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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This movie has entertaining action sequences, colourful costumes and an impressive picture quality. But the acting performances from Richard Widmark and Sidney Poitier are really bad but funny to watch. Especially Richard Widmark who plays a Viking and if you close your eyes when watching the movie, you would think you were watching a western. Also when you watch Sidney Poitier's performance, you would think you were watching a pantomine and one thing for certain is that the cast and crew were not taking this film seriousley. The story is also similair to "Jason and the argonauts" and the only difference is that the characters are searching for a golden bell instead of a golden fleece. I would advise you not to buy this movie and you should buy "The vikings" with Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis and Ernest Borginine.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
A real comic book of a movie with a bizarre cast, nonsensical script, shaky special effects, repetitive music yet a striking visual style with occasionally impressive direction. The Long Ships is one of those films that is so awful that it becomes enjoyable - a real Saturday afternoon popcorn flick that would make a great double bill with that other misguided epic - Taras Bulba.
I'm always amazed that Hollywood has not made more films about the Vikings, especially after the success of Kirk Douglas's film in the late 50s. The Long Ships seems a poor relation in comparison - I'm sure the ships were the ones left over from The Vikings. The director of The Long Ships - Jack Cardiff - was director of photography on The Vikings. But there the similarity between the two films ends.
The heroes of this soggy saga are two all-American Norsemen - Richard Widmark and Russ Tamblyn (the only ones without beards) who lead a motley crew of English, Irish and Scottish Vikings whose thane is an Austrian (the always watchable Oscar Homolka). The bad guys, by an incredible plot device, are the Moors in North Africa led by an unsmiling and uncomfortable Sidney Poitier. At least the rest of the cast know that the film is tongue in cheek (just listen to the dialogue) but Poitier is so gravely serious that you suspect he is auditioning for Othello. The wonderful British character actor Lionel Jeffries is blacked up as a comic mute eunuch in a strangely perverse piece of casting. The female members of the cast were obviously selected for their physical charms rather than any acting ability - and what a great pity it is that Rosanna Schiaffino ever changed out of her initial costume.
The plot revolves around the search for a huge bell made of solid gold - "as tall as three tall men".... Read more ›
I'm always amazed that Hollywood has not made more films about the Vikings, especially after the success of Kirk Douglas's film in the late 50s. The Long Ships seems a poor relation in comparison - I'm sure the ships were the ones left over from The Vikings. The director of The Long Ships - Jack Cardiff - was director of photography on The Vikings. But there the similarity between the two films ends.
The heroes of this soggy saga are two all-American Norsemen - Richard Widmark and Russ Tamblyn (the only ones without beards) who lead a motley crew of English, Irish and Scottish Vikings whose thane is an Austrian (the always watchable Oscar Homolka). The bad guys, by an incredible plot device, are the Moors in North Africa led by an unsmiling and uncomfortable Sidney Poitier. At least the rest of the cast know that the film is tongue in cheek (just listen to the dialogue) but Poitier is so gravely serious that you suspect he is auditioning for Othello. The wonderful British character actor Lionel Jeffries is blacked up as a comic mute eunuch in a strangely perverse piece of casting. The female members of the cast were obviously selected for their physical charms rather than any acting ability - and what a great pity it is that Rosanna Schiaffino ever changed out of her initial costume.
The plot revolves around the search for a huge bell made of solid gold - "as tall as three tall men".... Read more ›
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The Long Ships is a wildly enjoyable and utterly ridiculous adventure romp where everyone knows they're not making a work of art here and just has fun. Well, maybe everyone but Sidney Poitier's villainous Moor, who doesn't seem to be in on the joke, although he really should have been able to tell from the casting - Richard Widmark and Russ Tamblyn play Oskar Homolka's sons searching for mythical giant golden bell "The Mother of Voices" while their Viking crew includes the likes of Gordon Jackson, Colin Blakely and David Lodge, with Lionel Jeffries turning up in blackface as a rather bizarre mute eunuch in a harem scene that was clearly a major influence on Carry On Up the Khyber. The only downside is some very dubious looking illegal horsefalls.
Columbia's DVD boasts a good widescreen transfer and includes the original theatrical trailer.
Columbia's DVD boasts a good widescreen transfer and includes the original theatrical trailer.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By D. Hilsdon
Format:DVD
Far, far more enjoyable than The Vikings! A romp from start to finish - I saw this as a child years ago and have always loved it! The harem scene, the bell, the whirlpool .... YES! Buy this and laugh! And if you can ever find 'The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood' get that, too, it's equally superbly silly!
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Lets not be too critical of a film that does not take itself too seriously. Although it plays fast and loose with Frans Bengtssons book of the same name, it is still a ripping good yarn. Only a handful of films have been made about the Vikings, which is strange given their exciting history. They fought and lived in lands as far away as Greenland, where they obtained the fabled unicorns antler which in fact came from the rare Narwhal whale, to Constantinople which they knew as Miklagard, where they provided the Byzantine Emperors personal Varangian guard. It is a flavour of this roving adventurous spirit that we are given in this film.
The film is bound to be compared with "The Vikings"(58) whose success it no doubt tried to emulate. The cinematographer for that film the legendary Jack Cardiff took on the directorial duties for "The Long Ships". The story concerns the epic voyage of Rolfe, played by Richard Widmark, and his crew of Norsemen in search of a fabled giant bell called "The mother of Voices". The bell being made of solid gold. Perhaps not so preposterous as it sounds. The Vikings were noted for their epic voyages to strange and distant lands and certainly had a thirst for gold, their hoards still turning up with regularity around Europe. The adventurers encounter many dangers and are shipwrecked on North African shores where they fall into the hands of the bloodthirsty Aly Mansuh played by a very dashing Sidney Poitier. After facing "The Mare of steel", a fiendish Moorish form of execution they are enlisted by Mansuh to find the bell. After further wanderings the bell is located at "The Pillar of Hercules", the ancient Greek name for Gibraltar. A battle ensues in which the Vikings are victorious over the Moors and Aly Mansuh dies crushed by the bell.... Read more ›
The film is bound to be compared with "The Vikings"(58) whose success it no doubt tried to emulate. The cinematographer for that film the legendary Jack Cardiff took on the directorial duties for "The Long Ships". The story concerns the epic voyage of Rolfe, played by Richard Widmark, and his crew of Norsemen in search of a fabled giant bell called "The mother of Voices". The bell being made of solid gold. Perhaps not so preposterous as it sounds. The Vikings were noted for their epic voyages to strange and distant lands and certainly had a thirst for gold, their hoards still turning up with regularity around Europe. The adventurers encounter many dangers and are shipwrecked on North African shores where they fall into the hands of the bloodthirsty Aly Mansuh played by a very dashing Sidney Poitier. After facing "The Mare of steel", a fiendish Moorish form of execution they are enlisted by Mansuh to find the bell. After further wanderings the bell is located at "The Pillar of Hercules", the ancient Greek name for Gibraltar. A battle ensues in which the Vikings are victorious over the Moors and Aly Mansuh dies crushed by the bell.... Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Long Ships [DVD] [1963] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]
I've longed searched for this DVD in all the shops that sell such items, and never found it in any of them.
Amazon came up trumps with the goods. Read more
Amazon came up trumps with the goods. Read more
Published 12 days ago by Shaky
5.0 out of 5 stars
a good old yarn
thoroughly enjoyed this film which cast Richard widmark as a viking. Sidney Poitier as the evil prince and Russ Tamblyn as rolfes brother. A right rollicking yarn.
Published 5 months ago by muriel richardson
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Long Ships
The cheaper cousin to the Vikings with Richard Widmark looking a tad uncomfortable in his viking garb. Read more
Published on 4 Nov 2009 by G. James
1.0 out of 5 stars
Infantile racist nonsense.
There is nothing remotely appealing or entertaining about this dreadful movie.
The plot relies on the notion that white skinned people are good and dark skinned people... Read more
The plot relies on the notion that white skinned people are good and dark skinned people... Read more
Published on 10 Mar 2008 by Prof TBun
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