Customer Reviews

Wrath of Gods - Icelandic Version

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(6)
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Many MANY years ago, being a dedicated Werner Herzog fan, I went to see the documentary, "Burden of Dreams" which was based on the many trials and tribulations of filming his incredible movie, "Fitzcarraldo" in the jungles of Peru. "Wrath of Gods" could be its Icelandic cousin. There seem to be certain films that fight against their creators. Their directors, crew, and cast must give all they have, and sometimes even a bit more, in order to see their dream realized. Indeed, there are moments during WOGs when the forced smile on director Sturla Gunnarsson's face melts into something sad and desperate; those are among the most beautiful moments in this film, because that sadness and desperation added to the haunting (and I mean that in the most lovely and primal way) beauty of what became "Beowulf & Grendel". There is no happy, storybook ending here; the film did poorly by Hollywood standards, but so what?! The film is ultimately true to the prose, true to the raging, frozen, breathtaking Icelandic landscape where it was filmed, and true to the tale of its anti-hero, Beowulf. It is almost an anti-Hollywood movie, and sometimes, who could ask for more than that? Thank you to the director of "Beowulf & Grendel", Sturla Gunnarsson, to Jon Gustafsson, who filmed its filming, and to the extraordinary cast. Absolutely loved this movie. It has SOUL.

I can't believe what I'm seeing...a solid hour interview with Gerry Butler AFTER a grueling workday on the set. I'm amazed at his patience under the visible stress of an aching head and body after braving the Icelandic weather to shoot this revealing documentation. How much more can he do to show his appreciation for the support of his fans worldwide? His behavior speaks volumes about the depth of his character and his commitment to excellence and dedication as an actor. His star is definitely rising and he is indeed 'paying his dues'...he is not afraid to shoulder the tough roles, transforming himself into a character in ways that startle directors and producers alike. When he signs on to play a role they can be assured of this: they will get much, much more than their money's worth from the likes of this humble, towering Scotsman who has his feet planted solidly on the ground and who has restored the grandeur of moviemaking. Don't look for his handsome face in the gossip rags as he's rarely caught up in their sordid stories...he's too mature to get swept up in their tasteless diatribes...he's too busy concentrating on his career to cater to the crowded flashbulbs. The law profession lost an excellent attorney when he set his sights on becoming an actor; can't you just see him in the courtroom making his case summarization! He's stunning in a suit and tie but even better in his preferred 'dressed-down' look of an old tee shirt, old jeans and an old leather jacket - like in THE JURY film...go getum, Gerry. I may be old enough to be his mother, but I can hardly breathe when he's on camera...go figure.

I liked Beowulf the film in spite of the unpolished, anachronistic script, because of the gorgeous scenery, excellent costume and set work, and good performances by the title characters. For me the best part was Iceland itself; its vistas and its unbelievable weather, and this is where Wrath of the Gods surpasses the film by far. I think it gives insight into formation of the culture when people struggle to survive in such a place. Highly recommended for anyone interested in filmmaking.

Wrath of Gods is the dramatic documentary of the making of the film Beowulf and Grendel. Being a huge Gerry Butler fan, I had seen Beowulf and Grendel and also watched the extras, but, none of that prepared me for what was to come in Wrath of Gods, written, directed and filmed by Jon Gustafsson.Jon followed director Sturla Gunnarsson and his crew on one of the most harrowing experiences I have ever seen. In the cold, snow, and hurricane force winds of the tundra and mountains of beautiful Iceland, the gods seemed to thwart their every move, but Sturla wanted to make an authentic movie in a place where the legend could have taken place.
Against all odds, and it seems, all gods, they managed to make a beautiful film that is so real because it was not made on some Hollywood backlot. Kudos go to all cast and crew for enduring all the problems and plugging along to make this wonderful film.
This documentary won "Best Feature Documentry - Audience Award" at the Outland International Fillm Festival. Since then it has won 4 awards out of 8 festival entries, the latest awards being "Jury Award - Achievement in Filmaking" at Stony Brook Film Festival in New York, and "Jury Award - Best Documentary Feature" at Napa Sonoma Wine Country Film Festival in California.

I was one of the privileged people to attend the Oxford Film Festival in Ohio in April 2007 and to meet Jon Gustafsson! I was not disappointed! I had already preordered the Wrath of Gods DVD and so I was very excited to see some of the clips from the DVD. I couldn't believe what the cast and crew had to endure to make Beowulf & Grendel and it's all on the DVD. I particularly enjoyed all the behind the scene features and all the interviews. I am an avid fan of Gerry Butler's and I especially enjoyed the hour-long enterview with Gerry and Jon! I'm afraid, with Gerry's new found star status, we will never see another hour long interview with him....ever again! So with this DVD, we have something really special! What a labor of love this was for Jon! I never tire of watching this!
Thank you Gerry and Jon for this marvelous piece of work!!

Pat Marcum

Ihave always loved the story of beowulf. I was excited to see the movie when it came out, but by the end I was more interested in finding how they ever made the film. The documentary is wonderful. It lays out the reality of making movies and also about following your vision against great odds. The landscape, business, and unexpected pitfalls do not seem to sway people who are passionate about their art. I am so happy this film was made.

Finally got to see the documentary about the making of Beowulf & Grendel. I will admit that since I'm a longtime fan of Gerard Butler I really liked the movie and as a fan of behind the scenes information about movies I really liked Wrath of Gods. The documentary runs one hour and eleven minutes. It has about half an hour of deleted/extended scenes and about an hour and a half of interviews, an hour of which is a terrific interview with the star Gerard Butler.
The only real problem I found was that about halfway through the English subtitles started to give out. There were at least two, maybe three places where the subtitles wouldn't show. The movie was made by in Icelandic and you need to turn the subtitles on to understand the voice over of the documentarians.
Overall it is a very good, very enjoyable film, especially if you are any kind of fan of actor Gerard Butler.

Wrath of Gods is a fantastic documentary! I enjoyed every minute of this unbelievable story of the perils of movie making. I salute the cast and crew of Beowulf and Grendel as they faced obstacle after obstacle to make their movie. Jon Gustafsson tells his story so well that you feel the passion, intensity, humor, and triumph. This film is loaded with depth and substance and evokes so much emotion that you're moved to tears one moment and laughing out loud the next. Wrath of Gods is a must see piece of entertainment bliss!!!!!!

This is a wonderful dvd about the behind the scenes of the movie Beowulf and Grendel. It definately is worth buying especially if you are a Gerard Butler fan. The main 'feature' is about how they could afford to make the movie, and how they actually made the movie in the weather of Iceland. It's really great, and exciting. There's that, and then there's all these outtakes and deleted scenes along with interviews of the cast members. Gerard Butler's interview is over an hour long! If you are a fan of Gerry's, I think you will really enjoy this dvd! I know I do.

I've never appreciated a movie more! After watching "WRATH OF GODS", I watched "BEOWULF & GRENDEL" for the 5th time and was a thousands times more impressed with how they ever got this beautiful film made in the short climatic time they had. My hats off to Sturla Gunnarsson and everyone involved with this very special film.