The Vikings (1958)

Einar and Eric are two Viking half-brothers. The former is a great warrior whilst the other is an ex-slave, but neither knows the true identity of the other. When the throne of Northumbria ... See full summary »

Director:

Richard Fleischer

Writers:

Calder Willingham (screenplay), Dale Wasserman (adaptation),

Stars:

Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Ernest Borgnine

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

Storyline

Einar and Eric are two Viking half-brothers. The former is a great warrior whilst the other is an ex-slave, but neither knows the true identity of the other. When the throne of Northumbria in Britain becomes free for the taking, the two brothers compete against one another for the prize, but they have very different motives - both involving the princess Morgana, however.

---

Plot Keywords:

viking | warrior | princess | ransom | kissing while having sex | 

---

Taglines:

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

---

Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History | Romance | War

---

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 June 1958 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Wikinger

Filming Locations:

Bavaria Filmstudios, Geiselgasteig, Grünwald, Bavaria, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bavaria Film, Brynaprod S.A., Curtleigh Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

At the end of the film, a Viking ship is set afire by flaming arrows in a rendering of a traditional Viking funeral. Director Richard Fleischer took great care to have the archers practice the moment, training them to release the arrows on the count of "three," and hoping at least some of the arrows would arc properly to hit the sail of the ship and set it on fire. When the time came for the live shot, the director only reached the count of "two", when one over-eager archer loosed his arrow. As luck would have it, the arrow arced perfectly and hit the sail. Then, Fleischer called, "Three!" and the other archers loosed their arrows. Fleischer decided that he liked the one, single arrow being launched first, and kept the shot in the film because it looked like part of the ceremony.

---

Goofs

When tony Curtis is about to face down Aella, he drives his sword into a Briton, which comes back up into shot covered in blood. Immediately afterwards he charges into the tower, but his sword is clean..

---

Quotes

Einar: Hail Ragnar! And hail Ragnar's beard!

---

Crazy Credits

One of the rare 1950s films to present all the credits at the end.

---

Connections

Featured in Queen of Hearts (1989)

User Reviews

Rousing fun!

I've always thought that this was a fun film to watch. Kirk Douglas with his impressive physique is well cast but I think Ernest Borgnine steals the show playing his father. A great role for him. Maybe Tony Curtis looks a little out of place among the vikings but he's always been a good enough actor to pull it off. Great sets and just beautiful cinematography. The film was shot on real locations in Norway. If you get a chance to see this just sit back and enjoy this fun adventure film.