Beowulf (2007)

Since 1990 Benjamin Bagby has been performing the great epic Beowulf at major festivals and venues around the world This remarkable performance is presented on DVD beautifully filmed by the awardwinning Swedish director Stellan Olsson While Beowulf has come down to us through literature as a written poem the epics preliterate medieval audience would have known it through the performance of a scop a bardic storyteller as Bagby presents himself here In this oneman tour de force Bagby accompanies himself on an AngloSaxon harp Using the entire range of his voice he delivers this gripping tale in Old English as it could have been experienced more than one thousand years ago This performance speaks to the lovers of Beowulf and the oral epic early music enthusiasts Tolkien fans medievalists and anyone searching for virtuoso storytelling or a glimpse into the fascinating beginnings of the English language