Grendel Grendel Grendel
Encyclopedia
Grendel Grendel Grendel is an Australian animated film based on John Gardner's novel Grendel
and starring Peter Ustinov
. It was released in 1981
.
Written, directed and designed by designer Alexander Stitt, this was the second full-length fully animated film ever made in Australia
(coming after 1972's Marco Polo Junior Versus the Red Dragon
).
Like Gardner's novel, the film is a retelling of part of the epic poem Beowulf
from the monster Grendel's point of view. Grendel (voiced by Ustinov) is by turns a thoughtful and contemplative character and a rampaging monster who attacks the mead hall
of an early Danish kingdom, biting the head off of one would-be defender. Despite occasional violent scenes such as this, the film appears to be targeted toward children as well as adults. There are several musical numbers and the overall tone is one of gentle humor. This humor is sometimes dark, and the ending, with the mortally wounded Grendel calling to his mother for help, is affectingly tragic. The animation is drawn in a colorful and highly simplified style reminiscent of construction paper
cut-outs.
The music was composed and conducted by Bruce Smeaton
and has been released on the 1M1 Records
label.
Grendel (novel)
Grendel is a 1971 parallel novel by American author John Gardner. It is a retelling of the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf from the perspective of the antagonist, Grendel. The novel deals with finding meaning in the world, the power of literature and myth, and the nature of good and evil.Grendel...
and starring Peter Ustinov
Peter Ustinov
Peter Alexander Ustinov CBE was an English actor, writer and dramatist. He was also renowned as a filmmaker, theatre and opera director, stage designer, author, screenwriter, comedian, humourist, newspaper and magazine columnist, radio broadcaster and television presenter...
. It was released in 1981
1981 in film
-Events:*January 19 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquires beleaguered concurrent United Artists. UA was humiliated by the astronomical losses on the $40,000,000 movie Heaven's Gate, a major factor in the decision of owner Transamerica to sell it....
.
Written, directed and designed by designer Alexander Stitt, this was the second full-length fully animated film ever made in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
(coming after 1972's Marco Polo Junior Versus the Red Dragon
Marco Polo Junior Versus the Red Dragon
Marco Polo Junior Versus the Red Dragon was Australia's first animated feature film, released in 1972 and directed by Eric Porter.The plot follows Young Marco, a descendant of Marco Polo, and his companion Sandy the Seagull, on a journey to the mythical kingdom of Xanadu, to help Princess Shining...
).
Like Gardner's novel, the film is a retelling of part of the epic poem Beowulf
Beowulf
Beowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single...
from the monster Grendel's point of view. Grendel (voiced by Ustinov) is by turns a thoughtful and contemplative character and a rampaging monster who attacks the mead hall
Mead hall
In ancient Scandinavia and Germanic Europe a mead hall or feasting hall was initially simply a large building with a single room. From the fifth century to early medieval times such a building was the residence of a lord and his retainers. The mead hall was generally the great hall of the king...
of an early Danish kingdom, biting the head off of one would-be defender. Despite occasional violent scenes such as this, the film appears to be targeted toward children as well as adults. There are several musical numbers and the overall tone is one of gentle humor. This humor is sometimes dark, and the ending, with the mortally wounded Grendel calling to his mother for help, is affectingly tragic. The animation is drawn in a colorful and highly simplified style reminiscent of construction paper
Construction paper
Construction paper is a tough, coarse, colored paper. The texture is slightly rough, and the surface is unfinished. Due to the source material, small particles are visible on the paper’s surface. It is used for projects or crafts....
cut-outs.
The music was composed and conducted by Bruce Smeaton
Bruce Smeaton
Bruce Smeaton is an Australian composer, well known for a variety of Australian film and television scores in all genres - features, shorts, television, documentaries and advertisements. His scores include Picnic at Hanging Rock, Seven Little Australians, Roxanne, Iceman, and Circle of Iron...
and has been released on the 1M1 Records
1M1 Records
1M1 Records is an Australian record label formed in 1988 as oneMone Records, to promote and archive Australian film soundtracks. It was the creation of Australian film music recording producers Philip Powers and James McCarthy, both of whom were previously Director of Music at the Australian...
label.
See also
- Abra CadabraAbra Cadabra (film)Abra Cadabra is a 1983 animated comic fantasy Australian film about an optimistic boy and his friends, based loosely on the tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. The film was directed and written by Alexander Stitt and stars John Farnham and Jacki Weaver....
, Alexander Stitt's second animated feature - BeowulfBeowulfBeowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single...
, the original source inspiration for both the film and Gardner's novel. - A 20062006 in film- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
live-action adaptation of the poem, Beowulf and Grendel. - List of animated feature films
- List of historical drama films
External links
- http://www.1m1.com.au/detail.asp?p=107Soundtrack release by 1M1 Records1M1 Records1M1 Records is an Australian record label formed in 1988 as oneMone Records, to promote and archive Australian film soundtracks. It was the creation of Australian film music recording producers Philip Powers and James McCarthy, both of whom were previously Director of Music at the Australian...
] - Detailed review at Stomp Tokyo
- Grendel Grendel Grendel at the National Film and Sound Archive