By Brent Snyder (4/12/2022)
Robert Eggers' critically-acclaimed historical action drama "The Northman" - starring Alexander Skarsgard, Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe - is set to open nationwide on April 22. That leaves plenty of time to bone up on Vikings lore before opening weekend. Here are some choice movies and television series available for binging. Skol!
MOVIES
"The Vikings" (1958) - The first of the big Viking epics, "The Vikings" features some of the biggest movie stars of the era including Kirk Douglas ("Spartacus"), Tony Curtis ("The Defiant Ones"), Ernest Borgnine ("Marty") and Janet Leigh ("Psycho"). "The Vikings," based on the book of the same name by Edison Marshall, is inspired by the sagas of the famed Ragnar Lodbrok and his equally famous sons. Director Richard Fleischer ("20,000 Leagues Under the Sea") shoots the action-packed film in stunning Technicolor and makes the most of its athletic cast and beautiful natural locations.
"Erik the Conqueror" (1961) - Italian horror master Mario Bava ("Black Sunday") co-writes and directs this Italian/French loose adaptation of "The Vikings" with long lost Viking brothers Erik and Eron (George Ardisson and Cameron Mitchell) on rival sides in a war between England and Vikings. Alice and Ellen Kessler, known as the singing/dancing duo the Kessler Twins, co-star in the film as twin Vestal Virgins. Called "The Invaders" in Italy, the film was originally 98 minutes long - while an English-dubbed version, edited down to 81 minutes, was released in the U.S. in 1963.
"The Long Ships" (1964) - Famed cinematographer Jack Cardiff ("The African Queen") directs this U.K./Yugoslavia production based rather loosely on the Swedish novel "Rode Orm" by Frans G. Bengtsson. The film involves a Moorish king (played by Sidney Poitier) and Norsemen (played by Richard Widmark and Russ Tamblyn) searching for a fabled golden bell. Other notable cast members include Rosanna Schiaffino as Queen Aminah and Clifford Evans as King Harald Bluetooth.
"The Norsemen" (1978) - Charles B. Pierce ("The Legend of Boggy Creek") writes, produces and directs this tale of an 11th century Viking prince sailing to North America to rescue his father who had been kidnapped by a native tribe. He cast Lee Majors (who also co-produced) as Prince Thorvald, shot the film in Florida and hired football players from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to play Vikings (dressed in matching armor and horned helmets). This so-bad-its-good exploitation flick also features Mel Ferrer, Jack Elam, Kathleen Freeman and Deacon Jones.
"The 13th Warrior" (1999) - Director John McTiernan ("Die Hard") turns up the action for this adaptation of Michael Crichton's novel "Eaters of the Dead." Based on the classic tale "Beowulf" and Ahmad ibn Fadlan's historical accounts of Norsemen, "The 13th Warrior" presents Antonio Banderas ("Desperado") as a young poet who meets a crew of Vikings during his travels. When the Vikings answer a call to help defend a village from an unspeakable evil, the mild-mannered poet is dragged along on the mission - and learns to become a hero along the way. The cast includes Omar Sharif ("Dr. Zhivago"), Tony Curran ("Underworld: Evolution"), Diane Venora ("Wolfen") and Vladimir Kulich "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim").
"Outlander" (2008) - It's "Predator" meets "Beowulf" as Jim Caviezel ("Person of Interest") plays a spaceman who crashes his starship in 790 Norway. Passing himself off as a Northman to the nearby villagers, he claims to be hunting a "dragon" - which turns out to be predatory alien creature of great cunning and strength. The cast includes Sophia Myles ("Underworld"), Jack Huston ("Pride and Prejudice and Zombies"), Ron Perlman ("Hellboy") and John Hurt ("Alien").
"Valhalla Rising" (2008) - For a dark, art film take on Viking lore, look no furthur than director Nicolas Winding Refn's vision of desperate men lost in hellish landscapes. Mads Mikkelsen ("Hannibal") gives a captivating performance as a mute slave named One-Eye, known for his fighting skills in Viking settlements in the Scottish Highlands. He's taken by a band of Christian Norseman who intend to set sail for a crusade in the Holy Lands - only to become hopelessly lost at sea. When they finally make landfall, they find themselves in North America - where the crusaders decide to claim the land and conquer the local people. The native tribes meanwhile, have their own ideas on what to do with the Vikings.
"Hammer of the Gods" (2013) - In a sort of a Viking "Saving Private Ryan" meets "Heart of Darkness," young Norse Prince Steinar (Charlie Bewley) leads a band of Vikings across war-torn England to bring back his estranged brother from behind enemy lines. Director Farren Blackburn ("Daredevil") helms a solid action flick with an able cast including one of my favorite actors - Clive Standen ("Vikings"). The cast also includes Elliot Cowan ("Foundation"), Michael Gibson ("Last Night In Soho"), James Cosmo ("Wonder Woman"), Glynis Barber ("Point Break") and Alexandra Dowling ("Game of Thrones").
"Northmen: A Viking Saga" (2014) - Director Caludio Fah ("Sniper: Reloaded") delivers a fast-paced, action-packed Vikings adventure that hits the ground running and never lets up. Shipwrecked Vikings have but one goal - get to safe territory - and they'll have to fight their way across Scotland to get there. There's even some metal songs to accompany the sword/axe fighting provided by the bands Amon Amarth and Beyond the Black. The cast includes Charlotte Murphy ("The Last Kingdom"), Ed Skrein ("Deadpool"), Tom Hopper ("Resident Evil: Welcome to Racoon City"), Ryan Kwanten ("Hurricane Heist") and Ken Duken ("Robin Hood").
TELEVISION
"Vikings: Valhalla" (2022) - Showrunner/screenwriter Jeb Stuart ("Die Hard," "The Fugitive") continues the tale of TV's "Vikings" 100 years after the events of the long-running series. "Vikings:Valhalla" shows much has changed since the days of Ragnar, Lagertha and Bjorn Ironside. Peace has reigned between the peoples of England and Scandinavia, with many of the Vikings converting to Christianity and living in farming communities on English soil. But the St. Brice's Day Massacre of 1002, in which England exterminated and expelled Scandinavians from it's territory, shattered the peace and sparked new bloody conflicts rivaling the wars of the past. The cast includes Leo Suter, Sam Corlett ("Chilling Adventures of Sabrina"), Frida Gustavsson ("The Witcher"), Pollyanna McIntosh ("The Walking Dead"), Caroline Henderson and Laura Berlin.
"The Last Kingdom" (2022) - The fifth season of the popular Vikings vs. Saxons series finds hero Uhtred (Alexander Dreymon) in an unusual place for the warrior - peacetime. The Danes and Saxons in medieval England are successfully living under a truce with their respective kingdoms prospering. At least at the very start of the season - because the vengeful Brida (Emily Cox) has raised a Viking army in Iceland and launches a massive attack on England to enact revenge on Uhtred and anyone else she believes has wronged her. Based on author Bernard Cornwell's "The Saxon Stories" novels, "The Last Kingdom" spends time with the Saxon side of the story as well, with royal family drama and court intrigue. Behind castle walls, alliances, betrayals, infidelity and assassination attempts are the order of the day. One such assassination finds the wrong target, which has cataclysmic consequences that threaten to once again engulf both Saxons and Danes with the flames of war.
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