The Vikings (1958)

Director:

Richard Fleischer

Writers:

Edison Marshall (novel)
Dale Wasserman (adaptation)

Release Date:

28 June 1958 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure

Tagline:

Mightiest Of Men... Mightiest Of Spectacles... Mightiest Of Motion Pictures!

Plot:

Einar and Eric are two Viking half-brothers. The former is a great warrior whilst the other is an ex-slave...

Plot Keywords:

Viking | Warrior | Princess | Stabbed In The Chest | Eye Injury

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Kirk Douglas	...	Einar
Tony Curtis	...	Eric
Ernest Borgnine	...	Ragnar
Janet Leigh	...	Morgana
James Donald	...	Egbert
Alexander Knox	...	Father Godwin
Maxine Audley	...	Enid
Frank Thring	...	Aella
Eileen Way	...	Kitala
Edric Connor	...	Sandpiper
Dandy Nichols	...	Bridget
Per Buckhøj	...	Bjorn

Also Known As:

:The Vikings: (USA) (alternative spelling)
Die Wikinger (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
I vichinghi (Italy) [it]
Les Vikings (France) [fr]
Los vikingos (Spain) [es]
Viikingit (Finland) [fi]
Vikingarna (Sweden) [sv]
Vikingerne (Denmark) [da]
Vikings (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Vikings, os Conquistadores (Brazil) [pt]

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 (re-rating) | Norway:16 (original rating) | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | West Germany:16 | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Brittany, France

Company:

Brynaprod S.A.

Trivia:

The three Viking ships in the film were designed using blueprints for an actual Viking ship salvaged from the water and restored by a Viking museum in Norway. It turned out that the boats built for the film were too accurate, because the modern actors were taller than their historical counterparts. Every other oar hole had to be plugged so the modern men would have room to row with a full oar stroke. Otherwise, they would hit the backs of the oarsmen seated in front of them when pushing the oar handles forward to start each new stroke.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The end credits are based upon the Bayeux Tapestry, a record of the 1066 Norman Conquest of Britain. Although the Normans had Viking forbears, such a was not at all representative of native Viking art.

Quotes:

Einar: All right, you can keep the slave... for as long as you live.

Movie Connections:

Featured in ... A Father... A Son... Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2005) (TV)

Realistic and brutal depiction of Viking life.

Two Viking half brothers (who are unaware that they are related) fight over Welsh Princess Morgana, who has been captured during a raid in England while en-route to marry the King of Northumbria.

A handsomely mounted historical epic in the old tradition. However, a great deal of effort was made to achieve accuracy in terms of clothes, villages, ships, weapons etc. The stunning Norwegian locations add to the authenticity, and are breathtakingly photographed in Technirama by master cinematographer Jack Cardiff.

Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis and Ernest Borgnine all give strong performances, although the characters are hard to like. The level of brutality is quite surprising for a film made in 1958, and the overall atmosphere is one of harshness.

While the film is perhaps not quite in the league of 'Spartacus' or 'El Cid' in terms of epic status, it is admirably authentic, unsentimental and vigorous.