The Vikings

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

1958 1h 55m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 387

AdventureHistoryAction

Synopsis

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Einar, brutal son of the viking Ragnar and future heir to his throne, tangles with clever slave Eric, for the hand of a beautiful English maiden.

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

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Kirk Douglas
Einar
Tony Curtis
Eric
Ernest Borgnine
Ragnar
Janet Leigh
Morgana
James Donald
Lord Egbert
Alexander Knox
Father Godwin
Maxine Audley
Enid
Frank Thring
Aella

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Richard Fleischer
Writers: Calder Willingham
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 0% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

68 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Richard Fleischer, shot by Jack Cardiff. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mario Nascimbene. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis and Ernest Borgnine carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Mightiest Of Men... Mightiest Of Spectacles... Mightiest Of Motion Pictures!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0052365 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Richard Fleischer directs. Jack Cardiff behind the camera. Mario Nascimbene scores. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 0% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
268 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Richard Fleischer, shot by Jack Cardiff. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Mario Nascimbene. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis and Ernest Borgnine carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Mightiest Of Men... Mightiest Of Spectacles... Mightiest Of Motion Pictures!".
7IMDB entry: tt0052365 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 17 themes, including "based on novel or book", "scandinavia", "vikings (norsemen)", "norway".

The technical file

Cinematography: Jack Cardiff
Original score: Mario Nascimbene
Production design: Harper Goff
Makeup / hair: Neville Smallwood
Runtime: 115 min · 1h 55m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $5,000,000
Box office: $20,311
Return: 0% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Vikings (1958)

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Richard Fleischer

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2019-01-26
★ 8/10
Rugged pillaging in the offering. Unknown to both men, warrior Einar and disgraced slave Eric, are in fact half-brothers. As the kingdom of Northumbria becomes ripe for the taking, both men, with a fancy for Princess Morganna, are heading for the revelation right in amongst their bitter rivalry. Kirk Douglas (Einar) and Tony Curtis (Eric) would both re-team for Spartacus two years after this sword and sandal swasher had hit the screens in 1958. That Spartacus is considerably a better film all told is a given, but The Vikings stands up well as an entertaining precursor to that Thracien slave classic. Based on the novel of the same name written by Edison Marshall, The Vikings makes up for what it lacks in authenticity with sheer gusto enhanced sword swishing adventure. These Vikings may not totally convince as mead swigging, women chasing, pillagers of England, yet running along side Mario Nascimbene's terrific score and Jack Cardiff's excellent photography (the Norway location scenes are breath taking), it doesn't take much for the discerning genre fan to get swept away in it all. Douglas and Curtis give it a good blast, while Janet Leigh as Morganna perks her breasts out and actually becomes believable as a lady lusted after by two rough and ready ruffians. However, The Vikings doesn't sit up in the top echelons of swords and sandals pictures, something which irked both Douglas and director Richard Fleischer and caused them to hold each other responsible during the following years. With bad weather, injuries to actors and even a strike by Norwegian oarsmen to contend with, it was a far from easy shoot. Casting those issues aside, one tends to think that Douglas' ire was warranted, for Fleischer was clearly the wrong choice for the piece. He chooses to go for a more genial, almost comic book approach, which sadly loses what earthy grit and grime feel the film needed once Orson Welles' splendid opening narration had set things up for a bodice ripping sword slashing epic. The director isn't found lacking with his action sequences though. With the likes of Fantastic Voyage, 20000 Leagues Under The Sea & 10 Rillington Place on his CV, he clearly was a director of worth. Here he impresses with his construction of the kinetic sword fights, while the attack on Nothumberland Castle (really it's Brittany, France, with Cardiff's camera working the oracle) is brilliantly staged and pumps the pulse rate considerably. Pic is often violent and features some genre moments never to be forgotten (Einar losing his eye, Ragnar and the Wolf Pit, The Running the Oars tradition), while it's also pleasing to find a director overseeing some attentive research that opens up the craftsman side of the Viking hoards. So all in all it's a fine and entertaining genre picture that's arguably more fun than dramatic gold, a film that was a fave of many who got lost in its charms all those years ago. The flaws and minor frustrations are obvious when one revisits with older and wiser eyes, but regardless one should crack open the mead and enjoy the sheer grizzled guts of it all. 8/10
CinemaSerf2024-06-14
★ 7/10
This is one of these films that I can watch time and time again - it is Hollywood at it's best. Historical shmorical, that doesn't matter - it is a quickly paced action adventure with a strong cast delivering an enjoyable to watch drama. It all starts when some marauding Vikings deprive the English of their King. That leaves their kingdom in the hands of the malevolent King "Aella" (Frank Thring) who cottons on quite quickly that he has traitor in his midst - and that'd be "Egbert" (James Donald) who manages to flee to King "Ragnar" (Ernest Borgnine) and his handsome son "Einar" (Kirk Douglas) for who he promises to draw maps facilitating further raids on the terrified English. It is whilst showing off his hawking skills to their new guest that Douglas encounters the slave "Eric" (Tony Curtis) and after a tussle involving who's got the best bird - he becomes "one-Einar" and but for a timely intervention from Odin, that could have been the end for the young slave... Meantime, the maps have provided their first harvest - the Princess "Morgana" (Janet Leigh) who is betrothed to "Aella" and so is a valuable hostage. Curtis manages to escape with the young woman and her feisty handmaiden "Bridget" (Dandy Nichols) only to be pursued through the treacherous fog by the Norsemen... It's got just about everything. A great cast with plenty going on, a soupçon of lively romance, plenty of rumbustious activity - some poor girl with her head in a wheel having axes lobbed at her head, oh - and don't wear your bodice too tight. The ending is a bit daft, but there is chemistry a-plenty between the stars, Borgnine is having great fun and if you like your movies full to the brim of well photographed escapades with one of the best castle sieges I've seen, then this is for you... It's not cerebral, the writing won't win any prizes - it is just entertaining.