Erik the Viking (1989)
One would think that a Viking adventure/comedy written and
directed by Terry Jones (an ex-Monty Python member and medieval
scholar) has all the ingredients of a classic. But when a comedy
begins with the hero making a botched attempt to rape a woman-and
the victim browbeats her assailant for not knowing what he is
doing-you know you are in for a less-than-invigorating two hours.
So begins Erik The Viking, a visually attractive but unfunny
satire of the Nordic sagas. The story follows Erik (Tim Robbins)
a Viking raider who, having failed in his attempt to rape a woman
(an act which is actually treated as humorous), starts to question
his people's violent way of life.
Erik consults the wise-woman Freya, and learns that he must set
sail to find the island of Hy-Brasil, where lies the "Horn
Resounding," whose sound will awaken the gods of Valhalla
and bring an end to Ragnarok and this age of violent strife.
After overcoming a few nautical scrapes, Erik and his band make
landfall on Hy-Brasil, a peaceful haven of frivolous nice people.
To their shock, the vikings learn that weapons of any kind are
banned on Hy-Brasil, for it is believed that the island will
sink beneath the sea if ever blood is spilled upon it.
Erik the Viking offers a good story line overall (and
reportedly began life as a bedtime story Jones told to his son),
but the plot is continuously stalled by the script's comedic
attempts, few of which prompt any laughter. The promise of seeing
John Cleese in the role of the villain Halfdan the Black sparks
some hope that the laughs might get rolling, but Cleese is not
given any funny material from which to work. The casting overall
is inspired, including Mickey Rooney as Erik's grandfather and
Eartha Kitt as a Freya, but they, too, ultimately seem wasted
on an uninspired screenplay full of stillborn jokes.
Still, Erik the Viking is a good-looking movie, with some
impressive sequences, such as the sea monster with a big glowing
nose which attacks the vikings as they cross the ocean. Fabulous
costumes are on display, too, from the ragged furs of Erik and
his minions to the gauzy Greek chitons of Hy-Brasil's denizens.
The sets, too, are impressive, from the Mediterranean setting
of Hy-Brasil to the cold, dark columns which line the Halls of
Asgard.
Ultimately, however, Erik The Viking just does not work.
The adventure and fantasy elements of the film prove superior
to the attempts at humor, but the comedy aspect is so overemphasized
that the film is just an unending frustration to watch.
Paul Andrew MacLean
© 2003
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LadyJanet@RenaissanceMagazine.com