As pointed out by George MacDonald Fraser in his book, Hollywood History of the World, Kirk Douglas was born to play a Viking - one can imagine the moment he became a star people would pitch viking stories to him.
Douglas also produced this and its a film he should be very proud of - historically authentic (seemingly so, anyway); beautifully shot; gorgeous locations; plenty of plot involving rape, long-lost princes, half brothers kidnapped princesses, treacherous kings, being eaten by wolves, having a hand chopped off.
It's pretty full on, the vikings are never actually very likeable or sympathetic - Ernest Borgnine rapes Tony Curtis' mother in the first minute, Kirk Douglas dreams of a life with Janet Leigh where he constantly rapes her, they pillage and plunder. But I think people can handle that provided they suffer - Borgnine is torn apart by dogs, Douglas loses an eye and is gutted by a sword, etc.The nicer characters are Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh - but even Curtis is bitter and intense because of his experiences with the vikings (understandably).
The film plays with sympathies by having the climactic raid involving vikings taking on the English - who, after all, are only defending their homeland (its not their fault Frank Thring is a bad king; and yes it's nasty of Thring to want to throw Borgnine to the dogs but Borgnine kind of deserved it). But it seems to work. (Maybe they could have had emphasised more Curtis trying to take over his kingdom, so he has to go into cahoots with the Vikings to overthrow Thring - so it's political as opposed to just fighting for Leigh. They could have used James Donald for this - as it is, he's just an English traitor who seems to get away with it.)
Douglas and Borgnine are terrific; Curtis is good, too - his Brooklyn accent is a little distracting but he compensates for it with intensity, a beard and having a hand chopped off (his tiny shorts are irritating - it's like "come on, Tony, put some clothes on"); Thring makes a superb evil monarch (this was the first of his four classic "spectacular villains" performances); Janet Leigh is lovely (is that a padded bra? in the final scene it's like she's about to topple over forwards).
The story does get a bit repetitive in shots (two scenes of returning viking raiders, two scenes of a banquet to celebrate); the final battle is very well done and the final duel between Douglas and Curtis is electric (on top of a castle with no back projection so we see all these cliffs and rocks in the background); the theme tune is memorable; it ends with a viking funeral (although those who've seen History of the World Part I can't help think of the vikings taking off their hats, with their horns left on).
It also features two great "macho tearful" scenes: (a) Borgnine is about to be thrown to the wolves and looks at Curtis pleading for a sword and Curtis gives to him enabling Borgnine to die with his boots on, and (b) when Douglas is about to kill Curtis at the end but hesitates... giving Curtis time to skewer him. Right up there with Richard Burton killing Richard Harris at the end of The Wild Geese. Sniff.
Douglas also produced this and its a film he should be very proud of - historically authentic (seemingly so, anyway); beautifully shot; gorgeous locations; plenty of plot involving rape, long-lost princes, half brothers kidnapped princesses, treacherous kings, being eaten by wolves, having a hand chopped off.
It's pretty full on, the vikings are never actually very likeable or sympathetic - Ernest Borgnine rapes Tony Curtis' mother in the first minute, Kirk Douglas dreams of a life with Janet Leigh where he constantly rapes her, they pillage and plunder. But I think people can handle that provided they suffer - Borgnine is torn apart by dogs, Douglas loses an eye and is gutted by a sword, etc.The nicer characters are Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh - but even Curtis is bitter and intense because of his experiences with the vikings (understandably).
The film plays with sympathies by having the climactic raid involving vikings taking on the English - who, after all, are only defending their homeland (its not their fault Frank Thring is a bad king; and yes it's nasty of Thring to want to throw Borgnine to the dogs but Borgnine kind of deserved it). But it seems to work. (Maybe they could have had emphasised more Curtis trying to take over his kingdom, so he has to go into cahoots with the Vikings to overthrow Thring - so it's political as opposed to just fighting for Leigh. They could have used James Donald for this - as it is, he's just an English traitor who seems to get away with it.)
Douglas and Borgnine are terrific; Curtis is good, too - his Brooklyn accent is a little distracting but he compensates for it with intensity, a beard and having a hand chopped off (his tiny shorts are irritating - it's like "come on, Tony, put some clothes on"); Thring makes a superb evil monarch (this was the first of his four classic "spectacular villains" performances); Janet Leigh is lovely (is that a padded bra? in the final scene it's like she's about to topple over forwards).
The story does get a bit repetitive in shots (two scenes of returning viking raiders, two scenes of a banquet to celebrate); the final battle is very well done and the final duel between Douglas and Curtis is electric (on top of a castle with no back projection so we see all these cliffs and rocks in the background); the theme tune is memorable; it ends with a viking funeral (although those who've seen History of the World Part I can't help think of the vikings taking off their hats, with their horns left on).
It also features two great "macho tearful" scenes: (a) Borgnine is about to be thrown to the wolves and looks at Curtis pleading for a sword and Curtis gives to him enabling Borgnine to die with his boots on, and (b) when Douglas is about to kill Curtis at the end but hesitates... giving Curtis time to skewer him. Right up there with Richard Burton killing Richard Harris at the end of The Wild Geese. Sniff.
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