Die Nordmänner - Im Angesicht des Falken

This is an appalling film, and worth watching for that very reason. You'll struggle to buy a copy, and it probably isn't worth it, but in the UK we do get the occasional opportunity to see it on telly, so take them. This is a film with more ham than a Tesco deli counter, and Lee Majors, well, his own agent once described him as a 'somewhat limited actor'. The language - see my title, but to fully appreciate you'll have to hear the intonation in the movie itself, think Conan the Barbarian voiceovers - and the mock ritual and rite of Vikingness is hugely entertaining. Not unlike the sort of heavy metal that appeals to teenagers. Don't worry about history, it's irrelevant to this film - we all know the vikings must have been pretty sophisticated people, you'd have to be to conduct your trade from Teheran to St. Johns! And their business was arms and slaves, so they knew how to look after themselves. And this is not a film about sophisticated people. But the absolute star of this film is Jack Elam as the Death Dreamer, the wizard. The stereotypical shaman, Dr Samedi meets Don Juan meets Papa Lazarou. Honestly, folks, this movie is a hoot, but it is utter rubbish. If you want a quality viking flick, although again with questionable historical accuracy, go for The Vikings, with Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis and a brilliant Ernest Borgnine. At least you'll care about the characters.

Plastic/aluminium armour. Knight's armour on Thorvold and a LoneRanger mask, under his knights helm. Black vikings, white Native Americans...of course the largest insult is that this dreck was filmed in Florida, as evidenced by the foliage and the sugar white sand on the beach. I don't remember Vikings ever landing in Tampa, unless it was in a football game.

I won't even address the little mustache worn by Mr. Majors, as compared to the full beards of his 'Viking' co-horts.

This is a film you can't believe you are watching, yet won't turn off, because you can't look away.

Of course the climax of the film has the 'Vikings' running through water on a sandbar...anyone watching, who is familiar with Lee Majors as the "Six Million Dollar Man" will find themselves waiting to hear the music/sound effects that accompanied 'Steve Austin' whenever he was performing his feats of strength, or running to save the day.

All this film needed was BigFoot.

I am sitting at home watching THE NORSEMAN on TV, trying to pick my incredulous chin up off the floor. This movie must be seen by film students so they can learn everything NOT to do in making a movie. For example: Lee Majors (THORVALD) and the boy playing his Norse son deliver arch dialog in southern American accents...The Caucasian looking Indians with perfect Herbal Essence hairstyles...and perfect teeth..(that tribe must have a really good dental plan) Lee Majors sports a late 1970's mustache and hair style...He probably was on hiatus from a series and refused to restyle his hair...The Max Factor warpaint on the Indians' faces...and the lack of "Light Egyptian" on their bodies...Irish actress, Kathleen Freeman, as an old Indian woman... The "ultra realistic" Canadian location (NOT!), complete with palm trees and Spanish Moss... How did they get the money to make this thing? Where can I get some for my films??? This film is like a train wreck....painful to watch but absolutely riveting in its awfulness. The only area that deserves praise is the cinematography...the exteriors look pretty good... the cinematographer must have picked up the gig to pay for a fishing expedition or a vacation to Hawaii... In the words of many a great Norseman, .....Oy Vey!!!

This enjoyable picture with shimmer and glimmering cinematography packs uproaring adventures, thrills , good action scenes, spectacular and evocative musical score and being amusing enough. Film featured a long preamble that read: ''Before Columbus was born, a reckless band of blonde giants sailed to an unknown land we now call America. There a new peril awaited them - the savage warriors of the Iroquois nation. Thus began an epic adventure¨. In the year 1006 A. D., Norseman Thorvald the Bold (Lee Majors a permed Bionic Bjorn of a Prince Viking)leads an expedition to the new land in the west in search of his father, King Eurich (Mel Ferrer) , who disappeared with his men a year earlier on a similar voyage. Thorvald's crew includes Ragnar the Rover (Cornel Wilde) as his second in command, Olif (Jimmy Clem) , his long-time friend, and Death Dreamer (Jack Elam), also known as Wizard and his young brother Eric (Chuck Pierce Jr) . As they sail, Death Dreamer predicts the crew will find a new land but will endure danger.

An entertaining adventure in which a group of Vikings arrive in vinland America, while suffering ambushes, attacks and violent fights. The films contains hilarious dialogue and eccentrically shot battle scenes in slow-moving in the wake of Sam Peckinpah films. Here Lee Majors and his crew have rowed across AD 1006 in search of his father who, it turns out, has been captured and blinded by cartoon Indians who resemble Grateful Dead roadies given the freedom of the make-up department. It packs decent production design, and elaborate scenaries, adding traditional special effects. Fairly adequate but comic-book level costume adventure of Vikings battling Indians for power and glory circa year 1000. Although full of stupid historical errors and unbelievable events , the film results to be pretty entertaining. An indulgent delight in making fantasies come to life, including rousing soundtrack by Jaime Mendoza-Nava, gorgeous exteriors , irreverence, a sense of naif style, brief researched detail as the suddenly discovery : Vinland or land of Wine : North America pre-Christopher Columbus, and a lot of incidental pleasures. The picture is filled with bizarre roles and rare nombres as Thorvald, Ragnar, Eurich, Olif, Thraul, Rauric, among others . Great location footage with sweepingly and handsomely photography by cameraman Robert Bethard from New Port Richey, Tampa, Thonotosassa, Florida, Newbern, North Carolina, USA. There are sympatheric appearances from an agreeable support cast, such as: veteran Jack Elam as a soothsayer, Kathleen Freeman as Old Indian woman, ex-Tarzan Denny Miller as Rauric, Christopher Connelly as Rolf, Cornel Wilde and Mel Ferrer both in beards behind which to hide their embarrassment. And Chuck Pierce Jr, who's son of director Charles B. Pierce and often plays his films.

This is a co-production between actors-executive producers Lee Majors, his then wife Farra Fawcett Majors and writer-producer-director Charles B. Pierce with American International Pictures (AIP) carrying out the distribution. This short-medium budget was professionally written/directed by Charles B Pierce. This artisan directed all kinds of genres and made his own independent films, as Pierce was the star, writer, director and co-producer of ¨The Barbaric Beast of Boggy Creek, Part II¨, (1985), a sequel to "Boggy Creek" that was eventually re-titled ¨Boggy Creek II: And the Legend Continues¨ (1985) . And directing westerns in similar style , usually dealing with Indian issues , Terror movies and even a Viking movie , as he directed the following films : "Hawken's Breed" , "Grayeagle" , " Winterhawk" , "Sacred Ground" , "Town that dreaded Sundown", "The Evictors" , "Legend of Bobby Creek" , "Bobby Creek II" , "Norseman" , among others . The flick will appeal to adventure fans .

This basic costume epic belongs to Viking genre , such as : The classic ¨The Vikings (1958)¨ by Richard Fleischer with Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis , Janet Leigh; ¨Gli invasori¨(1961) by Mario Bava with Cameron Mitchell , George Ardisson , Andrea Checchi : ¨The long ships (1963)¨ by Jack Cardiff with Sidney Poitier and Richard Widmark ; ¨Erik the Viking¨(1965) by Mario Caiano with Giuliano Gemma, Gordon Mitchell , Eduardo Fajardo; Elisa Montes; ¨The Norseman (1978) ¨ by Charles B Pierce with Cornel Wilde and Mel Ferrer ; ¨The Viking queen(1967)¨ by Don Chaffey with Don Murray and Andrew Keir; ¨The Viking sagas (1995)¨ by Michael Chapman with Ralph Moeller , among others . And in similar issue : ¨EriK the Viking¨ 1989 by Terry Jones with Tim Robbins ,Mickey Rooney, Imogen Stubbs, John Cleese, Tim McInnerny, Freddie Jones. Rating : 5.5/10. Acceptable and passable due to the battle scenes and wonderful cinematography and locations make the movie acceptable enough . This throughly amusing historical epic stands up to teens and adults viewings . Don't miss Vikings subgenre aficionados.

They could have at least tried to make this funnier if they weren't going to make it competently. But then this IS a Charles B. Pierce film, and a 'Fawcett-Majors Presentation' featuring Pierce's son, little Chuck, and starring Lee Majors as Thorvald. You can't expect much with that pedigree, but we're in John Wayne 'The Conqueror' territory here. C'mon now, Lee Majors as a viking? What were they thinking? And seeing as it stars the erstwhile Six-Million-Dollar Man, it pays homage to that series by including plenty of slow-mo action scenes. All you need is the now classic ditta-ditta-ditta electronic sound effects to go with the slow-mo and you've got a laugh riot. But there is plenty to laugh at, including Majors' 70's porno-style moustache (no beard like everyone else, he's THE STAR, but I suppose he was willing to cover his upper lip as a concession to history). Then there is Jack Elam as a norse sorceror (guess Slim Pickens wasn't available) and Deacon Jones as a black viking (Spike Lee would approve, although historians might disagree). For those outside the U.S., Jones was a football player, and the filmmakers, out of fairness, also cast a white ex-football player (Fred Biletnikoff) as a fellow norseman. There is also a pretty girl along for the ride in Susie Coehlo, although she spends too much time with a pair of blinded norsemen who sport some of the most unfortunate hairpieces you've ever witnessed. Thankfully for Cornel Wilde, he is so buried in hair that he is virtually unrecognizable and therefore, in one sense, he's not really in this movie. Unfortunately, Lee Majors IS in this movie, and worst of all, is the star. It's hard to tell which is more wooden, his ship or his acting. Yep, it's his acting. In fact, it's probably an inside game for casting agents to challenge each other to find a more wooden star than Majors. He's the champ! He could hire himself out as a Termite Whisperer. Needless to say, this junk is best avoided. You've been warned.