One of my favourite movies of all time is the Kirk Douglas-produced adventure saga THE VIKINGS. I love that movie.
I've known of the Viking film ERIK THE CONQUEROR for years but just never got round to watching it. I suspect I thought there was no way this Italian-produced spectacle could come anywhere near Douglas' vision. After all, ERIK THE CONQUEROR is a film that intentionally invites comparisons to the Douglas film.
Well I'm sorry I waited so long! With a beautiful new Blu-ray and DVD transfer from Arrow Video, ERIK THE CONQUEROR can now be enjoyed in all its restored glory.
And what a magnificent film it is! Directed by the Cinematographer-turned-Director Mario Bava, a cult favourite whose reputation is predominantly based on his being a master of horror films--sort of a Grand Guignol/Italian Alfred Hitchcock--ERIK THE CONQUEROR is packed with glorious compositions, opulent colours and action and spectacle galore.
And of course, being one of the first "Sex & Sandal" films, it has beautiful women in skimpy outfits. It is when pursuing some of these more questionable elements that it becomes apparent that ERIK THE CONQUEROR is not as good a film as THE VIKINGS. But it is still a superb film in its own right. (And I have nothing against women in skimpy outfits--I'm just saying that sometimes giving sway to more sensational content can compromise the artistic intent of a film. Sometimes.) Instead of watching with a critical attitude: "Oh, that's a rip-off of THE VIKINGS", it makes much more sense to simply enjoy the comparisons. One of the extras on the new release does just that, it compares the two movies, sometimes with segments from each film shown side by side. This is almost as fun as watching the movie. Yes, there are two brothers at the core of the story whose strained relationship accounts for much of the drama. Yes, there is a stunning sequence when Erik climbs a drawbridge with the help of strategically-placed arrows from his dead-eye archers, a sequence that is so obviously inspired by (better than "a rip-off of") the scene in THE VIKINGS when Kirk Douglas climbs a drawbridge with the help of several battle axes which have been thrown by his men to help him gain access to the enemy's castle. ERIK THE CONQUEROR is full of segments like this.
If there is one element that stood out for me as being superior to THE VIKINGS it was the way several shots of the sky looked like paintings, especially during battle scenes. It is one of the major achievements of ERIK THE CONQUEROR. It brought to mind Kubrick at his visual best, i.e. BARRY LYNDON.
But when you get right down to it, THE VIKINGS remains a superior movie to ERIK THE CONQUEROR. Why? Sheer star power. Kirk-Tony-Ernie-Janet, as well as some solid supporting actors like James Donald and Frank Thring give THE VIKINGS a weight that ERIK THE CONQUEROR simply can't match. Cameron Mitchell is the only star of note. He is terrific, though saddled by being 20 years too old for the part. That and having his lines dubbed into Italian while the English subtitles and his mouth movements clearly match. Some of the Italian actors are terrible, including one sad attempt at comic relief. Were Cameron Mitchell (a really wonderful actor who never got his big break) supported with actors of greater or equal talent, ERIK THE CONQUEROR may have transcended its status as a B movie. A brilliant B movie, but a B movie, nonetheless.
Still, ERIK THE CONQUEROR will appeal to action fans as being one of the very best of its kind.
I've known of the Viking film ERIK THE CONQUEROR for years but just never got round to watching it. I suspect I thought there was no way this Italian-produced spectacle could come anywhere near Douglas' vision. After all, ERIK THE CONQUEROR is a film that intentionally invites comparisons to the Douglas film.
Well I'm sorry I waited so long! With a beautiful new Blu-ray and DVD transfer from Arrow Video, ERIK THE CONQUEROR can now be enjoyed in all its restored glory.
And what a magnificent film it is! Directed by the Cinematographer-turned-Director Mario Bava, a cult favourite whose reputation is predominantly based on his being a master of horror films--sort of a Grand Guignol/Italian Alfred Hitchcock--ERIK THE CONQUEROR is packed with glorious compositions, opulent colours and action and spectacle galore.
And of course, being one of the first "Sex & Sandal" films, it has beautiful women in skimpy outfits. It is when pursuing some of these more questionable elements that it becomes apparent that ERIK THE CONQUEROR is not as good a film as THE VIKINGS. But it is still a superb film in its own right. (And I have nothing against women in skimpy outfits--I'm just saying that sometimes giving sway to more sensational content can compromise the artistic intent of a film. Sometimes.) Instead of watching with a critical attitude: "Oh, that's a rip-off of THE VIKINGS", it makes much more sense to simply enjoy the comparisons. One of the extras on the new release does just that, it compares the two movies, sometimes with segments from each film shown side by side. This is almost as fun as watching the movie. Yes, there are two brothers at the core of the story whose strained relationship accounts for much of the drama. Yes, there is a stunning sequence when Erik climbs a drawbridge with the help of strategically-placed arrows from his dead-eye archers, a sequence that is so obviously inspired by (better than "a rip-off of") the scene in THE VIKINGS when Kirk Douglas climbs a drawbridge with the help of several battle axes which have been thrown by his men to help him gain access to the enemy's castle. ERIK THE CONQUEROR is full of segments like this.
If there is one element that stood out for me as being superior to THE VIKINGS it was the way several shots of the sky looked like paintings, especially during battle scenes. It is one of the major achievements of ERIK THE CONQUEROR. It brought to mind Kubrick at his visual best, i.e. BARRY LYNDON.
But when you get right down to it, THE VIKINGS remains a superior movie to ERIK THE CONQUEROR. Why? Sheer star power. Kirk-Tony-Ernie-Janet, as well as some solid supporting actors like James Donald and Frank Thring give THE VIKINGS a weight that ERIK THE CONQUEROR simply can't match. Cameron Mitchell is the only star of note. He is terrific, though saddled by being 20 years too old for the part. That and having his lines dubbed into Italian while the English subtitles and his mouth movements clearly match. Some of the Italian actors are terrible, including one sad attempt at comic relief. Were Cameron Mitchell (a really wonderful actor who never got his big break) supported with actors of greater or equal talent, ERIK THE CONQUEROR may have transcended its status as a B movie. A brilliant B movie, but a B movie, nonetheless.
Still, ERIK THE CONQUEROR will appeal to action fans as being one of the very best of its kind.