Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superior Swashbuckler, July 21, 2002
Historically, 'The Vikings' is largely nonsensical, from its title sequence misapprhension of the centuries-later Bayeux Tapestry to its hash of the succession to the throne of Northumberland. But this film is great good fun! - a superior swashbuckler with a sound plot, breathtaking art direction, costuming, sets, & cinemaphotography, & solid acting & direction. Kirk Douglas gives a menacing yet humane portrayal of the Viking prince Einar whose falcon-disfigured milky eye inspires fear & loathing. Tony Curtis is, as far as looks go, perhaps a bit miscast but his energetic, seething performance amply redeems his presence. Ernest Borginine's Ragnar is fabulous - and one should keep in mind that Borgnine gave Ragnar life long before this sort of Borgnine role later turned him into a caricature of himself; Ragnar gives the film terrific heart & vitality. Janet Leigh is just...beautiful, despite the script's relegation of her female lead role into what is chiefly a plot device to motivate the action scenes. James Donald succeeds at fleshing out his character, but some of his lines are the only clichés in the script & yet he manages to rise above them with his careful elocution. And the ever-malevolent, narrow-eyed Frank Thring (Pontius Pilate in 'Ben-Hur', & a creep in 'Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome') does yeoman service as the conniving, spineless pretender to the throne. Alexander Knox's small role as the priest isn't much dramatically, but it's pivotal in the plot development, & his diction is at its customary excellence. Also memorable is the rune-reading Viking woman saga-teller whose moonlit face & sepulchral voice in the tidal crab-nibbling scene give the plot & its Norsemen their spiritual anchor. The DVD's special features are interesting, informative, & enjoyable. The supporting cast of Norwegian unknowns, all of them hulking & sweaty & masculine & lusty, lends a muscular depth to the action sequences & even, suprisingly, to the dramatic ones. Norwegian fjords & their sparkling waters & towering precipices provide a majestic setting for the action. And the dénouement at the English castle is one of the finest mediaeval assault & swordplay sequences on film, rarely rivalled, as for example, by those in the Charlton Heston film 'The Warlord'. Most of all, who can forget the long ships? Painstakingly recreated from the best archaelogical evidence available at the time of filming, these rakish craft are in themselves stars of 'The Vikings' & they give ample evidence to why the Norsemen dominated the seas. The 'walking of the oars' sequence is not only unique, but it's one of the most enjoyable bits of all of cinema's swashbucklers. 'The Vikings' isn't history, but it sure is top-shelf entertainment chock full of style & panache. Kids & grown-ups will all enjoy its scenic majesty & full-blooded characerizations.
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44 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Fifties Vikings Tale!, September 23, 2002
Ah, a personal wish fulfilled is the re-issuing of this film onto the DVD format. Although I have long had the older VHS version of this classic fifties romantic sword and sorcery trendsetter, I was recently amused to find it now listed in the DVD catalogue. Odin be praised! This was a formative film in my childhood, a monstrously popular box office hit that had all of us pre-adolescents entertaining ourselves for months clashing in back yards using make-shift stick swords and purloined garbage-can covers for shields as we fought out our own imagined action sequences. Indeed, everything about this film is attractive and appealing; the wonderfully photographed sequences along the fjords, the jaunty and majestic music, and the quite authentic long ships and settings. The cast adds to the fun with a star-packed line-up. Kirk Douglas looks appropriately Nordic (neat trick for the son of Russian Jewish immigrants), and more than acts out the part of the Viking prince, Einar, the eldest son and heir to the barbarian legacy of his outrageously roguish father, Ragnar, played masterfully by a full-bearded Ernest Borgnine. Tony Curtis adds a little blue-eyed soul to the cast as the star-crossed illegitimate heir to the English throne, and the quite lovely Janet Leigh (who at the time was Mrs. Tony Curtis) is the prized after English princess both the male principals have the urge to merge with. The scenes inside the Viking lodges are hilarious; the sequences in which a drunken Douglas has to successfully cut off a lover's braids from twenty yards with a battle axe without decapitating the lady in question to prove she wasn't unfaithful is spell-binding to experience. Terrific vicarious excitement for all of us overgrown kids in the audience. The bottom line is that although none of it makes a whole lot of sense, just remember; we're talking serious action-adventure here! It is deliciously exciting fun and gives full disclosure of all the rowdy Viking boys having a rousing good time raiding, raping and pillaging, robbing and sinking other ships and finally storming a castle. And we find ourselves going along for the ride. Why not? The cinematography is superb, as is the musical score. Although not terribly accurate historically, the film does give us an intriguing look at primitive lifestyles in terms of different cultures cohabiting not so peacefully in the north Atlantic long ago, circa the fourteenth century or so. It is a great way to spend a couple of hours being entertained by some real Hollywood masters of the genre. Enjoy!
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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
From the epic Age of Epics..., May 26, 2002
I've always had an admiration for this film, ever since catching it once or twice on the Saturday Afternoon TV Movie. Is it corny? Sure, but who cares? We see so much of the color and spectacle of Viking life, it's easy to forget that these are all actors living in the Viking village built above a fjord in Norway. Douglas and Borgnine are the perfect, living embodiment of Vikings, too! Borgnine's Ragnor is unforgettable in his over-the-top, fun portrayal of a man larger than life.
As others have mentioned, the art direction is beyond compare, with highly researched and accurate detailing wherever possible. Exteriors were all shot entirely on location in Norway, lending even more authenticity to the film by showcasing the beautiful mountains and waterways of the Viking homeland. The great Mr. Welles narrates the opening segment, and it was a pity he did not leave us with extened remarks at the end of the film to tie everything together (a minor quibble from an acknowlegded Welles fan). Included on the disc is a thirty minute restrospective by director Richard Fleischer, as he shows us rare still photographs, and explains what the cast and crew went through to film this Viking epic. One shot in particular that I have always loved in this film is the man high atop the horn tower, signalling the return of the Viking king, as his boat sails the blue water far below. Another shot I like, at the end, the camera is on top of a castle pinnacle, and we see it pan around to follow the actors below on the walkway. Here, in two of the stills, we see how these shots were captured by Fleischer, and I was struck by the fact no director today would have the guts or imagination to try either. Everything blazes off the screen in the perfect DVD transfer. After watching this epic on DVD, you'll feel the urge to cry out... "Odin LIVES!"
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