Beowulf (again)

[aelfgyfu_mead]

"It's never over with you," I think Jack said to Daniel in an episode; I don't remember which.

It's never over with me either, nor, apparently, Canada's Globe and Mail, which features this late-breaking review of Beowulf, complete with some suggestions for an encore for Robert Zemeckis, a few other classic works of literature and how he could update them. My one beef against the journalist is that he places all the blame on Robert Zemeckis, when Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary wasted parts of ten years of their lives on this mess, and Gaiman, at least, knows better. I should read Anansi Boys to get the bad taste out of my head. The review is funny, and worth reading, I think, even if you haven't seen the movie.

I still wish I hadn't seen the movie, but it may come in handy next time I teach the poem. At least this time I'll know where some of the bizarre stuff some student is sure to start spouting originated. (Note to self: still ought to watch Christopher Lambert's "techno-feudal version"; might have better laughs than the Gaiman-Avary effort.)

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Did you read the script book? It had their first draft and their last in it. I thought the first draft for a low budget smart Terry Gilliam style Beowulf was terrific. The draft done for Zemckis was ponderous and dumb. I blame Zemeckis.

[aelfgyfu_mead]

I'll have to see if I can find it--preferably from a library, because I've spent all the money I want to spend on this thing. I certainly don't want to absolve Zemeckis, but I think the writers must bear some blame--especially since I keep reading interviews in which they sound really pleased with themselves. I'm very interested to hear about that first draft, though!

[randomfreshink.livejournal.com]

It's never over with you. It's always the same damn thing!

It's from "The Other Side" in which Daniel ask lots of questions, gets in trouble for that, then gets told to go ask lots of questions. And it's in response to Daniel saying the conversation is not over--and yes, sometimes a conversation should go on...

(And I've yet to see a Neil Gaiman movie that I like as much as I do his books.)

[aelfgyfu_mead]

Thank you! I knew I should have known the quotation, but I could only remember the first half, and not the episode. I will keep flogging this Beowulf until it is ded ded ded....

I saw Mirrormask and found it visually enthralling, but a little thin in the end.

[randomfreshink.livejournal.com]

Yes, Mirrormask was a bit thin--a movie to watch with the sound off. But the books--I adore Neverwhere (hated the BBC version), loved Stardust (not fond of the movie at all). He's one of those writers that I don't find translates well to visual (I find that's true too for Ray Bradbury, another of my favorite writers, and I've only seen one good adaptation--a play version of The Martian Chronicles. The movies always seem to come off ponderous.)

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

That line is from the ep with the Nazi planet...

*hugs*