The Long Ships (1964)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Jack Cardiff

Writers:

Frans G. Bengtsson (novel)
Beverley Cross (screenplay)

Release Date:

24 June 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure

Tagline:

The Greatest Viking Adventure Of Them All!

Plot:

There is a legend about a great bell, called "The Mother of Voices," made of pure gold, three times the size of a man, made by monks many years ago...

Plot Keywords:

Bell | Death | Gold | Viking | Brother Brother Relationship

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award.

Cast

Richard Widmark	...	Rolfe
Sidney Poitier	...	Aly Mansuh
Russ Tamblyn	...	Orm
Rosanna Schiaffino	...	Aminah
Oskar Homolka	...	Krok
Edward Judd	...	Sven
Lionel Jeffries	...	Aziz
Beba Loncar	...	Gerda
Clifford Evans	...	King Harald
Gordon Jackson	...	Vahlin
Colin Blakely	...	Rhykka
David Lodge	...	Olla
Henry Oscar	...	Auctioneer
Paul Stassino	...	Raschild
Jeanne Moody	...	Ylva

Also Known As:

Dugi brodovi (Yugoslavia: Serbian title)

Runtime:

USA:126 min

Country:

UK | Yugoslavia

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) | Australia:PG | West Germany:12 (nf) | Norway:16 | Netherlands:12 (2003) (DVD) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Yugoslavia

Company:

Avala Film

Trivia:

Film known for a torture contraption called the "Mare of Steel" depicted as a huge curved blade as large as a Trojan Horse, which unlucky prisoners were forced to climb and ride down on their exposed bellies, hands tied, splaying them open at it's base and impaling them on a bed of two foot steel spikes.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Leaving aside the issue of the sound of a bell made of gold, the bell could not the sound it does. It forms the dome of the building and is covered with concrete and stone which would stop the metal vibrating, absorbing the energy of the sound.

Quotes:

Rolfe: If we ever had children, my lady, what princely liars they would be!

THE VIKINGS meets John Cleese!

Churned out at pretty much the end of the cycle of epics, THE LONG SHIPS was NEVER meant to be taken seriously! Richard Widmark understood that - what's with this plethora of pseudo-intellectual reviews decrying cinematic and plotline aspects here. Wake up and smell the roses people, this is one for all and ALL for fun!

Even Poitier, hamming it up as OTHELLO with a wicked hairdresser, was secretly having fun! The whole misbegotten tale of the fabled golden bell was little more than a cack-fest but by GOD was the musical score great or what? I can still hear Dusan's stirring theme now, and I only saw the flick once at its Sydney premiere in '63.

Action aplenty, outrageous script and despite accusations to the contrary here, some gung-ho cinematography. This was never gonna be up for any Oscars, Widmark, Homolka and three quarters of the cast in fact, saw to that!