The Vikings [Blu-ray]

Director: Richard Fleischer Richard Fleischer

Overview

Inspired by the novel The Viking by Edison Marshall, The Vikings was lensed on location in Norway under extremely adverse weather conditions. Adding to the difficulty was the fact that star Kirk Douglas and director Richard Fleischer never quite found a common ground, and for years thereafter would hold each other responsible for the film's falling short of its potential. Still, the finished product is quite a feast for the eyes and ears. Douglas, the son of Viking leader Ernest Borgnine, carries on a film-length feud with slave Tony Curtis, who, though he does not realize it, is actually his illegitimate son. This personal battle comes to a head when Douglas and Curtis both lay claim on captured English princess Janet Leigh. The scene everyone remembers in The Vikings finds Borgnine, at the mercy of wicked monarch Frank Thring, defiantly throwing himself into a pit of ravenous wolves. Launched into distribution with one of the splashiest ad campaigns in United Artists' history, The Vikings proved an enormous success; it inspired the 1959 TV series Tales of the Vikings, which utilized the film's props, costumes and scale-model ships. In 1964, The Vikings served as the inagural presentation of ABC's Sunday Night Movie series.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/08/2016
UPC:	0738329203108
Original Release:	1958
Rating:	NR
Source:	Kl Studio Classics
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound]
Language:	English
Time:	1:56:00

Special Features

A tale of Norway: featurette with director Richard Fleischer; Trailer gallery

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Kirk Douglas	Einar,Young Boy
Tony Curtis	Eric,Young Girl
Janet Leigh	Morgana
Ernest Borgnine	Ragnar
James Donald	Egbert
Alexander Knox	père Godwin
Frank Thring	King Aella
Maxine Audley	Enid
Eileen Way	Kitala
Edric Connor	Sandpiper
Dandy Nichols	Bridget
Almut Berg	Pigtails
Per Buckhøj	Actor
Georges Guéret	Viking Warrior
Paul Préboist	Extra
Orson Welles	Narrator,Narrator (uncredited)
Peter Capell	Minor Role
Henri Lopez	Viking Warrior
Marco Perrin	Extra
Per Buchhij	Bjorn
Mario Nascimbene	Composer

Technical Credits

Calder Willingham

Dale Wasserman

Jerry Bresler	Producer
Kirk Douglas	Executive Producer,Producer
Richard Fleischer	Director
Calder Willingham	Screenwriter
Dale Wasserman	Screenwriter
Ken Buckle	Stunts

Editorial Reviews

A big, robust and hearty adventure epic, The Vikings is no classic, but it provides a considerable amount of entertainment value, especially for those who are fans of empty-minded action. Not that Vikings doesn't have other things on its mind than fights and wolf pits and manly punishments; it's just that its mind doesn't really move too deeply into those other things. Yes, Janet Leigh is on hand for some "kiss panels" and to provide the appropriate plot complications, but she's handled rather mechanically. And there's plenty of family secrets and hidden rivalries, but they're not etched in a particularly Eugene O'Neill-insightful manner. No, Vikings is your typical Saturday morning adventure flick, but blown up big and given a generous budget and estimable cast. The stars can't do a lot with the material, of course, but Kirk Douglas clearly enjoys the chance to let all the stops out and prove that he can both act AND bound across a row of oars. Tony Curtis is not so comfortable with the goings-on and, as is often the case with a period costume piece, doesn't really seem to fit in. But Ernest Borgnine is a hoot as the Viking father to end all Viking fathers, and Leigh looks lovely and determined. It's visually a delight, especially with Jack Cardiff's powerful cinematography. Richard Fleischer's direction is not his best, but it's much more than adequate and keeps things moving at a lively pace.