mother just form the backdrop to a romance between Beowulf and whoever the major female character is?
Does Beowulf pout when the leading lady chides him for masking his pain with a false aura of bravado?
Why do I think that everybody in it is young, probably barely out of their teens, muscular, lithe, handsome, and beautiful...
No, I would not put it in those terms. See the film!
I'm a purist when it comes to things like that. I don't mind a little tinkering, but it's been my experience that most of these reworkings are little more than costume teen angst films with a classical setting. Which I do understand, to a point. Studios have to make a profit on their product, so they do what they have to to reach a target demagraphic group, which is generally young, and this usually ends up being reflected in the film.
Still, I would ever now and then like to see a film that was true to the spirit of the original. Maybe this one is, but if so, it would be a rarity.
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