The Vikings (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Ernest Borgnine, & Janet Leigh lead a large cast in Richard Fleischer's rousing 1958 epic 'The Vikings' (inspired by a novel by Edison Marshall). What the film lacks in subtlety or insight into the human soul, it makes up for in Jack Cardiff's excellent cinematography, fun performances, some astounding historical accuracy, & immaculate production values. The film opens by showing Viking King Ragnar (a rowdy Borgnine) as he rapes & pillages northern England, killing their king & impregnating the queen. As a child, this potential heir to the English throne is secretly sent away to Italy, only to be later identified in adulthood as Eric (Curtis), who has - ironically - been captured as a slave from another of King Ragnar's Viking raids.
Meanwhile, Ragnar plans to kidnap the current Welsh princess Morgana (Leigh) & ransom her to King Aella (a slimy Frank Thring), a plan happily endorsed by King Ragnar's legitimate Norwegian son Einar (Douglas), a swashbucklin', beer-guzzlin' lady's man. As it would happen, complications arise when both Einar & Eric (his half-brother, unbeknownst to both of them) desire Princess Morgana. This conflict first erupts when Eric sets his hawk to claw out Einar's left eye; causing tension throughout the rest of the movie. Will Eric's identity ever be known to his father, Ragnar? Will either son get Princess Morgana? Heroic jumping into wolf pits, axe-tossing, betrayals, sorcery, the powers of Odin, storming of castles, climactic sword duels btwn. the 2 brothers, & proper Viking funerals ensue.
Richard Fleischer & co. consulted with historians from Oslo to paint an accurate portrayal of the violent 9th century Vikings, their culture, their ships; they even scouted the fjords of Norway to find the perfect filming locales. The location shooting of the ships as they return to the Viking village provide gorgeous images. And there's a wonderful scene late in the film which details an oar running game that the Vikings used to play; Kirk Douglas & various stuntmen run across the oars on the icy North Sea. Because of this extensive dedication to historical accuracy (villages, customs, funeral specifics, etc.), we even learn that the Vikings must have been quite short -- the oars were too close together for the extras. They kept bumping into each other. So the extras had to use every other space to row properly.
Ernest Borgnine performs joyously over-the-top as King Ragnar. A memorable scene finds Ragnar at the mercy of evil King Aella, gleefully leaping into a pit of ravenous wolves. He wanted to enter the glory of Valhalla (a sort of Norwegian heaven) with sword in hand. Kirk Douglas also performs his role with relish. With his blonde locks, toothy smiles, brute physicality, ain't-I-the-best vanity, & scarred face ... he makes for a believable Viking prince. The final sword battle with him & Tony Curtis is a true classic. Executed on a steep castle top, the editing of this sequence is superb. I watched with my mouth agape at the audacity of it. You just don't see scenes like this in movies nowadays; they'd just be handled with CGI effects.
But the real stars of the film are the production crew; who build the replica ships, recreated the Viking village, & costumed the warriors. Also amazing is the make-up that Kirk Douglas had to endure (new technology at the time, the contact lens he wore was apparently extremely painful). The film's look & feel is classic period piece epic. Love that. I also love that this relatively fast-paced adventure comes in at under 2 hours. There was a tendency for films of this ilk in the 1950s/60s to go the distance (sometimes 3 hours in length). Overall, I just really, really enjoyed this motion picture. It's not perfect - I find it odd that the film tries to make the Vikings heroic & even virtuous when we mostly see them as rowdy, pillaging dolts. But I digress. 'The Vikings' provides easy, breezy, stellar entertainment.
Meanwhile, Ragnar plans to kidnap the current Welsh princess Morgana (Leigh) & ransom her to King Aella (a slimy Frank Thring), a plan happily endorsed by King Ragnar's legitimate Norwegian son Einar (Douglas), a swashbucklin', beer-guzzlin' lady's man. As it would happen, complications arise when both Einar & Eric (his half-brother, unbeknownst to both of them) desire Princess Morgana. This conflict first erupts when Eric sets his hawk to claw out Einar's left eye; causing tension throughout the rest of the movie. Will Eric's identity ever be known to his father, Ragnar? Will either son get Princess Morgana? Heroic jumping into wolf pits, axe-tossing, betrayals, sorcery, the powers of Odin, storming of castles, climactic sword duels btwn. the 2 brothers, & proper Viking funerals ensue.
Richard Fleischer & co. consulted with historians from Oslo to paint an accurate portrayal of the violent 9th century Vikings, their culture, their ships; they even scouted the fjords of Norway to find the perfect filming locales. The location shooting of the ships as they return to the Viking village provide gorgeous images. And there's a wonderful scene late in the film which details an oar running game that the Vikings used to play; Kirk Douglas & various stuntmen run across the oars on the icy North Sea. Because of this extensive dedication to historical accuracy (villages, customs, funeral specifics, etc.), we even learn that the Vikings must have been quite short -- the oars were too close together for the extras. They kept bumping into each other. So the extras had to use every other space to row properly.
Ernest Borgnine performs joyously over-the-top as King Ragnar. A memorable scene finds Ragnar at the mercy of evil King Aella, gleefully leaping into a pit of ravenous wolves. He wanted to enter the glory of Valhalla (a sort of Norwegian heaven) with sword in hand. Kirk Douglas also performs his role with relish. With his blonde locks, toothy smiles, brute physicality, ain't-I-the-best vanity, & scarred face ... he makes for a believable Viking prince. The final sword battle with him & Tony Curtis is a true classic. Executed on a steep castle top, the editing of this sequence is superb. I watched with my mouth agape at the audacity of it. You just don't see scenes like this in movies nowadays; they'd just be handled with CGI effects.
But the real stars of the film are the production crew; who build the replica ships, recreated the Viking village, & costumed the warriors. Also amazing is the make-up that Kirk Douglas had to endure (new technology at the time, the contact lens he wore was apparently extremely painful). The film's look & feel is classic period piece epic. Love that. I also love that this relatively fast-paced adventure comes in at under 2 hours. There was a tendency for films of this ilk in the 1950s/60s to go the distance (sometimes 3 hours in length). Overall, I just really, really enjoyed this motion picture. It's not perfect - I find it odd that the film tries to make the Vikings heroic & even virtuous when we mostly see them as rowdy, pillaging dolts. But I digress. 'The Vikings' provides easy, breezy, stellar entertainment.