Gli invasori

Mario Bava, fresh from the overnight success of BLACK SUNDAY the previous year, emerges as a master of epic cinema in this Viking tale. Brilliant use of color hues and outstanding art direction distinguish this saga of twins separated as young boys during a battle between Anglo-Saxon hordes and Scandinavia's feared Viking tribes. Giorgio Ardisson portrays Erik and imbues his character with great nobility as he rises to fight against the Norsemen led by his brother Aaron (splendidly cast Cameron Mitchell). Andrea Checchi (Dr. Kruvajan in BLACK SUNDAY) is also tremendous as the evil Rutford, the scheming villain in this piece who wishes to use both forces to his own gain and place himself upon a throne he does not deserve. In an unforgettable interview with film historian David Del Valle commented that this film was made on a tiny budget but one would never surmise this from the rich texture and tenor of this major Bava opus. Macabre touches and phospherent Bava lighting place this work in a class by itself. The Kessler twins are used to superior advantage here and Francoise Christophe appears as the dignified and lovely Queen of the British Isles. A must-see for all lovers of The Maestro and for aficionados of epic cinema.

Movie costumer of early England under partial Viking rule. In the 786 A.D. , two Viking children (one time grown-up Cameron Mitchel, George Ardisson), separated since their early childhood with one raised by the English and the other by Vikings . The Viking half-brothers fight it out the throne . This entertaining adventure contains pillaging ,ax-throwing, manly talk about the glories of Odin , Viking soap-opera , storming of castles and final heroic jumping into walls on fortress where finds enemy .

Fairly elaborate but comic-book level costume adventure of Vikings battling the British for power and glory in the 9th Century . This enjoyable picture packs adventures, thrills, good action scenes and is very amusing. Cameron Mitchell is good , he gives a nice performance as leader of a band of Vikings driving his ship sets sail for the unknown land in search of Britanny kingdom . Big-name Italian cast as George Ardisson, Folco Lulli , Andrea Checchi and colorful secondary casting as Franco Ressel , Raf Baldassarre, Franco Giacobini and the gorgeous Kessler sisters who had an ephemeral career as singers. Although full of stupid historical errors and unbelievable events , the film is pretty entertaining. Great location footage with sweepingly photography of booth England , Dover and Britanny and Titanus , Appia studios , Roma, Italy. Shimmer and glimmer cinematography by Mario Bava. Spectacular and evocative musical score by Roberto Nicolisi. The picture is handsomely shot and directed with verve and muscle by Mario Bava . Rating : Good, fine battle scenes and wonderful cinematography and locations make the movie a standout . This throughly amusing historical epic stands up to teens and adults viewings . Don't miss for Bava aficionados.

This basic costume epic belongs to Viking genre such as : The classic ¨The Vikings(1958)¨ by Richard Fleischer with Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis , ¨The long ships (1963)¨ by Jack Cardiff with Sidney Poitier and Richard Widmark ; ¨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 .

ERIK THE CONQUEROR is a superb Viking saga set in the year 786 off the rocky coast of the British Isles. Anglo-Saxon protectors have vanquished the Scandinavian hordes with utter treachery & ferocity led by the evil Duke Helfort (a villainous portrayal by Andrea Checchi). Two tiny blond boys, Aaron & Erik, are left floundering on the sandy beach. One of them (Erik) is taken away by the English Queen (he lovely Francoise Christophe). The other, Aaron, is left to be raised by fellow Norsemen. The two boys bear identical dragon tatooes. Twenty years later the Vikings decide to avenge themselves, led by the now-adult Aaron (Cameron Mitchell at his finest!) Erik (Giorgio Ardisson at his finest!) has been crowned monarch of England and must face the feared Vikings for supremacy. Though Helfort is somewhat older he still covets power and attempts to sway the outcome of the final battle in his favor. Mario Bava is at his best as director and cinematographer in this, his first film since the celebrated BLACK SUNDAY. Art direction on this film is outstanding with sets basking virtually in golds, neon crimsons, icy cobalt blues and forest greens (color by Technicolor!) In an interview with the distinguished film historian David Del Valle, Cameron Mitchell related many stories about the making of ERIK along with declaring Bava's genius at trick photographic effects. Required viewing for Bavaphiles and aficionados of epic cinema. Dazzling!

In the 9th Century, two Viking children, separated since their early childhood with one raised by the British and the other by Vikings, meet after nearly 20 years as rivals as war breaks out between Britain and the Vikings for control of England.

The film is a loose remake of the American film "The Vikings" (1958), starring Kirk Douglas. Credit was not given at the time, which really is not out of the ordinary for Italian productions. Just look at the endless string of "Jaws" ripoffs. Bava's film borrows the estranged twins idea, the duel alongside the castle, and the showing of a viking funeral. Interestingly, to get around his lack of budget, the biggest change is setting much of "Erik" underground because on-location (Norwegian) settings were just not possible. "Erik" also has a similar plot to Sergio Corbucci's "Duel of the Titans" (1961), though that setting was Rome rather than northern Europe. Most likely, Corbucci was ripping off the same source.

As far as casting goes, Cameron Mitchell is the definitive American "star" of Italian films. During the 1960s, Mitchell starred in numerous Italian sword and sandal, horror, fantasy and thriller films, several of which were directed by Mario Bava, including "Blood and Black Lace" (1964) and "Knives of the Avenger" (1966). He also participated in Spaghetti Westerns, like Corbucci's "Minnesota Clay". (In Hollywood lore, Mitchell's claim to fame was introducing Marilyn Monroe to Arthur Miller.)

Then we have the German-born Kessler Twins, who were big hits in Europe at the time. In the States, the Kessler Twins were not as popular as they were in Europe but soon appeared in Robert Aldrich's "Sodom and Gomorrah" (1962, while Aldrich was in exile) as dancers and appeared on the cover of Life Magazine in that year. Did "Erik" help get them the part in the Aldrich film?

Anyway, "Erik the Conqueror" is a fine film in its own right, even if we acknowledge its lack of originality. There is an epic ship battle that rivals anything in the more contemporary Disney "Pirates" franchise, for example, and the various techniques to create a big-looking film are admirable. Bava knew how to push the limits of budget, and this paid off. The film made back two or three times its production cost. Oddly, though we know Bava for his horror work, in Italy the horror genre was not terribly popular and the "sword and sandal" theme was a bigger draw. (Mitchell claims that Bava never had an unprofitable film. Whether this is true or not I don't know, but none come immediately to mind.)

The Arrow Video Blu-ray offers a brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original camera negative. Viewers are given the choice between the original Italian and dubbed English mono audio. There is a new audio commentary by Bava expert Tim Lucas, who reveals some of the interesting matte techniques used and declares this Bava's "most underrated film". Heck, we even get "Gli imitatori", a comparison between "Erik the Conqueror" and "The Vikings", as well as the film's original ending. This release is bursting with love.

The first peplum to be officially directed by Bava (and his first collaboration with Hollywood actor Cameron Mitchell) is, as can be expected, a virtual clone of the classic spectacle THE VIKINGS (1958) – if, obviously, done on a much smaller budget. That said, unlike the later KNIVES OF THE AVENGER (1966), the film does feature a few sweeping action sequences (many of them replicated practically wholesale in the following year's ATTACK OF THE NORMANS [1962]; see above).

The plot concerns a couple of Viking brothers separated at birth during a vicious attack: one of them is raised by the British Queen and, therefore, becomes his sibling's sworn enemy. Also involved are a couple of identical vestal virgins – played by the then-popular singing duo, the Kessler Twins – who, obviously, both go against their vows (and thus risking death if caught) by falling for the brothers. The Viking community, largely confined to living as cave-dwellers, provides plenty of opportunity for Bava's trademark atmospherics and flair for composition and, as was the norm for him at this stage in his career, he officially acted as his own cinematographer!

The typically jovial, uncouth and heavy-set Viking leader is played here by Folco Lulli (though he is killed in the very opening sequence!), while Andrea Checchi – from Bava's own BLACK Sunday [1960] – fills in for the role of chief villain (his death via a succession of arrows may well have been inspired by the unforgettable demise of the "Macbeth" character in Akira Kurosawa's superb Shakespearean adaptation THRONE OF BLOOD [1957]). Though a decent actor, Mitchell comes across as a generally glum presence in these type of pictures; here, he ends up by sacrificing himself for his brother and, consequently, receives the requisite fiery viking burial (even if the film's budget apparently didn't afford this spectacular effect – since it cuts abruptly to a two-shot of the lifeless Mitchell and his grieving intended for the fade-out)! Curiously enough, while Mitchell is the nominal male lead, the English title of the film makes it sound like the younger brother is the conquering hero of the piece!

While I already owned the film, taped off Italian TV, this second viewing came via a rental of the bare-bones Italian DVD; given the picture's lack of exposure in R1 land, I wonder whether it will eventually be included in Anchor Bay's hopefully-not-long-in-coming "The Mario Bava Collection Vol. 2"...