Many historians contend that Norse explorers settled on the North American continent long before it was "discovered" by Columbus, and this adventure blends historical research with the filmmakers' imagination in the tale of two 11th Century Vikings and their struggle to survive in a new land. Orn (Tony Stone) and Volnard (Fiore Tedesco) are the only two survivors of a bloody clash between their Viking clan and a band of Native Americans; aware that their best hope of survival is to move on, they
set out to find a new territory to settle. While making their way through the wilderness of what is now the Canadian province of Newfoundland, Orn and Volnard encounter a pair of monks from Ireland who have escaped from a Viking camp. They quickly slay one of the monks, but they allow the other (David Perry) to live, and he joins them in their daily battle to scratch out an existence in the beautiful but forbidding landscapes. Along the way, Orn wins an unlikely companion, a native woman (Noelle Bailey) who first saw him as he was laying waste to her village. Severed Ways: The Norse Discovery of America was the first feature film from writer and director Tony Stone, who also plays Orn; it received its premiere at the 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Stone's admirable and persuasive evocation is unfortunately marred by his self-defeating resort to flurries of claustrophobic, fragmented hand-held shots that obfuscate just about every crucial plot development in the film.
Severed Ways exudes a specific and unique vibe, and youre either going to get into it or youre not...If youre willing to just stop, look and listen, you might have a good time.
That director Tony Stone concocted and nearly pulls off this gruff, truly indie flick, maintaining our interest -- mostly -- through slow, wordless curio makes him a director to watch.
Captivating locations can't overcome deplorable scenes of defecation and actually killing a hen onscreen. This is so slow and lacking in pace it tries one's patience.
Gorgeous cinematography of fabulous wilderness landscape cannot compensate for the self-indulgence and viewer-alienating technique of a clueless rookie director/writer/actor.
Largely lacking in dialogue (if not unintentional hilarity), this intensely personal project is proof positive that Bill and Ted grew up to become filmmakers.
Minimalist independent cinema doesn't get much more low fidelity than debut writer/director Tony Stone's garish vision of 11th century Vikings discovering North America.
Minimalist retro-dialogue in Old Norse, a closeup of human defecation in real time, choked chickens for dinner, and man rape of a dumb blonde macho Viking dragged off by a native woman warrior in heat to her tepee where she, well, makes him her squaw.
"Severed Ways" is an almost entirely wordless long-form video set to Metal and Goth music. It tries to imagine what it must have been like to be a Norseman exploring North America in 1000 AD. Writer/director Tony Stone (who also plays the lead role) appears to know a lot more about music than filmmaking, screenwriting
or acting.
Mostly what you get is interminably long scenes depicting such things as the building of a house. There are also many endless sequences depicting our two Norse heroes walking through the wilderness. One thing the film does do is evoke a mood. You really do feel like it's 1000 AD and you're in a forest. The film does get more interesting as it goes, with our Noresemen encountering two Christian monks and then a couple of natives.
But as soon as something interesting starts to happen in these storylines, Stone reverts to another panoramic nature sequence. He seems to be allergic to thought. It's too bad, because I get the sense that he's got some interesting ideas somewhere underneath all that hair.
November 20, 2009
William Dunmyer
Super Reviewer
"Does a Viking shit in the woods?" - Josh FuestingPossibly the worst Viking movie ever made.Definitely the worst home-made movie about vikings.
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