Black and White
Today’s Hollywood bases its decisions with regard to the artistic quality of a work on how much revenue can be made, not so much on the story’s accuracy. If a story needs to be made more interesting to obtain the attention of the viewers it will be, even at the expense of the story’s veracity. The movie Beowulf and Grendel (Gunnarsson, S.) shows a transition in how Beowulf grows as a person while in the poem he remains a flat character. The movie and the book were very different in how the character’s transition throughout the story line, especially Beowulf; also, the movie adds many new characters into the story line that the poem does not even mention. We see these differences, ultimately, a plethora of value shifts that …show more content…
Presenting to the audience with the background story of the monster allows them to have a heart to heart moments with Grendel. On the contrast, the poem does not present the reader with a background story of why the one character is doing something but just plainly makes one evil. In the writing of the poem, it just plainly makes one evil due to the fact of nothing."Grendel was the name of this grim demon haunting the marches, marauding round the heath and the desolate fens; he had dwelt for a time in misery among the banished monsters, Cain's clan, whom the Creator had outlawed and condemned as outcasts. For the killing of Abel the Eternal Lord had exacted a price: Cain got no good from committing that murder no because the Almighty made him anathema and out of the curse of his exile there sprang ogres and elves and evil phantoms and the giants" Grendel was evil because he just was, he didn’t have a back story of why, just because his ancestors, Caine, had made a mistake. A mistake that he doesn't even really know …show more content…
The director did not focus in on the monk a lot throughout the movie, but in some spots to emphasize how Christianity is so important and how it protects him throughout the challenges of Beowulf. The monk presents Christianity to the people in hopes of getting him to follow him. The monk is introduced in the movie to bring hope to the people, to make them feel safe from all things even trolls. In today's world, when terrorism or some life changing catastrophe occur, people turn to religion for protection. It has happened many times before, 9-11 for example, after the terrorist strike the people of the United States had no faith in their government anymore but faith in the church. Churches became full of people looking for some type of shelter. Exactly what the director of the movie portrayed in several scenes where many were being baptized and most added a new necklace of the cross to their neck along with the hammer of Thor. Beowulf say's it for himself "They do it out of fear." not for the true faith of Christianity but for safety. Comparing this to the poem, there was no conversion of religion between the people or between anybody. Although the word, “God” is mentioned frequently throughout the poem the one that did speak of it was Beowulf. Beowulf spoke very highly of God and already believed in a supreme being. There was not a monk in the poem. The director felt the need to place him in the story line
Today’s Hollywood bases its decisions with regard to the artistic quality of a work on how much revenue can be made, not so much on the story’s accuracy. If a story needs to be made more interesting to obtain the attention of the viewers it will be, even at the expense of the story’s veracity. The movie Beowulf and Grendel (Gunnarsson, S.) shows a transition in how Beowulf grows as a person while in the poem he remains a flat character. The movie and the book were very different in how the character’s transition throughout the story line, especially Beowulf; also, the movie adds many new characters into the story line that the poem does not even mention. We see these differences, ultimately, a plethora of value shifts that …show more content…
Presenting to the audience with the background story of the monster allows them to have a heart to heart moments with Grendel. On the contrast, the poem does not present the reader with a background story of why the one character is doing something but just plainly makes one evil. In the writing of the poem, it just plainly makes one evil due to the fact of nothing."Grendel was the name of this grim demon haunting the marches, marauding round the heath and the desolate fens; he had dwelt for a time in misery among the banished monsters, Cain's clan, whom the Creator had outlawed and condemned as outcasts. For the killing of Abel the Eternal Lord had exacted a price: Cain got no good from committing that murder no because the Almighty made him anathema and out of the curse of his exile there sprang ogres and elves and evil phantoms and the giants" Grendel was evil because he just was, he didn’t have a back story of why, just because his ancestors, Caine, had made a mistake. A mistake that he doesn't even really know …show more content…
The director did not focus in on the monk a lot throughout the movie, but in some spots to emphasize how Christianity is so important and how it protects him throughout the challenges of Beowulf. The monk presents Christianity to the people in hopes of getting him to follow him. The monk is introduced in the movie to bring hope to the people, to make them feel safe from all things even trolls. In today's world, when terrorism or some life changing catastrophe occur, people turn to religion for protection. It has happened many times before, 9-11 for example, after the terrorist strike the people of the United States had no faith in their government anymore but faith in the church. Churches became full of people looking for some type of shelter. Exactly what the director of the movie portrayed in several scenes where many were being baptized and most added a new necklace of the cross to their neck along with the hammer of Thor. Beowulf say's it for himself "They do it out of fear." not for the true faith of Christianity but for safety. Comparing this to the poem, there was no conversion of religion between the people or between anybody. Although the word, “God” is mentioned frequently throughout the poem the one that did speak of it was Beowulf. Beowulf spoke very highly of God and already believed in a supreme being. There was not a monk in the poem. The director felt the need to place him in the story line