Film Review – Grendel Grendel Grendel
@arthurchappell (44941)
Preston, England
September 14, 2015 3:43am CST
One of the review books I’ve been sent this quarter is John Gardner’s bleak but brilliant existentialist take on Beowolf, Grendel, telling the story from Grendel’s point of view. It is a brilliant book, as of course is the original poem.
Grendel was filmed as Grendel Grendel Grendel in 1981. It’s frankly bonkers. The dark miserable story is turned into Yellow Submarine with Yorkshire Vikings, (sounding like the Tetley tea-men) a cute Grendel, the voice work of Peter Ustinov and a live action prologue lecture on literary monsters by Gardner. The opening song by Julie McKenzie is very strange.
The film is in ten parts on Youtube It’s still a Hell of a sight better than the Ray Winstone movie.
Arthur Chappell
2 people like this
2 responses
@RasmaSandra (98072)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
14 Sep 15
@arthurchappell I have had a tough time at university getting through Beowolf. Wish the movie had been around then. Grendel doesn't really sound like my kind of movie but I'll take a look on YouTube.
1 person likes this
@arthurchappell (44941)
• Preston, England
14 Sep 15
It's fun, and rather lightweight compared to Beowolf or Gardner's Grendel
1 person likes this
