The Vikings

The Vikings (1958)

Timing: 1:55 (115 min)

7.037/10
301

7.286/10
4902

7/10
17000

All about film

Video 2

Photo 11

Actors and characters

Release date

1958-06-11

Country

Switzerland, United States

Production

United Artists, Curtleigh Productions, Brynaprod S.A.

Genre

Action, Adventure, History

Budget

$5 000 000

Revenue

$20 311

Website

Director

Richard Fleischer

Actors

Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Ernest Borgnine, Janet Leigh, James Donald, Alexander Knox, Maxine Audley, Frank Thring, Eileen Way, Edric Connor
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Jerry Bresler

Operator

Jack Cardiff

Composer

Mario Nascimbene

Artist

Audition

Editing

All team (19)

• The Viking ships were built from the drawings of an authentic vessel that had been salvaged, restored, and exhibited in a museum in Norway. It turned out, however, that the ships created for the film were recreated too accurately, as modern actors were taller than their on-screen counterparts. Every other oar port had to be plugged to give the actors enough room to row, otherwise they would hit the backs of the people sitting in front of them with the oar handles with each stroke.
• A cloudy contact lens, worn by Kirk Douglas (1916-2020) to simulate a damaged eye, caused the actor so much pain that he could not wear it for more than a few minutes at a time.
• Director Richard Fleischer studied Viking civilization for two years before starting filming. He was particularly interested in accurate drawings of Viking ships and the breeds of horses they used.
• Kirk Douglas served as the film's producer, as he had always wanted to play a Viking.
• The film concludes with a traditional Viking funeral, during which a Viking ship is set ablaze with an arrow tipped with a burning ember. Director Richard Fleischer (1916-2006) extensively trained and prepared the warriors, hoping that at least one arrow would hit the ship's sail and ignite it upon the command of “Three!”. When the time came to film the scene, Fleischer only managed to say “Two…” when one of the warriors released his arrow, resulting in a perfect shot directly into the sail. He then commanded “Three!”, and the remaining warriors fired their arrows as well. Fleischer later decided that he liked that very first shot the most and chose to use it in the film.