1981’s Grendel Grendel Grendel combines philosophical musings with humor and colorful animation, offering a unique and introspective take on the tale of Beowulf from the perspective of the monster.
What Is It?
This animated film, based on John Gardner’s novel Grendel, reimagines the Beowulf myth from the perspective of the titular monster. The story follows Grendel, a thoughtful yet misunderstood creature, as he observes and interacts with the human world. He becomes both fascinated and repelled by the humans in the nearby kingdom, particularly their warrior culture and moral contradictions, and he finds himself endangered when they decide he is a threat.
Voice Cast: Peter Ustinov, Arthur Dignam, Keith Michell, Ed Rosser, Ric Stone
Crew: Alexander Stitt (Writer/Director)
Original Release: 1981
Legacy:
This film has mostly flown under the radar, but it offers a unique and introspective take on the classic Anglo-Saxon tale with inventive animation.
A Closer Look:
This little-known Australian animated musical comedy came out in 1981 and was written, directed, and designed by Alexander Stitt. The book and the movie give us a different perspective on the events of the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf, this time from the point of view of the monster. (A similar revisionist take on the poem can be found in the excellent 2005 film Beowulf & Grendel—more on that one at this link). The book was released in 1971 and, as the introduction to the movie suggests, offered a countercultural perspective on a classic piece of literature.
Grendel is portrayed not as a mindless, homicidal monster, but as a creature who follows a very different path than the humans who have marked him as their enemy. Grendel is seen as a loner, shunned even by the beasts of the forest, with no one to talk to except his deranged mother. He also engages in conversations with a dragon (ostensibly the one that Beowulf encounters later in his own tale), who offers philosophical quandaries but not much in the way of useful advice.
I recall encountering Grendel Grendel Grendel (the repetition of the beast’s name comes from the film’s theme song) during the early days of VHS (link to Wikipedia provided for those unfamiliar with the term) when it was one of the few genre entries on the shelves in rental stores. I watched it then, and it stuck with me for years, though I could never find it again because it disappeared from video shelves and didn’t receive the DVD treatment until the 21st century.
It’s a very strange animated movie and not one that audiences raised on high-tech CGI films like Toy Story, Shrek, or The Incredibles (or even the traditional hand-drawn animation of Disney films) will easily warm up to. The drawings are done in a simplistic, childlike manner, and the animation itself is quite choppy. The whole production, with its musical numbers included, appears to target very young viewers. However, the subject matter is far beyond most children’s comprehension, and it includes some graphic scenes, such as Grendel biting the head off a warrior and Beowulf ripping the arm off the beast (spoiler alert?). It even includes some brief nudity.
In truth, the movie is definitely intended for an older audience, and genre fans should give this one a chance. The crude graphics become quite endearing once you get used to them, and the childlike simplicity provides an effective contrast to the moral dilemmas raised in the story. The voice actors all do an excellent job with their characters, especially Peter Ustinov, who lends his vocals to Grendel. Consider it a diamond in the rough, but still an excellent piece of fantasy storytelling with existential and philosophical undertones (the same is true for Gardner’s novel).
Why Was There No Sequel?
Grendel Grendel Grendel had a very limited theatrical release, mostly in arthouse venues. It was not a box office success, so there was little interest in producing a sequel. And since the movie covers the full story of the book, there would have been no source material to draw from. Still, it might have been interesting to see a sequel in which Beowulf faced off against the philosophical dragon introduced in the story, though that was apparently not meant to be.
Should It Be Rebooted?
While it might be interesting to do a CGI reboot or a revival that uses more traditional line-drawn animation, I would prefer that they leave this one alone. Sure, that would appeal to a wider audience, but the fact is that this is not a family-friendly story, and a reboot cranked out by the Hollywood machine would likely go in that direction. The 1981 film is quite faithful to the book, and its simplistic animation and idiosyncrasies are quite endearing once you get used to them. John Gardner’s original book was not meant as a crowd-pleaser in the first place, so any adaptation should not go that direction either. And it is probably best that the entertainment industry leave this property alone unless a creative team emerges that can treat it with the proper respect.
Interesting Facts:
Grendel Grendel Grendel was only the second full-length animated feature to come out of Australia. The first was 1972’s Marco Polo Junior Versus the Red Dragon.
James Earl Jones was originally approached for the role of Grendel but turned it down when he learned it was an animated film.
Where Can You Watch It?
The film received a DVD release in the early 2000s in the U.S., though it was a DVD-ROM that appeared to be a poor-quality transfer from VHS. That release has since gone out of print, though you can find it with some searching on the internet. It is not currently available for streaming on any major platforms, but you can find it on YouTube from time to time.
Read More About the Movie:
Wikipedia
IMDb.com
Grendel Grendel Grendel: Animating Beowulf by Dan Torre and Lienors Torre
