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Review
by
Brian Lindsey
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8
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8 |
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10
= Highest Rating |
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They
definitely don't make pictures like this anymore.
The Vikings
— a brawling, big-scale action
epic from the waning days of Old School Hollywood —
doesn't really fit the definition of 'cult movie' per se. But
the film should readily please just about anyone with a hankering
for a bit of ye olde hack 'n' slash, barbarians-at-the-gate
style mayhem. As Einar, a Norse prince with more brawn than
brains, the great Kirk Douglas is in his physical prime here
and reveling in it. He looms larger than life with a swagger
fit to make the thunder god himself, the Mighty Thor, beam with
pride.
"More brawn than brains" could
serve as an apt description of the film as a whole. The plot,
what little of it there is, barely rises to the complexity of
the average Prince
Valiant comic strip. It's the old "brother against
brother who don't know they're brothers" routine, pitting
Douglas' Einar in opposition to the slave Eric (Tony Curtis)
over a captured English noblewoman, the lady Morgana (Janet
Leigh, at the time Curtis' wife).
Eric is sired from
a rape committed by the Viking chieftain Ragnar (Ernest Borgnine)
during a raid on England's coast some 20 years earlier. The
husband of Eric's mother, the ruler of Northumbria, was slain
by Ragnar, so she fears the new king, the ruthless Aella (Frank
Thring), won't be pleased to learn a hereditary successor is
being incubated. Once born she arranges to have baby Eric transported
to Italy, beyond Aella's reach, to live among monks. As luck
would have it the ship carrying the infant to safety is captured
by Ragnar's warriors. Thus Eric grows up a slave of the Norsemen,
chafing under the cruelties meted out by unknowing half-brother
Prince Einar, Ragnar's only son "in wedlock." When
Einar pushes him to the breaking point one day, Eric commands
a trained hunting falcon to attack him. The bird claws out Einar's
left eye. The maimed prince promises a slow and painful death
for the rebellious slave.
By means of a talisman
tied round Eric's neck by his mother when he was born, a turncoat
English lord living among Ragnar's people recognizes the slave
for who he truly is. The exile, Lord Egbert (Quatermass
And The Pit's James Donald), schemes to help Eric
return to England, where he can challenge King Aella for the
throne of Northumbria. Eric is saved from the death sentence
and placed under Egbert's protection. Then Einar captures Morgana
—
a Welsh princess betrothed to Aella —
with plans to ransom her. In the style of a Harlequin Romance
novel both Eric and Einar fall head over heels for her at first
sight. Eric rescues Morgana from Einar's drunken advances and
they escape to England. Naturally this Dark Ages love triangle
culminates in a big battle and a climactic duel, with Einar
leading a Viking war party against Aella's castle; he and Eric
will fight to the death for the hand of the fair maiden.
It's all supremely
corny but rousingly staged by director Richard Fleischer (20,000
Leagues Under the Sea). His extensive pre-production
research into Viking culture really pays big dividends despite
the contrived, comic book plot. Authenticity is absolutely first-rate
when it comes to the architecture, clothing, weapons, etc. of
the Norsemen. The film also demonstrates how the additional
expense and logistical problems of location filming can be worth
every penny and ounce of effort... The scenic splendors of the
fjords are beautifully realized via some truly gorgeous cinematography.
(The sight of Ragnar's dragon ship gliding across sun-dappled
waters between the towering, surrounding crags is simply breathtaking.)
Three historically accurate replicas of Viking ships were constructed
for the movie and Fleischer uses 'em to the full. It's great
to see the actors actually sailing around in them —
no crummy blue screen shots of the kind that so often mar films
of this vintage. Composer Mario Nascimbene's stirring main theme
provides the perfect accompaniment to the barbarian pageantry
unfolding before us.
The
Vikings is very much
Kirk Douglas' movie. He was the producer as well as the star;
the Einar character gets most of the really juicy lines and
memorable scenes. His physically exuberant portrayal (Douglas
performed most of his own stunts) would completely steal the
show if it weren't for Ernest Borgnine's boisterous, scenery-chewing
chieftain, Ragnar. Though often cruel he's also fair; one can't
help but like the guy. The scenes in the Viking Hall —
with Ragnar, his son and their warriors partying like there's
no tomorrow —
are especially fun. (And may lead one to enviously ponder, "Why
couldn't I have had a cool dad like that?") The other lead
characters come off rather diminutive in comparison, particularly
Curtis. It's bad enough that he has to run around in short little
underoos for two-thirds of the time, but matched against the
force of nature that is Douglas he just seems out of his depth.
A more intense actor was needed, I feel, to counterbalance Douglas'
commanding presence. (To be fair, Curtis acquits himself quite
well in the excellent sword fight that climaxes the film.) As
for Janet Leigh, she's little more than eye candy.
I suppose the same
could be said for the movie. It doesn't have a substantive,
intelligent script like The War Lord
but it is a hell of a lot of fun. Best to just turn off
your brain, hoist a tankard to Odin and enjoy the show!
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13 bucks MGM's Vikings DVD is a superlative
deal. The anamorphic widescreen transfer is simply magnificent,
with bold, rich colors that truly do justice to Jack Cardiff's
stunning cinematography. There's a tiny bit of damage during a
reel change but otherwise the print looks flawless. Watching the
disc I could easily forget that this is a 45-year old film! It
would've been too much to ask, I suppose, for the sound to have
been remixed in true stereo; fortunately the mono audio track
provided is relatively clean and gets the job done nicely.
You'll find the theatrical
trailer here, but a pleasant surprise is the inclusion of a 28-minute
featurette, A Tale of Norway, with director Richard Fleischer.
He discusses the making of the film, focusing mainly on the pre-production
research, the rigorous shooting conditions on location in Norway,
the filming of key scenes, and working with the lead actors. His
interesting comments are interspersed with film clips and a good
number of behind-the-scenes photos. The documentary greatly enhances
one's overall enjoyment of the movie. 4/24/03
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