Beowulf stars Ray Winstone as Beowulf, Anthony Hopkins as Hrothgar (the former king of Denmark), Robin Wright Penn as Wealthow (the queen) and Angelina Jolie as the Demon Queen.
Beowulf demonstrates yet again how people are learning through cinematic interpretation. It says a lot that I was never forced to read Beowulf as a child, but I saw the movie as an adult.
Movies tend to stray from original works, usually by way of omission. Film producers have to adapt stories according to how much information they can pack into two hours and, more importantly, according to what will entertain the the most people. It is easier to watch a movie than read a book. People are depending on movies more and more to obtain knowledge.
As for the movie Beowulf, I thought the animation was going to be... better. It looked exactly like Shrek.
Interesting note: Beowulf was tempted by the two main temptations to which men fall prey: Sex and Power.
Evidently news of Jesus Christ ("the new Roman God") spread as far as Denmark by 500 AD. Someone mentioned that maybe they should pray to Jesus Christ since the Romans respect Him but Hrothgar dismisses this saying what they really need is a (human) hero. Later on Beowulf honors Jesus Christ by giving Him credit for disarming men's natural understanding of heroism, which is physical prowess and extravagant self-confidence. Beowulf admits that Jesus had transformed people's idea of a hero into a "weeping martyr." Whereas Beowulf honors himself by killing others before they can kill him, Jesus let Himself be killed to honor the Father. Truly, this is a far cry from what men naturally admire. Beowulf was a champion amongst men for his manliness. Jesus is champion over the universe for His Godliness.
Beowulf Honors Jesus
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Angelina Jolie,
Anthony Hopkins,
Beowulf
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2 comments:
Patrick -
VERY interesting comparisons that you draw here. When I saw the movie, I must admit I didn't see it with an eye towards religion in general or Jesus Christ specifically. I did however notice that I wasn't...well...all that crazy about Beowulf's character. He is certainly physically superior; however, he came off as somewhat lacking in confidence which he hides with his outlandish feats and exaggerations. Towards the end he seemed to grow and mature and open his eyes to perhaps how he should have carried himself all along. That being said, he is certainly a stark contrast to the honor and selflessness displayed by Jesus. Sadly, you are correct - society tends to admire and revere the strong and self-promoted instead of the people who truly deserve it.
Nice review; I too thought the animation only rivaled Shrek. It was just so computer animated.
I did read Beowulf years ago. In my young mind, the visuals were much darker...not that the movie gave overly beautiful visuals for the 37 year at the theater, but still...
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