The Vikings
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The Vikings |
| Original title | The Vikings |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1958 |
| length | 112 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Richard Fleischer |
| script |
Dale Wasserman , Calder Willingham |
| production | Jerry Bresler |
| music | Mario Nascimbene |
| camera | Jack Cardiff |
| cut | Elmo Williams |
| occupation | |
| |
The Vikings (Original title: The Vikings ) is an American adventure film by director Richard Fleischer from 1958, based on the novel The Viking by Edison Marshall (adapted by Dale Wasserman ). The German premiere was on December 25, 1958.
action
The king of Northumbria is killed in a Viking raid led by the cruel Ragnar . His cousin Ælle then takes the throne because the king was childless. However, the king's widow Enid is pregnant by Ragnar, who raped her. She sends her child, adorned with a gemstone as an amulet, the pommel of the hilt of the royal sword Regvita of Northumbria, to Italy to protect him from the power-hungry ole. The ship on which the child travels to Italy is captured by the Vikings under Bjorn, Ragnar's closest friend. However, the crew knows nothing about the child and enslaves them. The boy grows up as a slave and is called Erik. Twenty years later, long since Queen Enid died, Lord Egbert, accused of high treason by the tyrannical ole, fled to Norway and found asylum with Ragnar. There he also meets Erik, who is still wearing his mother's amulet around his neck. Egbert then discovers Erik's true ancestry and identity.
Erik and his half-brother Einar, Ragnar's son, get into irreconcilable hatred and arguments after Erik's falcon Einar picks out an eye. Einar had previously humiliated and kicked Erik to the ground, whereupon the latter knocked his bird of prey on Einar. The village shaman Kitala saves Erik from immediate execution by placing him under Odin's protection. Erik is then handed over to a divine judgment, thrown into a basin that fills with water at high tide, so that the supreme god of the Vikings can judge him. The shaman calls Odin's daughters, the Valkyries , with the request to send the north wind to repel the tide. Erik also begs Odin for assistance, the north wind sets in and drives the water back, Erik is saved. Egbert, who arrives and pulls the half-frozen Erik out of the water, claims him as his slave before Einar, so that he can bring him to Northumbria and proclaim him king when the opportunity arises.
Einar carries out a sea attack and is able to capture Princess Morgana, whom solltell should marry. Erik and Einar fall in love with the princess, which increases their animosity. After a solid Viking brawl, the drunken Einar wants to rape Morgana. Erik knocks his half-brother down and flees to England with Morgana, Kitala and the mute African friend Sandpiper in his self-built boat with the help of an improvised compass. They are followed by Einar and Ragnar. Ragnar's longboat sinks in the fog, whereupon Einar, who thinks Ragnar is dead, breaks off the chase. However, Erik can save Ragnar from drowning and pull him into his boat. Ragnar is captured on land by Ælle. Ælle lets him tied up and wants him to be thrown into a wolf pit . So that Ragnar can die a real Viking death and come to Valhalla , Erik cuts Ragnar's fetters and gives him his sword. The laughing Ragnar jumps between the wolves and fights to the death. Therefore Ælle feels betrayed by Erik, has his left hand cut off, the hand that held out the sword to the Viking king, throw him into his boat and leaves him to the sea.
Erik manages to reach Einar's village. He tells his excited half-brother and the Vikings under the angry Bjorn the true connections of Ragnar's death and shows them Ælle's vengeance for allowing Ragnar to die like a Viking - his left arm stump. Einar comes up with a plan to attack Northumbria and avenge his father. Einar and Erik sign a truce and set sail for England. When storming Ælles Castle, Einar can jump over the moat under the fire protection of his archers with a giant leap, climb up on the axes thrown into the drawbridge by the Vikings and lower them. While the Vikings attack the Anglo-Saxons, Erik and Einar are looking for the princess. Erik discovers Ælle and throws him into the wolf pit. Einar finds Morgana in the tallest tower of the castle. Erik arrives to save the princess. Now the old enmity between Einar and Erik flares up again. A sword fight ensues between the two. Erik's blade breaks, Einar could easily kill him now. But Einar hesitates, realizing that he has his half-brother in front of him. Erik thrusts the broken blade into Einar's stomach. But he gives his dying brother his sword, which had fallen down in battle, into the hand so that he can reach Valhalla. Einar receives a Viking burial: his body is placed on a long boat that is set on fire with arrows.
background
- On a budget of $ 5 million, the film grossed just over $ 6 million in the United States.
- The film was shot in Bavaria , in Fort la Latte ( France ) (castle scenes), in the Hardangerfjord ( Norway ) and in the Lim Fjord ( Croatia ).
- Orson Welles can be heard as narrator in the original English version . Curd Jürgens took over this part for the German version .
- Kirk Douglas' film father, Ernest Borgnine, was actually a month and a half younger than Douglas.
- The film editor Elmo Williams was also the director of the second team on this film.
- The Oscar-winning director Fleischer later became famous with Die phantastische Reise , Doktor Dolittle , Year 2022 ... who want to survive and Conan the destroyer .
- The producer Bresler was honored with an Oscar in 1944, but for the best short film.
- Other Oscar-winning employees on the set were: Ernest Borgnine (Oscar 1955), cameraman Cardiff (Oscar 1948) and film editor Williams (Oscar 1953).
- The sound mixer Gordon K. McCallum not mentioned in the credits only won an Oscar in 1972, and the camera technician Walter Wottitz received an award in 1963.
- The film was quite successful in the US and Central Europe. In Scandinavia, however, the film flopped in cinemas despite the star cast. This could be because the expectations of the Scandinavian audience, who were probably more familiar with the Viking fabric, did not recognize the Vikings shown in the film as such. In the USA the knowledge was probably less good, so that one could get more enthusiastic about this Viking western.
Implementation of the medieval material
The connection to historical events
Raids brought the Vikings to England towards the end of the 8th century because they had suffered great losses in their raids in what is now France and were looking for new prey. The first documented raid by Scandinavian warriors on the British Isles occurred in 789. Often the warriors came from what is now Denmark, but they also sailed from Norway or Iceland to England. The Northumbrian King Ælle from the film actually existed as a historical person and ruled from 866 to 867. In any case, he reigned for a much shorter time than is the case in the film (20 years). It is also known that Æll was killed by Vikings in 867. According to a legend (on which the film is based), Ælle captured the Viking Ragnar in a battle earlier; but this cannot be proven. In 867 a large Viking army, led by the two brothers Ivar and Halfdan (the sons of Ragnar according to legend, but even this has not been proven), moved to York, the then capital of Northumbria , defeated the army of Ælle in a battle and killed them this. The clothing and architecture shown in the film correspond more closely to the High Middle Ages than to the Viking Age , and the same applies to details such as falconry. So you can say that the script of the film is based on historical people and events, but the film does not claim to accurately reflect the historical facts. Where it serves the tension, the "history" is rewritten at will. It is not known which contemporary research literature the film refers to.
Hierarchy of people
On one side there is the royal court of Northumbria with King Ælle at the head. Various princes and servants, not named, surround him. Morgana, the Princess of Wales, is promised Ælle as a woman. On the other hand, there is the Viking community with Ragnar at the head and his son Einar as his successor. They largely determine the fate of the community. Outside of these two communities, but still necessary for them, stand the two "religious" persons: The court chaplain Godwin stands, it seems, outside the royal authority, but is integrated into the court. Like Godwin, Kitala is outside the command structure, but is definitely part of the community. Lord Egbert stands between the two groups. He has betrayed Kings and fled to the Vikings, where he worked for Ragnar as geographic advisor for better or worse to ensure his survival. Erik and his companion Sandpiper also stand between the fronts. On the one hand he is heir to the throne of Northumbria and son of Ragnar, on the other hand he is a slave first to the Vikings, then to Lord Egbert.
place and time
The film is set in the 9th century, with 20 years passing between the opening plot and the main plot, and it is divided into two locations. On the one hand there is the kingdom of "Northumbria" on the British Isles, where large parts of the plot take place in the throne room and Wolfsgraben of the royal castle. The climax of the film takes place here on the highest tower of the castle. On the other hand, the Viking village, which lies in a Norwegian fjord, is a second center of the action. Parts of the film play mainly in the central nave, but also in the area around the village. Between the two locations is the sea, which the Vikings sailed with their dragon ships and where a not unimportant part of the story takes place. There are two rooms that occur on both scenes and that overlap. First, there is the throne room or the nave: they form the center of the respective community. In these two places the important political decisions are made and justice is administered. The second overlap is the “torture site”, which also exists in both communities: in “Northumbria” it is the wolf pit, in the Viking village the “tidal pool” with the (carnivorous?) Crabs.
Staging
The Vikings are clearly identified by their dragon ships. They are their key to the rest of the world and are also very well controlled by them, which is shown by several maneuvers. The Vikings regard the fog as a mysterious, eerie obstacle that makes them disoriented and unable to maneuver. A small amount of orientation is only possible with the help of the horns. These are also blown when you return home and appear in different variations in the film music. Another sign of Vikings are the beards: In contrast to the Northumbrians, they all wear one, except Einar (Kirk Douglas), as he is too vain. The Vikings also wear round shields in battle. The kingdom of Northumbria is made recognizable primarily by the king's castle. The king's lands lie in front of the castle. Integrated into the castle is a chapel that represents the Christian influence in Northumbria.
Lighting and music
The mood is generally very gloomy. The interior shots are very shady, the rooms are lit with torches. The many scenes that take place at night also contribute to this threatening atmosphere. The love scene between Erik and Morgana forms a stark contrast to the usual shadowy lighting: High-key exposure is used here, as the two are in a safe situation and a romantic atmosphere.
The music in the film is extradiegetic throughout . There are string and wind instruments, which are supported by drums and horn instruments. They should give the event a medieval atmosphere. The music underlines a different mood, depending on the action: It can appear happy and enjoyable, suggest a threatening situation or create tension.
Medieval speaking and acting
The Vikings act brutally and impulsively. Robbery is portrayed as one of the defining elements of the Vikings: castles are attacked, treasures and slaves are stolen, and even princesses are kidnapped. In the home countries, too, things are no less “barbaric”: In the main hall, people are always drinking, singing and dancing. People eat with their hands and drink from horns, which the women fill from an oversized beer or mead barrel. However, apart from frequent invocations of Odin, the language has no special medieval connotation. Northumbrians and Vikings communicate easily in English. The Northumbrians speak with a British accent, unlike the Vikings, who have an American accent. The English accent gives the Northumbrians a courtly sound, the American seems quite ordinary to the viewer who is used to American English from Hollywood films. In the scene in which all is crowned, Latin choirs sound, and the bishop who crowns him speaks Latin verses. The Northumbrians act much more differentiated than the Vikings, the different protagonists act according to their characters, although little reminds of the Middle Ages. Father Godwin and Morgana act piously, all cold and cruel. The people, on the other hand, are only shown as an active mass, they do not speak, and their actions consist only of cultivating the fields, fleeing from the Vikings and fighting with sword and bow. The everyday life of the nobility is never shown, it seems as if their actions consist only of “great” deeds and decisions (coronation, punishment, defense of the castle).
Adaptation of the medieval image
In The Vikings , the everyday life of the Northumbrians plays a very minor role. Only scenes from everyday political life at the king's court are shown. For the Vikings, on the other hand, everyday life is more important. The people also play a very small role in the film in general. In the case of the Northumbrians it is only shown very briefly, one can hardly recognize anything typical of the Middle Ages. But how the people lived, what relationship they had with the nobility and how they suffered under the attacks of the Vikings, is not apparent. The film makes it appear as if two completely different civilizations collide, with the Vikings appearing much more "medieval" and less advanced than the Northumbrians. However, contacts (trade, wars) between Anglo-Saxon and Northern European kingdoms existed as early as the 8th century. This is hardly discussed in the film (only briefly in the conflict between Ælle and Egbert), so the two peoples were not that unknown. And the fact that Northumbria was conquered by Vikings shows that they were hardly more advanced than the Vikings. The position between Northumbria and the other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms is also not discussed.
The hero is immediately sympathetic to the modern audience through his appearance and his character and does not really fit into the staged brutal Middle Ages. His love affair with the Northumbrian princess is also modern, as the two do not value social norms.
The animation of the Bayeux Tapestry used in the intro is an anachronism . This shows the conquest of England by the Norman Duke William the Conqueror in the 11th century, but the film takes place in the 8th / 9th century. Century. Interestingly, the depicted Viking culture would also move into the 11th rather than the 8th / 9th. Century fit. The anachronism was probably accepted by the director, as the characters portrayed and the story on the Bayeux Tapestry go very well with the story of The Vikings . The end credits are again in the style of the Bayeux tapestry, with the film's protagonists even appearing on the carpet. The animation was produced by United Productions of America Pictures Inc. using the limited animation process.
The royal castle of Ælle shown in the film is Fort la Latte , which is located in Brittany. The castle dates from the 13th century. The Northumbrian kings in the 8th / 9th centuries Century resided more in fortified houses than in castles. However, a castle is of course much more attractive to the public. It is likely to be an intentional anachronism.
synchronization
The German synchronized editing was created in 1958.
| role | actor | Voice actor |
|---|---|---|
| Einar | Kirk Douglas | Arnold Marquis |
| Erik | Tony Curtis | Gert Günther Hoffmann |
| Ragnar | Ernest Borgnine | Wolf Martini |
| Morgana | Janet Leigh | Margot Leonard |
| King Ælle | Frank Thring | Friedrich Schoenfelder |
| Father Godwin | Alexander Knox | Horst Niendorf |
| Enid | Maxine Audley | Tilly Lauenstein |
| Bridget | Dandy Nichols | Erna Sellmer |
| teller | Orson Welles | Curd Juergens |
Reviews
“Elaborately produced and equipped adventure film that illustrates the barbaric cinema customs of the Nordic seafaring people. [...] Prominent cast and well played. "
"[...] an opulent adventure spectacle in which Kirk Douglas and Ernest Borgnine in particular stand out through their wild character portrayals."
“The (…) gorgeous ham knows how to combine its impressive on-site recordings with the credible character drawing of a vigorous, daring and wild people and their colorfully reproduced cultural rites and warlike deeds. An exciting film and ethnographic museum, section Northern Conquerors. (Rating: 2½ out of 4 possible stars - above average) "
“Even if the historical facts in this famous costume film cannot really be called authentic, it paints a largely believable picture of the Vikings as daring and wild seafarers, and the characters also look real. In addition, the film captivates with its colorfully reproduced rites and impressive recordings at original locations. "
"With its visually appealing choreographed battle scenes and the extremely lively way of life of the 'Northmen', Richard Fleischer's 'The Vikings' is one of the great classics of the adventure genre."
Awards
- In 1958, Kirk Douglas was awarded the Zulueta Prize at the San Sebastián International Film Festival for his performance .
- In 1959 the film won the Golden Laurel for Top Action Drama .
DVD release
- The Vikings . MGM Home Entertainment 2008.
Soundtrack
- Mario Nascimbene : The Vikings. Original motion picture soundtrack . On: The Vikings and Solomon and Sheba. Classic Hollywood soundtracks . Drg (Koch International) 1996 - Original recording of the film music under the direction of the composer
Vikings (2013)
The Canadian-Irish television series Vikings with the same content has existed since 2013 .
literature
- Edison Marshall: The Viking. Farrar, Straus and Young, New York 1951, 380 pages. (English)
- Angelo Forte, Richard Oram, Frederik Pedersen: Viking Empires. Cambridge 2005.
- NJ Higham: The Kingdom of Northumbria. AD 350-1100. Stroud 1993.
- David Rollason: Northumbria, 500-1100. Creation and Destruction of a Medieval Kingdom. Cambridge 2003.
- Klaus R. Schroeter: Creation of a Society. Feud and alliance among the Vikings. Berlin 1994.
- Dorothy Whitelock : The Norman Conquest: Its Setting and Impact. London 1966.
Web links
- The Vikings in theInternet Movie Database(English)
- The Vikings at Rotten Tomatoes (English)
- British Isles map circa 802
Individual evidence
- ↑ Info on the Internet Movie Database.
- ↑ Forte, p. 68
- ^ Higham, p. 173
- ^ Higham, p. 173
- ^ Higham, p. 145
- ↑ Rolasson, p. 212
- ↑ Forte, p. 70
- ↑ Forte, p. 68
- ↑ Die Wikinger (1958) in Arne Kaul's synchronous database ( memento of the original from January 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ; Retrieved December 29, 2008
- ↑ See Lexicon of International Films 2000/2001 (CD-ROM).
- ↑ Review on Cinema.de.
- ^ Adolf Heinzlmeier, Berndt Schulz: Lexicon "Films on Television" (extended new edition). Rasch and Röhring, Hamburg 1990, ISBN 3-89136-392-3 , pages 927-928.
- ↑ Report on ARTE.tv. ( Memento of the original from March 27, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Review on BR-Online.de. ( Memento from January 9, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
