Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3604 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-03-31
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Danish, Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish
• Dubbed in: German, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 111 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Kirk Douglas produced the trendsetting barbarian epic The Vikings and took the showiest, most aggressive role: lusty Viking Prince Einar, the "only son in wedlock" of King Ragnar (a cackling, wild-eyed Ernest Borgnine). With jagged scars down his face and a milky-white blind eye that almost glows in his skull, Douglas has a rowdy time battling defiant slave Tony Curtis (the long-lost heir to the British throne) for the hand of the beautiful princess Janet Leigh. It's pure Hollywood hokum, sure, but spectacular hokum: the great cinematographer Jack Cardiff turns his Norway locations into a lush Valhalla on earth. Faced with an absurd story, journeyman director Richard Fleischer goes for the gusto in brawling Viking parties, furious sieges, and clanging broadsword battles. An enormous hit, the film spawned a huge wave of Viking movies, some perhaps smarter but none as much fun. --Sean Axmaker

Special Features
English
Region 2

Synopsis
Einar (Kirk Douglas), a hideously scarred Viking warrior, seeks land acquisition and the hand of the beautiful Princess Morgana (Janel Leigh). Einar crosses paths with Eric (Tony Curtis) who has his sights set on the same prizes. The two have more in common than they know; unbeknownst to one another, they are brothers.
This 1958 epic was based on an actual Viking, Ragnar Lothbrok, a sadistic and adventurous sailor. While not very rooted in fact, the film is a rousing adventure with lusty, violent imagery very bold for its time. A scene where Janet Leigh's clothing is ripped, enabling her to row a boat and exposing her back was considered very risque and undoubtedly added to the film's stellar performance at the box office. Ernest Borgnine shines as Ragnar and Jack Cardiff's photography is breathtaking. An opening animated historical prelude is narrated by Orson Welles.

Customer Reviews

Widescreen
This DVD isn't 1:66 (although it does say that on the box) it's anamorphic 2:35, & the picture looks just great.

An awsome spectacular.
I saw this for the first time about a year ago. It matches and excels most modern action films.

From Ragnar dying with a sword in his hand in the wolf pit (so he can go to Valhalla) to Douglas and Curtis fighting on top of the battlements of the Northumbrian castle. The whole film is pure entertainment, as Douglas takes his motorcycle club (sorry, Vikings) across the North Sea to lay seige to the English coastline.

I'm English and even I was rooting for the Vikings to win.

A joyous romp that offers everything you could ask for in an adventure movie
The title sequence sets the tone of The Vikings perfectly: the Bayeaux Tapestry as animated by UPA with narration by Orson Welles. Whereas a lot of Sixties epics became so introspective and glum that the genre ended up disappearing up its own backside, this 1958 romp makes no claims to be taken seriously and, consequently, is terrific fun. This is no saga of angst on an epic scale but a joyous romp that offers everything you could ask for in an adventure movie.

A huge battle, a Viking funeral and Frank Thring doing his epic thing as the wicked imposter king Aella - not to mention dialogue like "Love and hate are horns on the same goat" - this has got it all. Producer-star Kirk Douglas has a whale of a time, dancing on oars, smashing through stained glass windows and doing all manner of manly things. Tony Curtis is on good form as the slave who is, unknown to him, his brother, Ernest Borgnine is suitably unrestrained as their Viking dad and Janet Leigh - my, but she was a healthy girl in those days - a heroine worth losing your left hand for. Just as well, really, because Curtis does just that. Douglas also gets in on the act, indulging his cinematic penchant for mutilation (a finger in The Big Sky, and ear in Lust For Life) to lose an eye to a falcon.

James Donald has some wonderfully uncomfortable comic moments, but the rest of the casting is pure Hollywood (Janet Leigh as a WELSH princess?), with one truly surreal exception: Leigh's maid is played by Alf Garnett's late, lamented other half, bringing to mind the splendid picture of Kirk Douglas phoning up Central Casting and demanding "We're making a Viking picture - get me Dandy Nichols!"

Technically, the movie is first-rate, with Mario Nascimbene's hum-along music, Jack Cardiff's varied Scope photography and Harper Goff's production design all especially praiseworthy while the under-rated Richard Fleischer's direction is top-notch, ensuring that the film always looks good and keeps moving. The final swordfight atop a tower overlooking the sea is a particularly well handled bit of mayhem and swagger. As long as you're not Welsh (Wales is referred to as a slag heap not worth one day's raiding), you'll love it.

The Region 1 NTSC DVD includes an excellent 28-minute interview with Fleischer (though this is unforgiveably not included on the PAL DVD) and theatrical trailer.