| Main
Vikings in Film
The Gods of the Vikings
The Vikings in History
|
Films about the Viking Era
The Vikings
This film is adapted from about 20% of Marshall's novel The Viking". and ,like some many adaptations,
looses a great deal in the translation. The original story involves brutality, lust, incest,murder,fratricide,
regicide,infanticide,and parracide.(The only one it doesn't have is suicide.) If you know anything about Freud's
postulated "Oedipus Complex',you wouldn't have any trouble picking it up in that book ;it practically jumps
out and bites you on the nose.Most of this is left out (thank goodness) of the film. Most of the characters are
much more wholesome than the originals,for which let us thank heaven. Borgnine,as Ragnar,is brutish and
rough,but nowhere near as malevolent as his blueprint. Much the same can be said of Douglas,as Einar.And
if you can accept Douglas and Curtis as Jewish vikings(Issur Danielovich and Bernie Schwartz,respectively)
it goes a long way in accepting this film. Those points aside, it's really quite well done. The Vikings act like a
gang of bikers on Halloween(which is most likely the way they really lived),and Leigh is splendidly cast as the
Princess.(Obviously based on her heroine in Prince Valiant).Thring,as Aella,however,is much more slimey
and evil than was the novel's,and he drips venom in a performance that is a joy to watch.Not at all subtle,but
he adds a new dimension to the term'"scenery-chewing". I wondered why,after Borgnine's jump into the
wolfpit,Thring cuts off Curtis' hand. Maybe it's because Curtis gave Ernie the sword,and,as a consequence,
several of the pet wolves were killed. Maybe Aella should have contacted the SPCA, and then sued him ,
instead.
BBC crew films ˜Blood of The Vikings"
6th July 2001
The BBC production team responsible for ˜Meet The Ancestors", has been on the Island filming a
documentary programme for a new series called ˜Blood of The Vikings™. They spent four days with
Manx National Heritage visiting archaeological sites, monuments and individuals associated with the
Islandâr's Viking heritage.
The series, which will be presented by well-known archaeologist Julian Richards, is based around a
nation-wide DNA sampling exercise undertaken over the last twelve months to see whether it is possible to
pinpoint people descended from Scandinavians who migrated to the British Isles a thousand years ago.
After scouting the Island for locations, the team has selected a small number of sites at which to film.
Andrew Johnson, Field Archaeologist with MNH, said, "The Island has such a rich collection of Viking
remains that it was quite difficult to select those which would specifically relate to the story they want to tell.
The series - and this programme - will focus on the human aspects of the Viking past, and there will be the
usual emphasis on skeletons familiar to anyone who has watched ˜Meet The Ancestors." Filming took place
during the week at the Manx Museum, and at two or three archaeological locations. The team interviewed
a family with a Norse surname, and studied runic crosses and Norse placenames. The BBC team also
filmed the Tynwald ceremony.
Said Andrew Johnson, "They've been looking at some of the objects from the pagan Viking graves for
which the Island is rightly famous, and also at some of the linguistic evidence which is very important
for this period. They are hoping to see whether it is is possible, scientifically, to identify people on the Island
who are of Scandinavian descent, and what evidence has been left behind in the form of personal names
and placenames. Of course we are quite familiar with our Viking archaeology and our institutions such as
Tynwald, with its Scandinavian origins, which have survived all the vicissitudes of history. Now, perhaps,
thanks to science, we may gain an inkling of how Viking the Manx people really are."
THE 13TH WARRIOR
Jerry Goldsmith
Mikael Carlsson
Of all the scores Jerry Goldsmith has composed in recent years, The 13th Warrior must have been the most
eagerly anticipated. Taking over the scoring duties from Graeme Revell when the author of the novel, Michael
Chrichton, decided to take over much of the helming of the film from director John McTiernan, Goldsmith has
composed an epic and quite dark soundtrack which definitely has its moments but fails to qualify as a
Goldsmith classic. In fact, it's a rather formulaic score and although the action cues and some of the bold
dramatic statements are strong enough, this is definitely not the new Lionheart score I had hoped for.
The story deals with distinct ethnic elements - Arab and Viking - and this combination could have been very
fruitful in terms of the music. But for some reason, Jerry Goldsmith doesn't seize the opportunities. While the
Arabic music is strongly represented with a fairly genuine theme of its own, introduced in the first cue 'Old
Bagdhad', the Vikings are poorly represented by the ultimate cliche: male chorus, low brass and pounding
percussion. Michael Chrichton explains in the liner notes: 'We know nothing about what Viking music was like,
which meant Jerry would have to invent it'. As I am in fact sitting here in my Swedish office in middle of Viking
land, I suggest a little proper research here. If this was Miklos Rozsa back in the 50's he would have travelled to
Scandinavia to investigate, instead of staying in Hollywod and invent. And I have a strong feeling that if this
was Goldsmith in the 70's he would have done the same, actually! We don't know much about what Viking
music sounded like, but we know a little and that would have been enough to fuel Goldsmith's enthusiasm here.
His theories about Viking music probably aren't all wrong - music historians believe that there was a lot of
wordless chanting and also drumming, of course, but I am sure some more research would have propelled
a much more inventive score here, especially in terms of the orchestrations. What if Goldsmith would have
used the extremely powerful bronze horn as a Viking identifier? Difficult to find, of course, but not impossible.
It should also be mentioned that scoring films about vikings has never been an easy task. Mario Nascimbene's
classic The Vikings score for instance utilizes an old Swedish folk song, 'Ack, Varmeland' (for your reference,
that is the theme sounding fairly similar to Smetana's 'Moldau'), as a 'genuine theme' for the Vikings. And that
folk song was in fact composed in 1822!
Enough criticism. The 13th Warrior is, if you forget the discussion above, still a rather entertaining score with all
of its typical Goldsmith action (the strongest dramatic sequences can be found in 'The Fire Dragon' and 'The
Horns of Hell'), with a lot of driving string writing and rhythmic statements from brass and percussion. The choir
is used in a rather unusual way, adding texture and rhythm more than melody. But what I miss in the score is
beauty. The 13th Warrior is in fact a very dark and hard-edged score without the romanctic qualities that made
The Mummy such an epic listening experience. A lot of action and intense drama, yes, but very few moments
of reflection. And this is a score that would have gained from a little quietness now and then. At almost an hour
of duration the score also becomes a bit repititive.
Prince Valiant
(1954) 20th Century-Fox, Produced by Robert L. Jacks, Directed by Henry Hathaway, Scenario by Dudley
Nichols, based on the comic strip by Harold Foster, Music by Franz Waxman.
with James Mason, Janet Leigh, Robert Wagner, Debra Paget, Sterling Hayden, Victor McLaglen, Donald
Crisp, Brian Aherne, Barry Jones.
A Scandinavian prince (Wagner) joins the court of King Arthur, which the goal of restoring his birthright.
Based on the famous comic strip, this historical fiction is packed with high adventure, romance, splendour,
and has a distinguished music score.
The Long Ships
(1964) Columbia, Produced by Irving Allen, Directed by Jack Cardiff, Scenario by Berkely Mather and
Beverly Cross, based on the novel by Frank G. Bengtsson, Music by Dusan Radic.
with Richard Widmark, Sidney Poitier, Rosanna Schiaffino, Russ Tamblyn, Oscar Homolka, Colin Blakely.
The Viking's voyages ranged as far as Africa, Russia, the Orient, and America. This adventure tells of the
race between Vikings and Moors for a fabled treasure.
The Viking
(1928) Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Produced by Herbert T. Kalmus, Directed by R. William Neill, Scenario
by Jack Cunningham, based on the novel The Thrall Of Leif The Lucky by Ottilie A. Liljencrantz.
with Pauline Starke, Donald Crisp, Le Roy Mason, Anders Randolph, Richard Alexander.
A depiction of Leif Ericsson's dangerous voyage in which he and his Viking crew stumble upon America.
This is a rarity that we are pleased to present; a very expensive production, it was the first feature to be
entirely filmed in the new and improved two-strip Technicolor process.
Viking Massacre: (1965) A.k.a. Knives of the Avenger. Mario Bava's second Viking epic with Cameron
Mitchell as a Viking (with orange hair to make him look Nordic). Not the best of Bava's heroic films with
a rather languid plot concerning Cameron, a badass, who is hell bent for revenge against a man who
slaughtered his kinfolk. He also gets romantically involved with the man's estranged wife and son.
Viking Sagas
Viking Sagas is the epic action-adventure of the villains and heroes of early Iceland, inspired by the
classic tales of the 13th century.
Starring former Mr. Universe Ralph Moeller (Universal Soldier, Best of the Best 2), this sweeping
chronicle spans generations of Viking warriors, portraying their brutal battles with the forces of nature
and bittersweet romances as they struggle for survival.
The story begins with the desperate flight of Kjartan, a warrior fleeing certain death at the hands of the
vicious Ketil, his mortal enemy. Avenging his fathers death, he unites with the forces of good to train for
his ongoing battle with the forces of darkness. A path of death and destruction follows Ketils men in their
quest for Kjartans head. Friendship and love are put to the test when Kjartan vows to end the senseless
violence and accept his destiny. Kjartan must face Ketil in the ultimate showdown -- a one-on-one battle to
death, a fight he cannot afford to lose.
Viking Sagas is directed by Michael Chapman (All the Right Movies, Clan of the Cave Bear) who is
also a revered cinematographer, shooting such films as The Fugitive, for which he received an Academy
Award nomination, Rising Sun, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, and The Last Detail. The film is written and
produced by Paul R. Gurian, whose producing credits include the Academy Award nominated Peggy Sue
Got Married, The Seventh Sign and Cutters Way.
Italian director Mario Bava (Black Sunday) took a brief hiatus from horror films to make this fairly interesting Viking-themed adventure. Iron (Cameron Mitchell) is a Viking leader whose long-lost brother Erik (Giorgio Ardisson) was raised by Queen Alice of England. Alice's counselor, Gunnar (Andrea Checchi) betrays her and helps the Vikings take over, while the shipwrecked Erik is nursed back to health by Rama (Alice Kessleri), the twin sister of Iron's wife Daja (Ellen Kessleri). Naturally, Erik returns home and must fight Iron and defeat Gunnar in order to save the country. It doesn't quite work out that way, however, as the ruthless counselor kills Iron, leading the Vikings and British to join forces with Erik and take Gunnar down. Orig: Gli Invasori. Aka: The Fury of the Vikings; The Invaders.
"Last of the Vikings"
Genre : Historical Purdom, George Ardisson, Corrado Annicelli
The "Plot"
A Viking army, led by the heroic Harald, return home to Norway after
their ten years at sea to discover that the throne has been usurped
by the cruel King Sveno and that Harald's father has been killed. Harald and his men must recapture the throne and battle Sveno's name whilst facing a traitor in their midst&ldots;
The Real Story
A rousing adventure yarn made in probably Italy's finest year for
costume adventures. If not the finest then it was probably the most
prolific, I'm sure that at least a hundred such titles like this and
other muscleman epics must have been made in this year. The list of
them is endless, if you don't believe me then just check out the IMDb.
The Last of the Vikings is one of the films in the seafaring subgenre
and is a colourful romp throughout, with some good direction from
Giacomo Gentilomo (and apparently an uncredited Mario Bava, although
I have yet to hear this verified?).
Things start off well with the opening titles playing over a Viking
longship sailing into shore. The small army arrive onland, perturbed
as their trumpet calls go unanswered too. This leads to a brief
handful of atmospheric scenes in which a messenger walks around
the surrounding countryside sounding his horn to no response, with
only skeletons and ruined temples in view. After this brief but
haunting interlude, the film begins for real with the arrival of a
friend who tells the tale of the cruel King Sveno who has captured
the Norse throne through force alone and murdered the rightful king.
We immediately know that he must and will be stopped at any cost, so
the scene is set for a showdown between the forces of good and evil.
Taking the lead is the underrated Cameron Mitchell, who doesn't seem
to get much credit for all the movies that he's made. I'm sure he
appeared in a dozen of these Italian productions over a period of
years but nobody seems to dwell over him as they do Steve Reeves.
Sure, he's not muscular like Reeves but his acting is as good as, if
better than that of Reeves. Mitchell is the just but vicious Viking
leader, Harald who fights for the forces of good throughout the movie.
He's saddled with a younger, stupid brother Guntar who gets himself
in all sorts of scrapes but still finds time to romance Hilda, a Norse
maiden, while all this goes on.
The film starts off slowly with little action but picks up as it goes
along. The subplot of Harald infiltrating the enemy castle under the
guise of a Danish messenger from the king is a good one, leading to
plenty of tense and fraut moments as his identity is threatened to be
revealed. When it finally is revealed, the scene is set for some good
action as Harald fights off the guard and barracades himself in a
prison cell where he discovers that his captured brother has been
crucified! Rescuing him, the pair jump into the sea but only Harald
survives. In the typical tradition he burns his brother's body on a
funeral pyre.
Eventually, after discovering and brutally murdering a traitor in t
their midst (by chopping his hand off, apparently!), Harald and his
men storm the enemy castle, taking massive injuries from the arrows
and spears of their enemy. Their secret, though, is to throw burning
tree trunks from the top of their makeshift tower over the battlements,
thus destroying most of the archers in a single go. Then the
hand-to-hand combat men arrive and the scene is set for a violent
confrontation man-to-man with an obvious outcome.
Although I found this film hard to get into at first, and
occasionally boring, as soon as Harald goes undercover in the enemy's
castle the movie picks up and stays fast-paced until the rousing
climax. The photography is good, crisp and colourful and with a
couple of inventive camera angles (love the camera that followed a
rolling tower from UNDERNEATH as it went past). Especially in the
battle scenes, which are well staged and very exciting. Also
surprising is the high level of violence and brutality. During
the battles one man is hacked in the head with an axe and we see
blood pouring down his face! Another goes through the old "arrow in
the eye" routine previously seen in Maciste Against the Vampire
- cool! Plus the usual quota of stabbings, impalings and slashings.
It's all violent fun.
Another main reason to hunt down this film is to see Edmund Purdom
(Don't Open Till Christmas) overact like no-one before him. In the
lists of bad performances, Purdom must surely rank near the top for
his completely barmy portrayal of the snivelling, whining and totally
without merit King Sveno, who spends most of the film grovelling,
cackling, sneering or being just generally a bastard. I love it! It
sure makes a change from his good-natured turn as the hero in Queen
of the Nile, that's for sure. Along with Purdom, Cameron Mitchell's
strong hero and some unusually believable supporting acts make the
cast above average. All this is topped by a stirring score which
highlights the battle and action while giving the movie an almost
mythical feel. In all, The Last of the Vikings is a bit of a classic
and should be hunted down by fans of these adventure films.
|
 |
|
Email Vikings14
Vikings14@hotmail.com
|
|
