Product description

The Long Ships [DVD] [1963] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

Price: £9.03
Average customer rating: 3.0

Binding : DVD
EAN : 9780767821643
ISBN : 0767821645
Label : Columbia TriStar
Manufacturer : Columbia TriStar
Publisher : Columbia TriStar
Release date : 2003-06-24
Title : The Long Ships [DVD] [1963] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]
Actor : Array
Format : Array
Languages : Array
Number of items : 1
Original release date : 1963-01-01
Region code : 1
Running time : 125
Studio : Columbia TriStar
Theatrical releaseDate : 1964-06-24
MPN : D12119D

Customer reviews

review by: date: 2009-06-18 rating:

Incredibly stupid but also incredibly enjoyable
The Long Ships is a wildly enjoyable and utterly ridiculous adventure romp where everyone knows they're not making a work of art here and just has fun. Well, maybe everyone but Sidney Poitier's villainous Moor, who doesn't seem to be in on the joke, although he really should have been able to tell from the casting - Richard Widmark and Russ Tamblyn play Oskar Homolka's sons searching for mythical giant golden bell "The Mother of Voices" while their Viking crew includes the likes of Gordon Jackson, Colin Blakely and David Lodge, with Lionel Jeffries turning up in blackface as a rather bizarre mute eunuch in a harem scene that was clearly a major influence on Carry On Up the Khyber. The only downside is some very dubious looking illegal horsefalls. br / br /Columbia's DVD boasts a good widescreen transfer and includes the original theatrical trailer.

review by: Sandman date: 2009-02-02 rating:

A Roving we will go.
Lets not be too critical of a film that does not take itself too seriously. Although it plays fast and loose with Frans Bengtssons book of the same name, it is still a ripping good yarn. Only a handful of films have been made about the Vikings, which is strange given their exciting history. They fought and lived in lands as far away as Greenland, where they obtained the fabled unicorns antler which in fact came from the rare Narwhal whale, to Constantinople which they knew as Miklagard, where they provided the Byzantine Emperors personal Varangian guard. It is a flavour of this roving adventurous spirit that we are given in this film. br / br /The film is bound to be compared with "The Vikings"(58) whose success it no doubt tried to emulate. The cinematographer for that film the legendary Jack Cardiff took on the directorial duties for "The Long Ships". The story concerns the epic voyage of Rolfe, played by Richard Widmark, and his crew of Norsemen in search of a fabled giant bell called "The mother of Voices". The bell being made of solid gold. Perhaps not so preposterous as it sounds. The Vikings were noted for their epic voyages to strange and distant lands and certainly had a thirst for gold, their hoards still turning up with regularity around Europe. The adventurers encounter many dangers and are shipwrecked on North African shores where they fall into the hands of the bloodthirsty Aly Mansuh played by a very dashing Sidney Poitier. After facing "The Mare of steel", a fiendish Moorish form of execution they are enlisted by Mansuh to find the bell. After further wanderings the bell is located at "The Pillar of Hercules", the ancient Greek name for Gibraltar. A battle ensues in which the Vikings are victorious over the Moors and Aly Mansuh dies crushed by the bell. A rather flat ending for him!! The film concludes with Rolfe telling an attentive King Harold about the legendary 3 Crowns of the Saxon kings. br / br /The story resembles the wanderings of Odysseus and its use of classical locations enforces that view. The film certainly has some quirky bits. I think of the mayhem in the harem particularly, but then what is a red blooded Viking supposed to do in a harem? Then of course who can forget the sight of the solid gold bell bobbing like a piece of balsa wood in the ocean. Perhaps that was what it was really made of? Then there was Lionel Jefferies dressed up as a very clownish Moor in a hilarious piece of miscasting, or was it deliberate? I watched this film as a boy and enjoyed it then. Perhaps I have never grown up because I sat with schoolboy enthusiasm and enjoyed watching it again recently. No it is not a classic that is for sure, but it is a fun romp and does actually pick up a feel of the Vikings roving spirit. Sit back, dont take it too seriously and you may actually enjoy it.

review by: date: 2008-03-10 rating:

Infantile racist nonsense.
There is nothing remotely appealing or entertaining about this dreadful movie. br / br /The plot relies on the notion that white skinned people are good and dark skinned people are bad. None of the human relationships in this film are believable, nor is anything in the plot. br / br /I could be picky and highlight the idiocy of gold that floats on water and maelstroms in the calm Mediterranean Sea. I could be even more picky and ask why the Moorish women have Italian accents and why the Moors who were accomplished sailors are presented as land lovers. But that would be missing what is really wrong with this movie. br / br /The message of this movie is that gold is to be stolen, women to be raped and Africans are to be belittled and slaughtered. br / br /Gordon Jackson complete with Scottish accent, is included in the Viking crew. Why? because it is supposed to funny for a Viking to want to be sensible about money and why miss an opportunity for more stereotyping. br / br /This film is trying to cash in on the deserved box office success of "The Vikings [1958]". Jack Cardiff, the cinematographer for "The Vikings" is giving the opportunity?? as director for this film. The similarities end there. br / br /The title is taken from the popular Swedish epic novel "The Long Ships" by Frans G. Bengtsson. The plot bears no resemblance to the book. Like I said, "the book" was popular. br / br /The final insult is that this is listed as a British production. Don't be deceived by this. It is an American production with American actors and sensibilities. Post World War II, profits from films shot in Europe were not supposed to leave Europe, so American producers formed companies in the U.K. to get around this ristriction. br / br /Bad writing, bad casting, bad acting, bad direction, poor locations, ... br / br / br / br / br / br / br / br / br / br / br / br /

review by: date: 2007-07-06 rating:

the Long ships
Far, far more enjoyable than The Vikings! A romp from start to finish - I saw this as a child years ago and have always loved it! The harem scene, the bell, the whirlpool .... YES! Buy this and laugh! And if you can ever find 'The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood' get that, too, it's equally superbly silly! br /

Similar products

The Vikings [DVD] [1958]
Taras Bulba [DVD] [1962] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]
The Last Wagon [DVD] [1956] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]
Land of the Pharaohs [DVD] [1955] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]
Escape From Fort Bravo [DVD] [1953] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

Similar categories