The Vikings

1958

The Vikings

Critics Consensus

Despite moments of excess, The Vikings has enough balance in its larger-than-life action sequences and characters to entertain.

76%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 21

73%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 5,582

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Movie Info

Inspired by the novel The Viking by Edison Marshall, The Vikings was lensed on location in Norway under extremely adverse weather conditions. Adding to the difficulty was the fact that star Kirk Douglas and director Richard Fleischer never quite found a common ground, and for years thereafter would hold each other responsible for the film's falling short of its potential. Still, the finished product is quite a feast for the eyes and ears. Douglas, the son of Viking leader Ernest Borgnine, carries on a film-length feud with slave Tony Curtis, who, though he does not realize it, is actually his illegitimate son. This personal battle comes to a head when Douglas and Curtis both lay claim on captured English princess Janet Leigh. The scene everyone remembers in The Vikings finds Borgnine, at the mercy of wicked monarch Frank Thring, defiantly throwing himself into a pit of ravenous wolves. Launched into distribution with one of the splashiest ad campaigns in United Artists' history, The Vikings proved an enormous success; it inspired the 1959 TV series Tales of the Vikings, which utilized the film's props, costumes and scale-model ships. In 1964, The Vikings served as the inagural presentation of ABC's Sunday Night Movie series.
  • Rating:
    G
  • Genre:
    Action & Adventure, Classics, Drama
  • Directed By:
    Richard Fleischer
  • Written By:
    Calder Willingham, Dale Wasserman
  • In Theaters:
     wide
  • On Disc/Streaming:
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    MGM Home Entertainment

Cast

Kirk Douglas
as Einar
Tony Curtis
as Eric
Janet Leigh
as Morgana
Ernest Borgnine
as Ragnar
James Donald
as Lord Egbert
Alexander Knox
as Father Godwin
Frank Thring
as King Aella
Maxine Audley
as Enid
Eileen Way
as Kitala
Edric Connor
as Sandpiper
Dandy Nichols
as Bridget
Per Buckhøj
as Bjorm
Almut Berg
as Pigtails
Per Buchhij
as Bjorn
Orson Welles
as Narrator (uncredited)
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News & Interviews for The Vikings

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Critic Reviews for The Vikings

All Critics (21) | Top Critics (4) | Fresh (16) | Rotten (5)

View All Critic Reviews (21)

Audience Reviews for The Vikings

  • Sep 05, 2010
    This is a cool movie about Vikings as played by Douglas and Curtis. The movie is really exciting and the story is great, it's pretty accurate, and very dramatic as well. I enjoyed this movie.
    Aj V Super Reviewer
  • Jun 01, 2010
    Just a great epic that never lost it's sense of fun and imagination. A lot of that goes to Kirk Douglas who is the epitome of the legendary Viking, he's a brutal drunken savage. However, he's also a great character and full of emotion rather than being just a stereotype. What also makes it great is the amazing set design, costumes and score. On top of that, the story is so well done and not typical of just another love & war story. The castle invasion is probably one of the greatest battle scenes, you don't get better action than that.
    Conner R Super Reviewer
  • Feb 19, 2010
    Well made but very forgettable.
    Marcus W Super Reviewer
  • Nov 22, 2009
    i'm not a fan of 50s historical epics at all but this has to be one of the best out there. i'm sure it's utter nonsense but it IS fun. ernest borgnine as a viking king sounded ridiculous to me before i saw it but i have to say his performance is one of the highlights. why aren't there more films about vikings?
    Stella D Super Reviewer
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The Vikings Quotes

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