RATING:

Listen! We have heard in the old days, how noble princes of the Spear-Danes' glory the kings of tribes -- showed great courage!

"Beowulf"
Lines 1-3
Original Author Unknown

Yo El Mayimbe here with a look at the script for the English epic Beowulf that Steve Bing bought for $2 million buckaroos Robert Zemeckis is going to direct this with the same performance capture technology he used on The Polar Express. The film will star Ray Winstone as Beowulf, Crispin Glover as Grendel and Angelina Jolie as Grendel's mother. I don't know if either Brendan Gleeson or Anthony Hopkins will play Hrothgar. I clearly remember reading Beowulf in High School English class as a sophomore and loving it!

Folks, THIS SCRIPT ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!

The way the script is written, there is no way in bloody this will be a PG-13 film. This is definitely going to be a hard R. That would be the only way to do this thing justice. This is Conan the Barbarian r-rated full of gruesome macho violence, boasting, and lots of sex. At least that is the way it is written. This flick is about a kick ass balls to the wall barbarian. This ain't Toy Story so I can't wait when this thing hits in the summer of 2007 along with The Transformers.

A quickie history lesson on the origins of Beowulf

Beowulf is the first surviving epic written in the English language. The single existing copy of the manuscript dates from the late tenth century, although some scholars believe it dates from the first part of the eleventh century. It is found in a large volume that features stories involving mythical creatures and people. Two different scribes copied the poem, most likely using an existing copy. Between 1066 and the Reformation, the whole volume remained in a monastic library until Sir Robert Cotton gained possession of it for his own extensive library. A fire consumed much of his library, and the volume containing Beowulf became badly charred. Today the manuscript still exists, though it is falling apart rapidly due to the charring in the fire.
We do not have any definite knowledge about the poet--indeed, we do not even know the date of the poem's composition. Through the study of Old English verse, most scholars believe that the poem was composed much earlier than the Cotton manuscript, between 650 and 800. Some words in Beowulf do not adhere to the scansion of Old English verse; however, using the older forms of the words, dating from the period given, causes the lines to scan correctly. Yet accurately dating the poem is a difficult enterprise since the poem has such a derivative quality. It is evident that the Beowulf poet wished to place his work within an even more ancient tradition. Beowulf directly uses many ancient stories that have been preserved in later texts, such as the legend of Sigemund and the account of the war at Finnesburh. In addition, the poem is written with the traditional epic diction, with whole phrases taken from the other bards who sang the legends incorporated.

Despite his borrowing from other sources, perhaps in large quantities, the Beowulf poet nonetheless manages to add his own specialized view of his characters' world. First and foremost, Beowulf's author is a Christian, and he makes the Christian world extremely visible. He alludes to Cain and the Flood; he shows the Christian God's influence upon the pagan world of the Danes. Yet he is obviously aware of his culture's pagan past and attempts to describe it in great detail through rituals, such as the elaborate Germanic sea-burials and the grand feasts in the mead-halls, and the ever-present belief in fate. Thus Beowulf's poet tries to recreate the past of his people for his people, almost with a nostalgic feeling for the bygone pagan days.
So if you already know the story, the script is pretty much the same. The first half goes like this...

Hrothgar, like his ancestors before him, is a good king, and he wishes to celebrate his reign by building a grand hall called Heorot. Once the hall is finished, Hrothgar holds a large feast. The revelry attracts the attentions of the monster Grendel, who decides to attack during the night. In the morning, Hrothgar and his thanes discover the bloodshed and mourn the lost warriors. This begins Grendel's assault upon the Danes.

Eventually the news of Grendel's aggression on the Danes reaches the Geats, another tribe. A Geat thane, Beowulf, decides to help the Danes; he sails to the land of the Danes with his best warriors. Upon their arrival, Hrothgar's thane Wulfgar judges the Geats worthy enough to speak with Hrothgar. Hrothgar remembers when he helped Beowulf's father Ecgtheow settle a feud; thus, he welcomes Beowulf's help gladly.

Heorot is filled once again for a large feast in honor of Beowulf. During the feast, a thane named Unferth tries to get into a boasting match with Beowulf by accusing him of losing a swimming contest. Beowulf tells the story of his heroic victory in the contest, and the company celebrates his courage. During the height of the celebration, the Danish queen Wealhtheow comes forth, bearing the mead-cup. She presents it first to Hrothgar, then to the rest of the hall, and finally to Beowulf. As he receives the cup, Beowulf tells Wealhtheow that he will kill Grendel or be killed in Heorot. This simple declaration moves Wealhtheow and the Danes, and the revelry continues. Finally, everyone retires. Before he leaves, Hrothgar promises to give Beowulf everything if he can defeat Grendel. Beowulf says that he will leave God to judge the outcome. He and his thanes sleep in the hall as they wait for Grendel.

Eventually Grendel arrives at Heorot as usual, hungry for flesh. Beowulf watches carefully as Grendel eats one of his men. When Grendel reaches for Beowulf, Beowulf grabs Grendel's arm and doesn't let go. Grendel writhes about in pain as Beowulf grips him. He thrashes about, causing the hall to nearly collapse. Soon Grendel tears away, leaving his arm in Beowulf's grasp. He slinks back to his lair in the moors and dies. The first half is pretty much straightforward like the poem.
The second half is all about the nasty bitch that is Grendel's mother and she steals the show but you're going to have to go to the flick to find out! What I will say is that Avary and Gaiman take dramatic license in their own interpretation of the poem with Grendel's mother and her past to Hrothgar and the same fate that Beowulf will have to endure.

So hasta el proximo capitulo...
YO SOY EL MAYIMBE!

PS - I just came into possession of Doug Richardson's latest draft of DIE HARD 4.0 dated 6/15/05 so expect an update to my earlier review soon.

mayimbe@latinoreview.com