The flight of the raven
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The flight of the raven |
| Original title | Hrafninn flýgur |
| Country of production | Iceland |
| original language | Icelandic |
| Publishing year | 1984 |
| length | 109 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Hrafn Gunnlaugsson |
| script | Hrafn Gunnlaugsson |
| production | Bo Jonsson |
| music |
Harry Manfredini , Hans-Erik Philip |
| camera | Tony Forsberg |
| cut | Hrafn Gunnlaugsson |
| occupation | |
| |
The flight of the raven (original title: Hrafninn flýgur , ), published in the GDR under the name Odin's ravens , is an Icelandic Viking film from 1984 by Hrafn Gunnlaugsson . The film is the first part of Hrafn's Viking trilogy, which is complete with The Shadow of the Raven (Í skugga hrafnsins, 1988) and The White Viking (Hvíti víkingurinn, 1991) .
action
Ireland in the 11th century: After a Viking raid, the young Irishman Gest seeks revenge. His parents were killed, and his sister was taken to Iceland. The leader of the Norwegian pagans is Thór, who has set up his quarters in Iceland. Twenty years later, Gest has become a man and travels to Iceland to find his sister and catch the kidnappers.
He develops the plan, Thór's men and the deeply hostile Vikings to play Erik against each other in order to get his revenge. Gest kills some of Thór's men and puts the murders on Erik. Thór believes that Erik is hating something against him and is reinforced in this view by his brother, who secretly wants to take his position. Thór finally attacks Erik's men and wipes out the whole clan.
Gest finds out that Thór is married to his now grown sister and has a young son with her. Gest reveals himself to his sister and tries to persuade her to kill Thór. Still a Christian in her heart, she fails to do such a thing and refuses to help her brother.
Thór is a follower of the North Germanic religion , so Gest can take advantage of its piety. He manipulates his altar in such a way that Thór believes the gods demand his son as a sacrifice. In desperation, Gest's sister betrays her brother, who is captured by Thór's men. Even under agony, he does not reveal his identity. His sister cannot watch Gest being tortured and frees him.
Thór wants to carry out the sacrifice of his son undeterred. He believes that it is enough for his son to show true Viking courage and accept his approaching death like a man. Thór's traitorous brother, who is supposed to cut off his nephew's head with a sword, is charged with the execution. Although charged with ultimately not killing Thór's son, he has the opposite in mind, in order to make himself the sole heir to the throne. During the ceremony, Gest suddenly appears and identifies himself. In the excitement, Thór's son is saved from the blade at the last second. Gest confronts Thór and his brother and kills them both.
He suggests that his sister and her son come to Ireland with him. He promises them a nonviolent, Christian life. His sister refuses and notices that her son is too old to forget what he has seen. Gest returns to Ireland alone. Thór's son looks after him and takes Gest's weapons.
background
Following the example of Akira Kurosawa and Sergio Leone , the film adopts the structure and themes of classic western films . The film is a “ Northern full of optimism and a pioneering spirit [...] in an unexplored land ” with themes from Nordic mythology .
The Flight of the Raven , like The Shadow of the Raven , originated in the area around Drangshlið near Skógar . The film was shown in a special screening in 1984 as the first Icelandic film at the Berlinale .
criticism
The film was positively received by critics, with a particular comparison with Hollywood being sought. For example Kirk Ellis of the Hollywood Reporter : “ [The movie] has everything from Leone's operatic expanse, Peckinpah's skill in action, to Kurosawa's warbling imagery. “Other critics praised the aftermath of the film, for example US director Joel Coen in an interview in Cannes in 1996:“ [The film is] moving and powerful at the same time, yet simple: True cinema. " The New York Times ' Janet Maslin commented," [Gunnlaugson] gives the film a slow, brooding style and an immutable momentum. “During the Reykjavík Film Festival, both Swedish director Ingmar Bergman and Astrid Lindgren made positive comments.
Honors
- 1985: Guldbagge Prize in the Best Director category
- 1986: Nomination for Best Film at Fantasporto
Web links
- The Flight of the Raven in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The flight of the raven on kvikmyndir.is (Icelandic)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Michael Lachmann, Hauke Lange-Fuchs: Film in Scandinavia . 1st edition. Henschel, Berlin 1993, ISBN 3-89487-178-4 , p. 104.
- ^ Sabine Barth: Iceland . DuMont Reiseverlag, 2006, ISBN 3-7701-6049-5 , p. 112 .
- ↑ Has all of Leone's operatic scope combined with Peckinpahs knack for action, and Kurosawa's lilting imagery.
- ↑ It was both thrilling and powerful, while it was simple and moving. True cinema.
- ↑ […] he gives the film a slow, brooding style and an irreversible momentum.