THE VIKINGS, the most entertaining film of 1958 was also the biggest moneymaker (the film stayed in the top twenty all time moneymakers until 1966. The only explanation I have for why this is rarely shown is this genre is no longer popular and some slightly dated elements of the film (the chorus during a key scene is downright laugHable). Exquisite music and cinematography, solid performances by Kirk Douglas, Ernest Borgnine (wonderfully over the top) and James Donald, and terrific stunt sequences made this a standout film. Director Richard Fleischer (20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA) handles the gore quite discretely. Only one scene shows any real blood flow (as the director once pointed out in an interview). This movie, highly criticized for its violence at the time, is tamer than the average XENA episode. Still, it packs a wallop. Special mention must be made of Kirk Douglas stunt, in which he gracefully tip toes from oar to oar as a long ship returns from a raid. The music is as memorable, unique and beautiful as any from the Sergio Leone westerns.
POSSIBLE SPOILER AHEAD
A bit of interesting trivia. DELL Comics used to publish comic books of some movies just being released. According to the DELL Comic, Eric (Tony Curtis) was supposed to be "Eric the Red," and the film was supposed to end with scenes or narration (by Orson Welles) of Eric's travels. Instead, the film ends with a wonderfully touching Viking funeral. The images still linger in my mind. Beautiful! A technical note: the film was shot in Technarama, a wide screen process which uses two frames of film to produce the image. It is the widescreen version of Vistavision, which produces such a beautiful, crisp image, it is still used for optical effects on films such as STAR WARS EPISODE ONE.
POSSIBLE SPOILER AHEAD
A bit of interesting trivia. DELL Comics used to publish comic books of some movies just being released. According to the DELL Comic, Eric (Tony Curtis) was supposed to be "Eric the Red," and the film was supposed to end with scenes or narration (by Orson Welles) of Eric's travels. Instead, the film ends with a wonderfully touching Viking funeral. The images still linger in my mind. Beautiful! A technical note: the film was shot in Technarama, a wide screen process which uses two frames of film to produce the image. It is the widescreen version of Vistavision, which produces such a beautiful, crisp image, it is still used for optical effects on films such as STAR WARS EPISODE ONE.