- Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B001K2OC56
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 51,232 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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The Long Ships is a rollicking, action-packed Viking adventure saga starring Richard Widmark and Sidney Poitier. Viking brothers Rolfe (Widmark) and Orm (Russ Tamblyn) steal the Norse king's funeral ship as well as his beautiful daughter, Gerda (Beba Loncar), and head off in search of the fabled "Mother of Voices," a huge solid-gold bell "as tall as three tall men." The brothers battle a maelstrom, a mutinous crew and vengeful Moorish troops led by Prince El Mansuh (Poitier). Highlighted by rousing battle scenes, daring escapes and humorous interludes, Time magazine stated The Long Ships has "more enjoyable bloody foolishness than many an epic costing three times as much." Widescreen version. Region-2 compatible (suitable for all UK DVD players).
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Out of Columbia Pictures comes this Viking/Moors adventure very loosely based on the Swedish novel of the same name written by Frans G. Bengtsson. Produced by Irving Allen, it's directed by Jack Cardiff and stars Richard Widmark, Sidney Poitier & Russ Tamblyn. It's a Technicolor/Technirma 70 production with cinematography from Christopher Challis, who shoots on location along the Yugoslavia coast. The plot follows the search and fights for a fabled golden bell known as The Mother of Voices. On one side is the Moor army led by king Aly Mansuh (Poitier), on the other is the Norsemen led by Rolfe (Widmark).
Thought to be an attempt at cashing in on the success of Richard Fleischer's The Vikings and Anthony Mann's El Cid (in spite of there being a 6 and 3 year gap respectively?), The Long Ships is a messy film bogged down by confused intentions and a poor script from Beverley Cross & Berkely Mather. Things are also problematic within the cast as Widmark, sensing the turgid nature of the beast, plays it for laughs, while a disgruntled Poitier gives it the maximum effort trying to make it work. The rest of the cast are, it seems, just along for a meal ticket ride. Even Dusan Radic's score is boisterously out of place, loud and uneven with the action, it's a score that would be more at home with an Asterix The Gaul cartoon. However, and depending on if you can forgive the nonsense history and all round bad narrative, there's still some fun to be had. Be it intentional or not. The costuming is effective, while Challis' coastal photography is gorgeous and sparkles in Technicolor. The action sequences are competently staged by Cardiff {cinematographer on The Vikings funnily enough}, tho the site of an army being felled by weapons unseen is hilariously bad. With sea-storms, double-crosses and the evil Mare Of Steel execution device, there's enough to have made this something of a cult favourite with the adventure fan. So bad it's good? Well it's not quite in that category, but newcomers entering into it expecting anything other than a dumb downed costume adventure will be sorely disappointed. 5/10
Thought to be an attempt at cashing in on the success of Richard Fleischer's The Vikings and Anthony Mann's El Cid (in spite of there being a 6 and 3 year gap respectively?), The Long Ships is a messy film bogged down by confused intentions and a poor script from Beverley Cross & Berkely Mather. Things are also problematic within the cast as Widmark, sensing the turgid nature of the beast, plays it for laughs, while a disgruntled Poitier gives it the maximum effort trying to make it work. The rest of the cast are, it seems, just along for a meal ticket ride. Even Dusan Radic's score is boisterously out of place, loud and uneven with the action, it's a score that would be more at home with an Asterix The Gaul cartoon. However, and depending on if you can forgive the nonsense history and all round bad narrative, there's still some fun to be had. Be it intentional or not. The costuming is effective, while Challis' coastal photography is gorgeous and sparkles in Technicolor. The action sequences are competently staged by Cardiff {cinematographer on The Vikings funnily enough}, tho the site of an army being felled by weapons unseen is hilariously bad. With sea-storms, double-crosses and the evil Mare Of Steel execution device, there's enough to have made this something of a cult favourite with the adventure fan. So bad it's good? Well it's not quite in that category, but newcomers entering into it expecting anything other than a dumb downed costume adventure will be sorely disappointed. 5/10
I rememberer this movie from when I was very, very young and tv was in black and white.
OK, the film is historically incorrect, but it sure has it's charm as an old adventure movie and that's how you need to look at it. Not the special effects we are getting more and more used to, but light and deliberately funny, sometimes also funny because of stupid mistakes of the makers.... All in all it was nice to be able to see the film again with an adult eye and to be allowed to just be a boy viewing a not too serious adventure.
OK, the film is historically incorrect, but it sure has it's charm as an old adventure movie and that's how you need to look at it. Not the special effects we are getting more and more used to, but light and deliberately funny, sometimes also funny because of stupid mistakes of the makers.... All in all it was nice to be able to see the film again with an adult eye and to be allowed to just be a boy viewing a not too serious adventure.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Let's 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 unicorn's 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. Will they find the bell, and if so how will they escape Aly's clutches?
The story resembles the wanderings of Odysseus and its use of classical locations enforces that view. The film certainly has some quirky bits. I think of the mayhem in the harem particularly, but then what is a red blooded Viking supposed to do in a harem? Then of course who can forget the sight of the solid gold bell bobbing like a piece of balsa wood in the ocean. Perhaps that was what it was really made of? Then there was Lionel Jefferies dressed up as a very clownish Moor in a hilarious piece of miscasting, or was it deliberate? I watched this film as a boy and enjoyed it then. Perhaps I have never grown up because I sat with schoolboy enthusiasm and enjoyed watching it again recently. No it is not a classic that is for sure, but it is a fun romp and does actually pick up a feel of the Vikings roving spirit. Sit back, don't take it too seriously and you may actually enjoy it.
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. Will they find the bell, and if so how will they escape Aly's clutches?
The story resembles the wanderings of Odysseus and its use of classical locations enforces that view. The film certainly has some quirky bits. I think of the mayhem in the harem particularly, but then what is a red blooded Viking supposed to do in a harem? Then of course who can forget the sight of the solid gold bell bobbing like a piece of balsa wood in the ocean. Perhaps that was what it was really made of? Then there was Lionel Jefferies dressed up as a very clownish Moor in a hilarious piece of miscasting, or was it deliberate? I watched this film as a boy and enjoyed it then. Perhaps I have never grown up because I sat with schoolboy enthusiasm and enjoyed watching it again recently. No it is not a classic that is for sure, but it is a fun romp and does actually pick up a feel of the Vikings roving spirit. Sit back, don't take it too seriously and you may actually enjoy it.
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