Erik the Conqueror (1961)

Two estranged brothers confront each other as rivals when war breaks out between Britain and the Vikings for control of England.

Director:

Mario Bava

Writers:

Oreste Biancoli (story), Piero Pierotti (story)

Stars:

Cameron Mitchell, Alice Kessler, Ellen Kessler

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Cameron Mitchell	...	Eron
Alice Kessler	...	Rama
Ellen Kessler	...	Daya
George Ardisson	...	Erik (as Giorgio Ardisson)
Andrea Checchi	...	Sir Rutford
Jean-Jacques Delbo	...	Olaf (as Jacques Delbò)
Franco Giacobini	...	Rustichello
Raf Baldassarre	...	Floki (as Raffaele Baldassarre)
Enzo Doria	...	Bennet
Gianni Solaro	...	Ranco
Franco Ressel	...	King Lotar
Livia Contardi	...	Hadda
Folco Lulli	...	Viking King Harald
Françoise Christophe	...	Regina Alice (as Françoise Cristophe)

Storyline

In the 9th Century, two Viking children, separated since their early childhood with one raised by the British and the other by Vikings, meet after nearly 20 years as rivals as war breaks out between Britian and the Vikings for control of England.

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Plot Keywords:

sword and sandal | twin | psychotronic film | betrayal | dancing | 

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Taglines:

Calling forth a MIRACLE OF BRAVERY! Massive EXCITING SPECTACLE!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

12 June 1963 (USA)

Also Known As:

Erik the Conqueror

Filming Locations:

Titanus Appia Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lyre Films, Critérion Film, Galatea Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Cameron Mitchell's voice is dubbed by another actor in the English-language version.

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Goofs

When the vine bridge breaks, Eron grabs the vines and swings toward the rocky wall of the chasm. At the moment of the impact, the "rocky" surface wobbles visibly.

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Quotes

Eron: In death, I have but one companion: my sword.

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Connections

Featured in The Imitators (2017)

User Reviews

Great Visuals and Action

Erik the Conqueror (1961)

*** (out of 4)

Eron (Cameron Mitchell) and Erik (George Ardisson), as children, witness their father brutally murdered during a Viking massacre. After the massacre Erik is taken in by the Queen while Eron grows up as a viking. Twenty-years later the two are on a collision course.

ERIK THE CONQUEROR is quite the action picture as director Mario Bava certainly made the film look like a much bigger budget than I'm sure it had. There's no question that this film was riding on the success of THE VIKINGS but obviously the Italian production didn't have the big stars, the big budget or an unlimited amount of resources. That's what made Bava so special. He could take a small budget and make the picture look like something from a major studio.

I think the weakest thing here is the actual story since it's really nothing original and there's really nothing here that we haven't seen countless times before. Where the film succeeds is on every other level and we can start with the wonderful cinematography. This is certainly a beautiful picture to look at with the camera-work really bringing the settings to life. You've got the wonderful use of color that adds to the picture and just take a look at the camera work during the opening battle. This battle sequence was perfectly shot and it manages to grab you and throw you right into the action.

The action scenes are all handled with extreme craft and perfection. The movie certainly contains some rather violent moments to add to the fun and I'm sure the kiddies watching this during a matinée were quite shocked. The film also benefits from some nice performances with Mitchell leading the way. He was very strong in the lead role and managed to really sell the character. Ardisson isn't quite as good but he's at least fun as is Alice Kessler and Ellen Kessler as the love interest.

ERIK THE CONQUEROR isn't a masterpiece but it's certainly a highly entertaining action film.