In Denmark, during the 6th century, Danish king Hrothgar and his warriors kill a troll whose son, Grendel, vows revenge.In Denmark, during the 6th century, Danish king Hrothgar and his warriors kill a troll whose son, Grendel, vows revenge.In Denmark, during the 6th century, Danish king Hrothgar and his warriors kill a troll whose son, Grendel, vows revenge.
- Awards
- 1 win & 6 nominations
- Grendel
- (as Ingvar E. Sigurdsson)
- Wealtheow
- (as Steinunn Ólína Thorsteinsdóttir)
- Erik
- (as Gísli Örn Gardarsson)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn 1731, the original manuscript that the movie is based on was severely damaged by fire, along with several other medieval writings, in London UK.
- GoofsAt 1:30:25, when Beowulf enters the cave on the beach you can see an orange extension cord in the bottom right corner of the screen.
- Quotes
Beowulf: Has this thing, this troll, killed any children?
King Hrothgar: No.
Beowulf: Women?
[Hrothgar shakes his head]
Beowulf: Old men?
King Hrothgar: What are you saying? That he fights with a clean heart? He kills the strongest first. He shows us he can kill the strongest. Who cares if he spares the children? They'll die anyway without fathers.
Beowulf: My wits still war with how this all began.
King Hrothgar: Hate for the mead hall. I can only guess. The night we finished it the foul creep came.
Beowulf: So, nothing was done to the troll itself?
King Hrothgar: Oh, Beowulf, it's a fucking troll! Maybe someone looked at it the wrong way.
Beowulf: Some Dane?
King Hrothgar: ...I never begged anyone to come here. Take on our fight. I don't hold you here.
Beowulf: I know you don't.
King Hrothgar: Then don't sour my heart with talk about why a troll does what a fucking troll does!
- ConnectionsFeatured in Wrath of Gods (2006)
If this had been the result of real artistic vision, it might have worked, but it wasn't; it was done by the book, in a Sensitivity 101 fashion, and inconsistently, so that the result wasn't either mythic or modern. Or not the way the film-makers hoped, anyway. Instead of being a synthesis, it was an uneasy mix.
Oh, it was moderately entertaining to a modern man and woman, the scenery was magnificent and the cinematography splendid - almost a given, these days. The acting, with one important exception, was very good. I'm glad I saw that and not... what was the other one? Snow dogs in Peril? Oh, 'Eight Below'. 'Beowulf and Grendel' was actually about something, and not just 'based on actual events' - the usual witless excuse for a dull and meandering story.
What was Beowulf about? Originally - think about this - the tellers and hearers of this tale lived the dullest and most dangerous existence possible. They were pioneers, always on the jagged edge of starvation, faced with endless toil and unremitting vigilance, just to survive against an unremittingly hostile environment. They must have longed for a single villain, an enemy they could strike at and defeat, once and for all. Thus, Grendel. Grendel is all their fear and drudgery rolled into one. And Beowulf. He is them, all rolled into one, their collective courage and strength.
It might be possible to adapt this to modern ideals, but it has to be re-imagined, which likely means changing time and place to, let's say, the recent old-west, the populace to sodbusters, the Grendel-menace to an unbeatable black-hat gunslinger and the hero to the man in buckskin. You can't just graft modern attitudes onto ancient warriors and pretend you've done something new and significant.
The addition of the witch, Selma, played by my countrywoman Sarah Polley, is the worst of the modernist grafts. She plays the part almost without affect, as if all her actions were the product of cool rational thought, and didn't matter very much, anyway. I picture the director ranting at her in Icelandic, while a very polite translator murmurs, "more intense, please". I hate to bad-mouth one of the more intelligent actresses of our time, and one most loyal to her Canadian Roots, but she really dropped the ball on this one, and it affects the whole movie's credibility. If she'd been crazier, dirtier, more savage, more a part of the threatening Other, the role might have worked. Since she chose to preserve the proprieties of a modern girl --don't flip out, even when a troll is ravishing you -- she sinks the whole enterprise.
Final comment: handsome, amusing, entertaining, but highly flawed.
- paterfam001
- Mar 19, 2006
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Beowulf ve Grendel
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $68,820
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $4,360
- Jun 18, 2006
- Gross worldwide
- $92,076
- Runtime1 hour 43 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1(original negative)
- 2.35 : 1