The Viking Sagas

Released in 1995, "The Viking Sagas" stars Ralf Moeller as Kjartan, a Viking in Iceland who romances a blond beauty (Ingibjörg Stefánsdóttir) and trains to fight with the greatest warrior on the island, Gunnar (Sven-Ole Thorsen), for the purpose of vengeance, honor and freedom.

The first time I saw "The Viking Sagas" I had just viewed the first season of the excellent TV series "Vikings" and was almost shocked by the lameness of certain aspects, like some of the acting by body-builder Moeller and the weak story-telling, etc. At the beginning of the film Kjartan is supposed to be some inexperienced farm boy when it's clear that he's at least 35, not to mention a totally hulking badaxx (he's over 6'5"). There's a scene where he takes on a swordsman and is swiftly beaten, but it's not convincing in light of Kjartan's utterly intimidating presence. Even if he didn't know how to use a sword, it's clear that he could've rushed the guy and torn him in half with his bare hands.

Seeing it again, I was braced for these deficiencies and was able to enjoy the movie to some degree, at least more so than my first viewing. The plot's fine, it's just that the way the story is told fails to absorb, although there are several compelling parts. Stefánsdóttir gets semi-nekkid during a couple of tasteful love scenes. Some guys find her thoroughly ravishing and she's certainly good-looking; she's just too tall & slinky for my tastes. Some of the fight scenes are quite brutal, but others are kinda unconvincing. So the whole film's a mix of good and bad. Nevertheless, the Icelandic photography and the score are great and it's nice to see Sven-Ole Thorsen (he played Thorgrim in 1982's "Conan the Barbarian"). If you can overlook (or embrace) the film's weaknesses, it DOES take you back to Viking-era Iceland and effectively provides a glimpse of what it must've been like, e.g. the apparel and living conditions. I suppose it's a semi-guilty pleasure, but be forewarned: You'll likely be turned off the first time you see it.

The film runs 83 minutes and was shot entirely in Iceland.

GRADE: C (4.5/10 stars)

One of the few films to actually try to be faitfhul to the actual Icelandic sagas, this film is a treat for those actually interested in such tales. That it is filmed in the relevant locales, with appropriate numbers (a local chief's following of 7-10 men, not thousands) and so forth all lend extra verisimilitude to the film. It is true that the melding of the elements from various sagas is a might uneven, as is the acting, and the viewer must pay attention to keep the storyline straight (unless they also have a grounding in the source material). But still it is a welcome entry in the filmography of the Norseman, with just about the only half-way accurate portrayal of these people, as well as correcting the filmmaking community's neglect of these rousing tales.

What a refreshing retelling of stories that I read as part of my honors thesis way back when. Unlike recent Hollywood epics, this film gives a real sense of the land, its heritage and its people. I recall seeing a great foreign film in 1969 entitled Hagbard and Signe (The Red Mantle in the rest of the world). This film echoes that earlier epic both in content and beauty. (Unfortunately, the earlier film is nowhere to be found.) I would highly recommend both of the films, along with the original Pathfinder for anyone who shares an interest in the sagas and who also desires realism in a Nordic film. (Note: I would that Hollywood would do away with the horned helmets, dragon boats,etc. in films that deal with the Nordic sagas.)

I cannot believe that anyone interested in this type of genre would not indeed love this film. To start with yes there are inconsistencies, but so what! I see that type of thing in just about every movie or book... The music for this film is fantastic... if you are not moved by this music you are indeed void of any emotion. The story is a simple one. A father wishes a better life for his son and then his son is dragged into a life the father wanted no part of. The son meets an ally of the father and this ally took another road to further the correctness of the father's decision. The hero then meets a family going through much the same thing as he and his family and they are faced with the same dilema. Then it is the clash of good vs. evil. With good winning out in the end! Besides great music, the costumes are truly awesome ( different from any other of these types of movies)the sets are gorgeous, the acting is never over the top and there are no stupid one liners!! I really didn't care too much for the swords...the leading lady was someone that you could believe people would fight for she was very beautiful and sexy.

I recommend this movie to everyone I talk to that is into this type of genre. I wish that there was a continuation of the story.

I disagree with the people who consider this movie "worthless." It is the only historically approximate depictions of life in medieval Iceland (or, "viking age" life at all!) that I have ever seen. While their actions may seem "silly" to most viewers, the characters in this movie act appropriately to the ethics and customs of the time. In a nutshell, the movie is realistic, well-acted, and has gorgeous Icelandic landscapes. The film even uses mostly Icelandic and Norwegian actors who *look* like the characters would have. A viewer used to trashy Hollywood-churned movies may not appreciate this film.