monsoonmartin

Beowulf in 3D

Directed by Robert Zemeckis

2 ¾ stars (yeah, it says two and three quarters; it was better than two and a half, but not quite as good as three full stars…my rating system, people)

This stunning, randy, and ultimately perplexing film deserves to be evaluated on three levels, it seems to me: visually; as action-adventure; and in comparison with its source material. If you’ll indulge me, I’ll unlock my word-hoard and discuss each of these in its turn. (The forecast appears at the end of my review.)

The Spectacle

First, I went with Meka and OMG to see this film in breathtaking 3D at a local theater, where we were given stylish(ish) black polarized glasses—no blue and red cardboard jobs here.

It was simply the most accomplished use of 3D I have ever seen in movies. The composition of the shots showed a deep knowledge of how to maximize the three-dimensional effect, with objects in the foreground, middle, and background. Shots of characters flying through the air through trees and worm’s-eye shots showing a vast expanse of pebbles on the shore were particularly arresting. There were times when the 3D effect seemed gratuitous—and I can’t imagine how strange some of the shots might have looked when viewed in traditional format, in which the film is playing at lots of places around the country—but it was still just amazing. [Incidentally, one of the previews shown prior to Beowulf was for an upcoming release called U23D which, as the name suggests, is a concert film shot entirely in hyperstereo. I am so there! And I just heard on CNN that George Lucas is remastering the original Star Wars films (from 1977 through 1983) using enhanced 3D technology, for release sometime in the 2010s!]

The flip-side of the visual palette was the filmmakers’ choice to use computer-generated characters based upon the likenesses of the actors playing the roles. In some cases, the characters looked damn near human (and/or lifelike); the strongest renderings were Hrothgar (Anthony Hopkins), Wiglaf (Brendan Gleeson), and Unferth (John Malkovich, in a deliciously slimy role). In addition, the monster Grendel was outstanding in its ideation (since the poem gives us little clue as to what he looks like) and its realistic depiction: Grendel looked like a ten-foot tall human being that had been horribly turned inside-out, complete with an eardrum on the outside of his head. Crispin Glover’s neo-Old Englishy mushmouthed delivery managed to make us simultaneously fear and sympathize with the creature.

The computer generation did not work nearly as well, however, with the female characters; it seemed as though the animators excelled at rendering the stubble, wrinkles, and crags of the male characters but were at a loss when handling the lovely, unblemished visages of Grendel’s mother (Angelina Jolie) and Wealhtheow (Robin Wright-Penn), they succeeded only in making them look plasticene and artificial.

The Screenplay

As an action-adventure film, it hit just the right notes of drama lightened with salacity and campiness. The dialogue was, for the most part, a disappointment, consisting as it did of grand, growling speeches and thuddingly repetitive pronouncements (“I am Beowulf!” at least five times; “You are Beowulf!” at least three times), interspersed with bawdy, throwaway humor. There was precious little dialogue during the battles, which was actually a relief. But lines like “I am going to kill your Grendel!” and “I don’t like the smell of this”—the latter, spoken by trusted friend Wiglaf while standing over a naked, recumbent Beowulf, who awaits Grendel’s arrival—are unintentionally funny for a variety of reasons. The battles, though, were exciting, and the plot contrivances (departing wildly from the epic poem, which I’ll deal with later) were not too distracting.

The Acting

The acting was difficult to evaluate on its own merits because of the aforementioned clunking script with which the performers were saddled. But I’d say the most convincing and accomplished performances were turned in by John Malkovich as Unferth, who disses Beowulf in front of the whole mead hall, and Brendan Gleeson as Wiglaf, Beowulf’s trusty and world-weary advisor. Everyone else was fair to middling except for Angelina Jolie, who imbued Grendel’s mother with all the personality of a Styrofoam mannequin and employed a bizarre and distracting accent that sounded like a cross between a breathy Scotch and Lithuanian. Ray Winstone’s Beowulf was appropriately gruff and self-aggrandizing, though his character’s six-pack abs and rippling guns are a bit amusing considering the pot-bellied, hard-living nature of Winstone (Sexy Beast, The Departed) himself.

Let me say a word about the PG-13 rating here: it mighta shoulda been R. I had been planning to take my senior English students (who read Beowulf earlier this school year) to see the film, and was very quickly glad I had not done so. First there’s the gore—prodigious volumes of blood, much of it dripping or cascading at the viewer thanks to the 3D effect; severed limbs and heads; and so on. Then there’s the randy language and references, including one to Beowulf’s “third leg” (his grip was not the only superhuman thing about him, apparently) and a scop singing about only “getting a wank” when he’d been hoping to have copulate with a young lass. There’s also an ongoing and completely useless series of scenes involving one of Beowulf’s men lusting after a terrifically busty Danish woman in a low-cut gown—who is shown washing a table and moaning while her pendulous breasts sway about for at least 20 gratuitous seconds while this character salivates—and then practically forcing himself upon her outside the mead-hall.

Finally, there’s the nudity. Now, I’m no prude, and it was all CGI effects (in other words, no actual nude humans were filmed during the making of the movie, I suppose), but it was a bit much. In the poem, Beowulf fights Grendel with no weapons; in the movie, the screenwriters thought it necessary to have Beowulf fight the monster completely naked. (Everything I’d heard about the Austin Powers-esque concealment of Beowulf’s…ah…third leg was absolutely true. The crew I was with laughed heartily throughout an action sequence in which Beowulf’s manhood kept being inexplicably and improbably obscured by objects and people.) In another sleeping sequence, everyone is nearly or completely naked. (Aren’t they in a Scandinavian climate here? Wouldn’t they be more fully covered up, especially at night?) And then there’s Angelina Jolie as Grendel’s mother (who is a hideous monster, but can shape-shift to become hot when the occasion calls for it, apparently). She’s nude throughout her two major scenes, though she’s dripping with gold, barely obscuring her nipples, and her nether regions appear to have no genitals (despite the fact that she seems to be on the verge of having intercourse with a major character as one scene fades to black). On the whole, I’d have to say the level of nudity was uncalled-for and even silly—and again, may have warranted an R rating.

The Source Material

And that brings us to the third level on which the film must be evaluated—in comparison with its source material. Full disclosure: I have taught this book for seven years, and in recent years have begun teaching the newest, full translation by Seamus Heaney, which I consider to be a work of art in its own right. Also…I’ve tried to keep “spoilers” out of my discussion of the film thus far, but in order to compare the epic poem and movie adequately, I must reveal key plot points in the poem and film. It is for this reason that I will insert a “spoiler space” below when I am about to discuss sensitive details: so no one will be confronted with unwanted details that might give away plot twists and surprises in the movie.

So. Beowulf is, for the uninitiated, the first piece of recorded literature in the English language. It is known for its hero, obviously, but also for its intriguing blend of pagan and Christian elements, which is due to the fact that it was told or sung orally for hundreds of years before being written down by a monk sometime between 800 and 1000 CE.

It is infinitely interesting, with a sprawling array of characters discussed in the lineages of the Danes, the Geats, the Frisians, and Heathobards, the Swedes, and others. I highly recommend picking up the Seamus Heaney translation from Old to Modern English:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0393320979

Fatalism and Boasting

The chief objection I have to this adaptation is the fact that it vitiates the cultural foundation of the epic poem: fatalism. Anglo-Saxon culture in the sixth through eighth centuries (when this tale is roughly set) was brutal. Anglo-Saxons were preoccupied by the conception of life as a constant struggle for fame and honor (not to mention simple survival), and their stories reflected this: men are either preparing to fight, fighting, or drinking to forget the fighting after it’s done. Women appear in the text of Beowulf only briefly—and then only to serve the warriors or get married off to a Heathobard to settle a feud.

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In the movie, however, women affect the action much more directly. In the poem, Beowulf never marries or seems to have a romantic interest of any kind (again, romance and repose are absent from typical Anglo-Saxon literature). In the movie, Beowulf arrives in Denmark and immediately begins lusting after Hrothgar’s wife, Wealhtheow, whom he eventually marries, but with whom he never produces an heir; he also keeps at least one paramour—Alison Lohman’s character, whose presence seemed pointless—and mentions several times that one of his motivations (and a notable “perk” of power) is the women. Blasphemy!

The bit involving Unferth challenging Beowulf about his swimming contest with Breca was fairly accurate, except for a couple of important details. In the poem, Beowulf swims the entire four-day contest in full armor; in the movie, he’s nearly naked (again!). And in the poem, Beowulf explains that he lost to Breca because he (Beowulf) had to fight off some sea dragons; in the film, this explanation is called into question as Beowulf is depicted quitting the race to fight sea monsters, but becoming distracted and sinking to the bottom of the sea to knock boots with a mermaid. In fact, it is noted several times in the film that Beowulf is exaggerating about his exploits or outright lying; in the epic poem, his outlandish claims are always presented as fact, and his boasting as justified representation of his fantastic achievements.

Paganism vs. Christianity

In the film, Grendel spoke using a quasi-Old English accent (though there were few other “authentic” Old English touches, like kennings and alliteration, which define the poetic structure of the source material), but what I really liked about the depiction of Grendel was his outtie-eardrum. It helped to explain why the partying from Heorot drove him to visit the mead hall and kill the men; however, it also weakened the pagan-Christian dichotomy laid out in the poem. Grendel is said to be descended from Cain, and therefore evil; the men in Heorot were singing tales of Creation, according to the poem, causing this evil creature physical pain.

Speaking of religion, there were a couple of scenes in which it seemed the screenwriters were actually making an effort to be true to the poem’s roots: it was developed and passed down orally by pagan Anglo-Saxons, then written down by a Christian monk, who inserted Christian references. When the Danes are trying to figure out how to deal with the scourge of Grendel, one of his advisors says they are making sacrifices to the pagan gods. He then asks Hrothgar if they should “pray to the new Roman god, Christ Jesus” as well. Hrothgar scoffs (as a true Anglo-Saxon in the 600s would have) and says his people have to find a way to help themselves.

There is another problematic element relating to religious depiction. In the poem, Grendel is described both as a monster and as a descendant of Cain, who killed his brother Abel and became the most cursed figure in the Old Testament. In the movie, Unferth’s servant is named “Cain” and is beaten often by Unferth; ultimately he steals the dragon-horn from the cave and awakens the fire dragon to set up the film’s penultimate battle. Is this Cain, as in Bible Cain? Or is his name just a coincidence? And what of Grendel’s lineage, then? Ah, but that’s for later…

Speaking of lineage, there’s very little talk of pedigree here. Hrothgar is introduced in the poem only after several generations of his predecessors are described. Beowulf’s king, Hygelac, and his queen, Hygd, are featured when Beowulf returns to his homeland, but never appear in the film. I realize they had to cut lots of stuff out, and I wasn’t expecting to see Ingeld or Heorogar or Shield, but still. A little authenticity, man.

The Big Twist

Alright, I’ve put it off long enough. This is the part that really contains the spoilers, so you’ve been warned a second time.

In the epic poem Beowulf, the action begins with a brief account of Shield, an orphan who became a Danish king; when he dies, he is set upon a ship and surrounded by his treasures, then sent out to sea. The narrator then traces the lineage from Shield to his son Beow, to his son Halfdane, and finally to his son Hrothgar, who ascends to the throne and is a generous, kind king. Hrothgar builds a great mead hall called Heorot, where much rejoicing and celebration takes place until the monster Grendel (a descendant of Cain) enters and smashes thirty men, after which Heorot stands empty for twelve years.

Beowulf, a Geat, hears about the scourge of Grendel and travels to Denmark offering to rid them of this beast. Seeking only glory and increased fame—which in the Anglo-Saxon worldview represented the only path to immortality—Beowulf faces Grendel with no weapons and slays the beast by ripping his arm off and hanging it from the rafters.

After brooding on her loss, Grendel’s mother attacks Heorot, killing Hrothgar’s trusted associate Aeschere and taking her son’s arm; Beowulf, who was sleeping elsewhere at the time, is dispatched to confront the she-demon in her lair at the bottom of a lake. (Unferth, who had earlier challenged Beowulf, gives him a sword to use called Hrunting.) After fighting off sea beasts and failing to kill her using Hrunting, Beowulf succeeds in vanquishing Grendel’s mother using a mystical giants’ sword, then lops the head off Grendel’s corpse as a trophy. He presents the head to Hrothgar, who rewards him richly. (Note: nothing is ever said about who Grendel’s father is, or why no one ever heard from him.)

Beowulf then returns to his homeland where he describes his exploits to Hygelac, his king; eventually Beowulf ascends to the throne and rules in relative peace and prosperity for fifty years. When Beowulf, king of the Geats, is an old man, an unnamed thief steals a golden cup from an ancient treasure-hoard guarded by a fire dragon, unleashing the dragon’s fiery fury on the town. Beowulf fights the dragon alone, for he still seeks fame. The young Wiglaf comes to Beowulf’s aid and helps him slay the dragon, but the dragon has fatally wounded the Geat king with a poisonous bite to the neck. Wiglaf chastises the rest of Beowulf’s men for turning tail when their lord needed them most, for the loyalty of one’s thanes to their king was paramount in this culture, and prophecies doom for the Geat nation.

Finally, under Beowulf’s dying orders, a memorial tower is erected—so passing seafarers will recall the glory of Beowulf—his ashes and the dragon’s treasure are placed inside, and his men eulogize him.

And the movie…

By comparison, the movie begins with Heorot being erected and dedicated by Hrothgar, so lineage—such a vital aspect of this culture, establishing each man in a line of great leaders—is lost.

Heorot is attacked by Grendel, who kills an indeterminate number of men; Beowulf arrives boasting and immediately lusting after Hrothgar’s queen (who seems here to feel only disdain toward her slovenly husband). Hrothgar promises Beowulf a dragon-horn and his queen if he can defeat Grendel. Beowulf fights Grendel nude, killing the beast by ripping its arm off. Grendel runs home and tells his mother who killed him just before he shrivels up and dies.

That night, Beowulf is visited in a dream by a beautiful woman, then awakens to find all of his men have been slaughtered. He travels to a pond in the mountains to confront Grendel’s mother, as Hrothgar has told Beowulf whodunit. How does Hrothgar know all this? Because it turns out that Hrothgar slept with Grendel’s mother in a moment of weakness years ago, and is in fact the father of Grendel!!! (This also explains why Grendel would not attack Hrothgar’s throne or person, either in the film or the poem.) When Beowulf arrives to kill Grendel’s mother, she emerges from her lake all nekkid and dripping with gold, and Beowulf apparently has intercourse with her. He also gives her the dragon-horn (no pun intended, guv’na!) and in return Beowulf will be allowed to reign over the Danes with no interference from her. Beowulf heads back to Heorot and lies, outright, to everyone, saying that he killed Grendel’s mother and lost the dragon-horn fighting off some beasts or something. At this point, Hrothgar inexplicably hands over the crown to Beowulf, then leaps off a nearby cliff to his death.

Some years later, when he is still ruling the Danes (not the Geats; he never went home), a thief steals the dragon-horn, unleashing the terrible fury of the fire dragon. Beowulf fights and kills the fire dragon …who turns out to be his own son, conceived with Grendel’s mother during that murky encounter all those years ago!!! Beowulf is killed in a fall, not the dragon’s tusks, as he tries to save his wife Wealhtheow and the “bed-warmer” from a collapsing bridge. (Wiglaf, who played such a pivotal role in the poem, doesn’t do shit here aside from riding around furiously and comically refusing to go into any dangerous situation with Beowulf.) On the shore below, the fire dragon becomes Beowulf’s golden-toned son as both die. The film ends with Beowulf’s burial at sea (a flaming ship—a conflation of the funerals of Shield and Beowulf in the poem) and the temptation of Wiglaf by Grendel’s mother, who rises out of the sea.

Monsoon breaks it down like Buster Brown

Now, aside from the neo-Freudian undertones of all these additions to the plot, there may be something useful about the radical departures taken by the screenwriters. Most obviously, it explains something that is not addressed in the poem: who and where is Grendel’s father? And why does Beowulf never seem to marry, or have an heir?

But on the other hand—and I lean much more strongly this direction—the decision to have Hrothgar father Grendel and Beowulf father the fire dragon is a disastrous one, and more or less tarnishes the true meaning of the epic poem. My objections stem from one question: why must Beowulf be flawed? In the epic poem, he is boastful but resolute and accomplished; brave and glory-seeking but fair and even-minded. He takes solace at the end of this life that he has never had to kill his kin, and that every conflict he entered was done honorably and truly.

The Beowulf in the film is deeply flawed—for no good reason, as I see it. Here is a man who seems to have been lured to Heorot by the promise of reward, and stayed and fought because of the promise of a woman’s love. He is a man who revels in the carnal perks of his celebrity and power. He is a weak man who succumbs to lust in dealing with Grendel’s mother, then rules the Danes for years on the basis of a lie. He marries a woman but builds a loveless, adulterous marriage. And finally, he kills his son in the penultimate battle of the movie, during a battle that was ultimately brought about by his own avarice and covetousness of power. Beowulf the epic hero has become Beowulf, a tragic hero worthy of Shakespeare.

I know I have left some things out of this review, which will no doubt seem implausible to you, dear reader, because of all that I’ve already said (I have never been known for my succinctness). If you’re looking for more concise reviews of the movie, the best I’ve read (meaning the most accomplished and useful reviews, not the most glowing or laudatory) are Roger Ebert’s from the Chicago Sun-Times and Manohla Dargis’ from the New York Times:

http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/651597,CST-FTR-beowulf15.article

http://movies.nytimes.com/2007/11/16/movies/16beow.html

And now, the forecast, focusing as always on the central and southern Berks and northern Lancaster County region…

Monday 11/26: Cloudy and rainy; rain could be heavy at times. Breezy with rain tapering toward evening and overnight. High 51, low 44.

Tuesday 11/27: Very windy; becoming partly cloudy as the day wears on. High 54, low 28.

Wednesday 11/28: Partly cloudy with clouds increasing toward evening. High 52, low 33.

Thursday 11/29: Clear and seasonably cool with diminishing winds. High 45, low 26.

Friday 11/30: Clear to partly cloudy and continued cool. High 43, low 24.

Saturday 12/1: Rather windy and cold with clear to partly sunny skies. High 40, low 21. At this point it appears as though the Mifflin – Harrisburg District championship game at Hershey will be played in frigid and windy conditions. Look for an update later in the week as more information comes in.

Sunday 12/2: Clear; becoming cloudy late with snow possible, lingering into Monday morning and then mixing with rain throughout the day Monday. It’s too early to discuss amounts or cancellation/delay probabilities; again, stay tuned for updates later in the week. High 36, low 25.

The following week (12/3 through 7): Unseasonably cold with highs in the mid to upper 30s and lows in the low to mid 20s only. Around midweek we’re looking for some more winter precipitation, perhaps in the form of freezing rain.

The following weekend (12/8 and 9) and beyond: Even colder with highs barely reaching freezing and lows dipping well into the teens. Daaaaaaaamn!

Be well…

Monsoon