Erik the Viking

For the 1965 film, see Erik, the Viking. For information about the 1984 computer game, see Erik the Viking (game).

Erik the Viking
Promotional film poster
Directed by	Terry Jones
Produced by	John C. Goldstone
Written by	Terry Jones
Starring	Tim Robbins Terry Jones John Cleese Gary Cady Eartha Kitt Mickey Rooney Imogen Stubbs Samantha Bond Antony Sher
Music by	Neil Innes
Cinematography	Ian Wilson
Editing by	George Akers; Director's Son's Cut Bill Jones
Distributed by	Orion Pictures Corporation
Release date(s)	September 22, 1989
Running time	100 minutes, cut to 90; Director's Son's Cut 75 minutes.
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Erik the Viking is a 1989 feature film written and directed by Terry Jones. The film was inspired by Jones's children's book The Saga of Erik the Viking (1983), but the plot is completely different. Jones also appears in the film as King Arnulf.

Story

The film is based largely upon Norse mythology. In the film's opening scene Erik (Tim Robbins), a young Viking, discovers that he has no taste for rape and pillage, and suffers guilt over the death of Helga (Samantha Bond), an innocent woman.

Erik learns from the wise woman Freya (Eartha Kitt) that Fenrir the wolf has swallowed the sun, plunging the world into the grip of the age of Ragnarök. Erik resolves to travel to Asgard to petition the gods to end Ragnarök. Freya informs him that to do so he must seek the Horn Resounding in the land of Hy-Brasil. The first note blown upon the Horn will take Erik and his crew to Asgard, the second will awaken the gods, and the third will bring the crew home.

Keitel Blacksmith (Gary Cady) and his underling Loki (Antony Sher) are opposed to Erik's plan, because peace would end the demand for Keitel's swords. Keitel joins Erik's crew, hoping to sabotage Erik's plans. Halfdan the Black (John Cleese) joins them, afraid that peace will mean the end of his reign, and sets sail in pursuit.

Arriving at Hy-Brasil, Erik and crew are astonished to find it a sunlit land whose people are friendly (if musically untalented). Erik promptly falls in love with Princess Aud (Imogen Stubbs), daughter of King Arnulf (Terry Jones). During one of their romantic encounters, Erik hides from Arnulf using Aud's magic cloak of invisibility.

Aud has warned the Vikings that should blood ever be shed upon Hy-Brasil, the entire island would sink beneath the waves. Erik and his crew defend Hy-Brasil against Halfdan's ship. In gratitude for Erik's having saved Hy-Brasil, King Arnulf presents him with the Horn Resounding, which is much larger than Erik had imagined. Loki steals the Horn's mouthpiece, without which it cannot be sounded, and persuades Keitel to throw it in the sea. Snorri, one of Erik's men, catches them in the act, and Loki kills him. A single drop of the man's blood falls from Loki's dagger, triggering an earthquake that causes the island to begin sinking.

Erik's crew, joined by Aud, prepare to escape in their ship with the Horn safely aboard, but Arnulf refuses to join them, denying that the island is sinking up to the very moment he and the other islanders are swallowed by the waves. Aud, who was able to recover the mouthpiece by chance, sounds the first note on the Horn. The ship is propelled over the edge of the flat Earth and into space, coming to rest upon the plain of Asgard. Erik sounds the second note to awaken the gods, and he and his crew approach the great Hall of Valhalla.

Erik and the crew encounter old friends and enemies slain in battle. The gods are revealed to be petulant children who have no interest in answering mortal prayers. Odin persuades Fenrir to spit out the sun, but tells Erik that the end of Ragnarök will not bring peace to the world. Odin then informs Erik that he and his crew cannot return home. Nor may they remain in Valhalla, since they were not slain in battle; instead they are to be cast into the fiery Pit of Hel. Some of the Vikings who were killed in the sea-battle with Halfdan attempt to save them, but even as they are drawn into the Pit, they hear the Horn Resounding's third note, which flings them clear.

Erik's crew, including the formerly dead men, immediately find themselves back in their home village. They are dismayed to find that Halfdan and his soldiers have arrived before them and are holding the villagers captive. Halfdan and his men are crushed to death by Erik's ship as it falls out of the sky with Harald aboard. As the villagers celebrate Erik's return and Halfdan's defeat, the sun rises, ending the age of Ragnarök.

Cast

• Tim Robbins as Erik
• Mickey Rooney as Erik's Grandfather
• Eartha Kitt as Freya
• Terry Jones as King Arnulf
• Imogen Stubbs as Princess Aud
• John Cleese as Halfdan the Black
• Antony Sher as Loki
• Gary Cady as Keitel Blacksmith
• Charles McKeown as Sven's Dad
• Tim McInnerny as Sven the Berserk
• John Gordon Sinclair as Ivar the Boneless
• Richard Ridings as Thorfinn Skullsplitter
• Freddie Jones as Harald the Missionary
• Samantha Bond as Helga
• Jim Broadbent as Ernest the Viking (a rapist)
• Jim Carter as Jennifer the Viking (another rapist)
• Neil Innes as Hy-Brasilian

Filming and production

Principal photography took place at Shepperton Studios. Some footage of Erik's village and environments was shot in Norway, while the Hy-Brasil sequence was filmed in Malta. Artwork was made by Tolkien artist Alan Lee.

The original US cut of the film runs to 100 minutes. Unhappy with the film's slow pacing, Jones prepared a 90-minute cut for the British market, but he was frustrated that he had not been given enough time to edit the film to his satisfaction. In 2006 Jones was given the opportunity of re-editing the film for its DVD release. Jones delegated the actual editing work to his son Bill, who produced a 75-minute "Director's Son's Cut" with re-ordered scenes and much tighter pacing as well as a completely remixed and re-dubbed soundtrack. Terry Jones considered this highly appropriate because the original book was written for Bill.

History and lore

The names of numerous figures from different periods of Norse history and lore are used for characters in the movie, including Freya, Loki, Halfdan the Black, Ivar the Boneless, Thorfinn Skullsplitter, Leif the Lucky, and Mord Fiddle. These names are often used in an ironic way, thus Ivar the Boneless (in reality a great warlord and a leader of the Great Heathen Army) is presented as a coward. The names of genuine Vikings such as Olaf Tryggvasson are also used in conversation.

References

• Jones, Terry (1989). Erik the Viking: the Screenplay. New York: Applause Theatre Book Publishers. ISBN 1-55783-054-1. http://books.google.com/books?id=ZonRXUdAEzkC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=&f=false. 

External links

• Erik the Viking at the Internet Movie Database
• Script of Erik the Viking
• Still photos of the film