THE VIKINGS
US, 1957, 116 minutes, Colour.
Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Ernest Borgnine, Janet Leigh, James Donald, Alexander Knox, Maxine Audley, Frank Thring, Dandy Nicholls.
Directed by Richard Fleischer.
The Vikings was one of the most popular action films of the 1950s. It was a strong star vehicle for Kirk Douglas - who in a few years was to star as Spartacus along with Tony Curtis, who portrays his half-brother here. Ernest Borgnine (younger than Kirk Douglas) portrays his father. Borgnine had just won the Oscar in 1955 for best actor for Marty. Janet Leigh, married to Tony Curtis at the time, who had appeared with him in The Black Shield of Falworth and Houdini, is the romantic interest. Frank Thring is the barbaric king.
The film was directed by Richard Fleischer who had begun in small-budget thrillers like The Narrow Margin, worked with Kirk Douglas in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, was able to turn his hand to a great variety of film genres including psychological crime thrillers like Compulsion, Crack in the Mirror, The Boston Strangler and 10 Rillington Place as well as spectacles like Barabbas and Red Sonya.
The film portrays in detail the life of the Vikings, their raids, the effect on the various countries in the North Sea region. Other Viking films include The Norsemen with Cornell Wilde, The Long Ships with Richard Widmark.
1. How enjoyable an adventure film? The impact of the title, the credits, the fact that the title and credits appeared, at the beginning and end? The tone from the credits?
2. The introduction to a fairy-tale world? The finish in a fairytale world? The nature of the introduction? The presentation of heroes, heroines, castles, ships, dangers? What kind of response did the film ask for? how successful in obtaining this response?
3. The presentation of a barbarian world? The contrast with a civilised world? The emphasis on cruelty and bloodthirstiness in those days? Audience response to this?
4. The film’so use of colour, locations, widescreen, castles, set pieces such as the ship, life in the castle, the banquets, the torture chambers, the siege, the duel?
5. The film’s use of the strands of old legends, identities, rings? The English castle legend, background, the legends of the Vikings? Audience presuppositions in responding to these atmospheres?
6. The character of Einar, Kirk Douglas as hero, the presentation of his arrogance, heroism? The fact that he was a loser? The sequence with Eric’s falcon? His rescuing it himself? his love for Morgana? Being hit on the head and losing again? The nature of the pursuit? His relationship with his father? The final fight and his death? the sword in hand and the final funeral pyre?
7. How did Einar contrast with Eric? Different facets of heroism? Tony Curtis's style? Audience knowledge of his true identity? His arrogance with Einar’s falcon? The torture of the crabs? His sense of fate with the witch? His love for Morgana and her capture? The wolves, Ragnar’s death? The final duel and ultimate happiness?
8. Ragnar: the typical Viking, the initial rape and being the father of Eric, his boisterous nature, his being captured by Eric, the irony of his death, its heroism, sword in hand?
9. How attractive was Morgana as the heroine? As arrogant in England, her being captured, the conflict between Einar and Eric? Her Christian background? Faith? Her falling in love with Eric? Her presence at the final duel? The happy ending?
10.Egbert as the typical villain traitor? His suave manner, compared with the boisterous English and Vikings? The smooth nature of his treachery? His end?
11. Aella: the false king, the coward, the cruelty, the irony of his death, the villain to be hissed?
12. What was the total impact of this kind of film? The bloodthirstiness and the danger, the adventure, the enjoyment of this kind of vigorous fairy-tale legend?
