Great Medieval Film | The Vikings | Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis

More than a Bit Corny but Great Performances From the Stars | The Vikings | Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis

DVDs:


	• The Vikings Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis MGM, 2002 average customer review:based on 98 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Hollywood Hokum at it's most shamelessly entertaining

The cast is impeccable, the melodrama is lusty, the score is buoyant, the historical inaccuracies abound, the action is rollicking and the location work is gorgeous. It's a little action-lite for a Viking film, but none-the-less it's thoroughly enjoyable.

Great Medieval Film

I disagree with the description of "hokum" (in the product description) as this film portrays the period it is set in better than any film during those glory days of Hollywood. The story of course is fiction, but such ironic historical events happened in ancient and medieval times. Lost heirs to thrones, bastard children of royalty and many other situations were not unusual. Europe reached a point with respect to royalty where many of the royal families of different nations were related. By the time of World War I the Czar of Russia and the King of England (who were related) looked like twins. This movie is good historical fiction and portrays the culture of the place, time and ethnic groups (Vikings and English) better than any movie made up to its time and as good as any made since. For that reason I used it many years ago in medieval history classes that I taught. The amount of Viking cultural elements brought into this movie, as well as the accurate images of buildings, towns, costumes, ships, etc. make this movie a "gem". It also makes an effort to not be extravagant with costumes and buildings in the Hollywood way. So if some artifact in the film is elegant looking (such as Kirk Douglas' eye-covering Viking helmet), it's probably accurate. That helmet is. If memory serves me correctly, I believe there is a scenario involving some European kingdom that is actually very similar to this movie plot. If I am correct, perhaps it was known to the writers of this movie. Keep in mind that even Shakespeare's Macbeth was based on a true murder story and struggle for a throne. I've always felt, as a history student and teacher, that this movie (The Vikings) and The Warlord with Charlton Heston & Richard Boone were the two best film portrayals of medieval times from earlier Hollywood years. I also believe the two films can stand toe-to-toe with movies made since. Amazon has the Warlord available also.

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More than a Bit Corny but Great Performances From the Stars

A pretty entertaining film from the 50's combining solid performances and beautiful cinematography . The Vikings held up pretty well over time. Ernest Borgnine is actually fabulous as a Viking King. Kirk Douglas is standard issue "Kirk Douglas" as his son and the two of them together spill wine all over their costumes as they play the lusty Viking role for all it's worth.
The plot revolves around a love triangle involving an English princess attractively portrayed by Janet Leigh. Tony Curtis is passable as a slave with a secret past.

Some of the screenplay is a bit corny. Borgnine must yell out "What A Son!" a half dozen times - but overall it's an entertaining two hours.

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I Lived In Norway Where Vikings Roamed

I lived in Norway for some 6 years and grew to know the language, people and customs. It was an experience I can never forget. I saw the actual Viking ships and weaponry, traversed the very fjords and mountains and lived there in Telemark and in Trondheim where St. Olav reigned.

There could be no more majestic a film than this one. Reading the Heimskringla (History of the Norwegian Kings) gave me even greater imagery and concepts of how rough those times were. This film depicted in a very wonderful fashion the life and struggles of those nomadic warriors and the beauty of their homeland. The landscapes and music reflected the mood of those rough and daring times. Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis were the ideal actors for those parts.

Having been to those actual locations and seeing the towering heights of fjord mountains and deep frigid weather and enduring several trips over the north sea proved to me the Vikings and their descendants are rugged, noble and awe-inspiring. The true story of St. Olav is even more astounding....for ever there was a Viking King and a Catholic Saint....he was the one...and the Vikings he led more than glamourous but real.

This movie was and always will be excellent

Jesse Jr.

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Hollywood legends Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Ernest Borgnine and Janet Leigh dazzle in this epic chronicle of brutal rivalry and bloodthirsty ambition. Roaring through the 9th century with powerful performances and "brilliant visual drama" (Cue), The Vikings is a riveting "spectacle of have-at-'em action" (Los Angeles Examiner)! Bitter hatred divides two brothers. Prince Einar (Douglas) is the son and heir of a savage Viking chieftain. Prince Eric (Curtis) is his unknowing half-brother, the bastard offspring of Einar's father and an English queen. When the Vikings kidnap a princess (Leigh), her beauty inflames the desires of both men, forcing a bloody duel thatdecides their fate and the future of the English throne.

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