Kurt at 22:35, 7 February 2023

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	~~{{short description\|1989 British comedy-fantasy film by Terry Jones}}~~
	{{Infobox film		{{Infobox film
	\| name = ~~Erik the Viking~~		\| name =
	\| image = ~~Eriktheviking~~.jpg		\| image = Erik the Viking.jpg
	\| caption = ~~US cinema poster~~		\| caption =
	\| director = [[Terry Jones]]		\| director = [[Terry Jones]]
	\| producer = John C. Goldstone		\| producer = John C. Goldstone

Kurt at 22:09, 2 February 2023

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← Older revision		Revision as of 17:09, 2 February 2023
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	{{short description\|1989 British comedy-fantasy film by Terry Jones}}		{{short description\|1989 British comedy-fantasy film by Terry Jones}}
	~~{{for multi\|the 1965 film\|Erik, the Viking\|the 1984 computer game\|Erik the Viking (game)}}~~
	~~{{lead too short\|date=May 2017}}{{Use dmy dates\|date=June 2016}}~~
	~~{{Use British English\|date=June 2016}}~~
	{{Infobox film		{{Infobox film
	\| name = Erik the Viking		\| name = Erik the Viking

Kurt: 1 revision imported

2023-02-02T21:55:27Z

1 revision imported

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en>Vitruvius Rufus at 15:45, 31 December 2022

2022-12-31T15:45:07Z

New page

{{short description|1989 British comedy-fantasy film by Terry Jones}}
{{for multi|the 1965 film|Erik, the Viking|the 1984 computer game|Erik the Viking (game)}}
{{lead too short|date=May 2017}}{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2016}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Erik the Viking
| image = Eriktheviking.jpg
| caption = US cinema poster
| director = [[Terry Jones]]
| producer = John C. Goldstone
| screenplay = Terry Jones
| based_on = {{Based on|''[[The Saga of Erik the Viking]]''|Terry Jones}}
| starring = {{Plainlist|
* [[Tim Robbins]]
* Terry Jones
* [[Eartha Kitt]]
* [[Mickey Rooney]]
* Tsutomu Sekine
* [[John Cleese]]
* [[Antony Sher]]
* [[Imogen Stubbs]]
}}
| music = [[Neil Innes]]
| cinematography = [[Ian Wilson (cinematographer)|Ian Wilson]]
| editing = [[George Akers]]
| studio = Prominent Features<br />[[SF Studios|Svensk Filmindustri]]
| distributor = [[United International Pictures]] (United Kingdom)<br />Svensk Filmindustri (Sweden)
| released = {{Film date|1989|09|01|Sweden|1989|09|22|US|1989|09|29|UK|df=y}}
| runtime = 107 minutes<ref name="BBFC1">[http://www.bbfc.co.uk/search/releases/any/any/any/any/any/0/any/any/aff062142/any/any/any/any?advanced=true BBFC: ''Erik the Viking'' 1989] Retrieved 2013-03-05</ref><ref name="SFI">[http://www.sfi.se/en-GB/Swedish-film-database/Item/?itemid=17517&type=MOVIE&iv=PdfGen&ref=/templates/SwedishFilmSearchResult.aspx?id%3d1225%26epslanguage%3dsv%26searchword%3dErik+the+Viking%26type%3dMovieTitle%26match%3dBegin%26page%3d1%26prom%3dFalse The Swedish Film Database: ''Erik the Viking''] Retrieved 2013-03-05</ref>
| country = United Kingdom <br />Sweden
| language = English
| budget =
| gross = $1,932,642<ref>{{Mojo title|eriktheviking}}</ref>
}}
'''''Erik the Viking''''' is a 1989 [[Cinema of United Kingdom|British]] [[comedy film|comedy]]-[[fantasy 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.<ref name="latimes" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Jones |first=Terry |author-link=Terry Jones |title=Erik the Viking: the Screenplay |publisher=Applause Theatre Book Publishers |year=1989 |location=New York |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZonRXUdAEzkC |isbn =1-55783-054-1}}</ref>

==Plot==
Erik, a young Viking, discovers that he has no taste for rape and pillage, and suffers guilt over the death of an innocent woman, Helga.

Erik learns from the wise woman [[Freya]] that [[Fenrisulfr|Fenrir]] the wolf has swallowed the sun, plunging the world into 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 [[Gjallarhorn|Horn Resounding]] in the land of [[Brazil (mythical island)|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. Erik sets out with a crew of all ages and professions from his village, including Harald, a Christian missionary who does not believe the myths.

Keitel Blacksmith is persuaded by his apprentice [[Loki]] into secretly opposing Erik's plan, and joins Erik's crew in order to sabotage Erik's plans. Loki sneaks out to inform [[Halfdan the Black]], a local warlord afraid that peace will mean the end of his reign. Halfdan's crew sets sail in pursuit of Erik.

Arriving at Hy-Brasil, Erik and crew are astonished to find it a sunlit land where the people, who dress like ancient Greeks, are exceedingly friendly and hospitable (if musically untalented). Erik promptly falls in love with Princess Aud, daughter of King Arnulf. 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. Loki is found aboard the ship, and pretends to have sneaked aboard to sabotage it. 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 in the night, 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 and triggers an earthquake that causes the island to sink.

Erik's crew prepare to escape in their ship with Aud and the Horn safely aboard. 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 witnessed Snorri's murder and was able to recover the mouthpiece, sounds the first note on the Horn. The ship is propelled over the edge of the flat Earth and into space, where it comes to rest upon the plane of Asgard. Erik sounds the second note to awaken the gods, and he and his crew climb a path made of stars to 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. Harald the missionary sees neither hall, nor ghosts or gods, and passes intangibly through its walls due to his Christianity. [[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 (realm)|Hel]]. Some of the crew who died earlier in the adventure attempt to save them, but even as they are drawn into the Pit, they hear the Horn Resounding's third note, blown by Harald, who had returned to the ship, 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 suddenly 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==
{{Cast listing|
* [[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]]
* [[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
* Danny Schiller as Snorri the Miserable
* Gary Cady as Keitel Blacksmith
* Matyelok Gibbs as Erik's Mum
* [[Jim Broadbent]] as Ernest the Viking
* [[Jim Carter (actor)|Jim Carter]] as Jennifer the Viking
*[[Graham McTavish]] as Thangbrand
* [[Neil Innes]] as Hy-Brasilian
* [[Allan Surtees]] as Thorfinn's Dad
* Simon Evans as [[Odin]]
* Matthew Baker as [[Thor]]
* [[Tsutomu Sekine]] as Slavemaster
* [[John Scott Martin]] as Ingemund The Old
}}

==Production==
Principal photography took place at [[Shepperton Studios]] in England. 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 [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] artist [[Alan Lee (illustrator)|Alan Lee]]. The music score was composed by [[Neil Innes]].

''[[Amadeus (film)|Amadeus]]'' star [[Tom Hulce]] was originally going to star as Erik, but he decided instead to pursue his stage career.

The production by the [[Monty Python]] company Prominent Features received financial backing from Swedish [[Svensk Filmindustri]], which contributed to the film having its premiere in Sweden on 1 September 1989, followed by the US on 22 September, and the UK on 29 September. On cinema it had a running time of 107 minutes,<ref name=BBFC1/><ref name=SFI/> but unhappy with the film's slow pacing, Jones cut it down to 89 minutes for the VHS release the following year.<ref name=BBFC2>[http://www.bbfc.co.uk/search/releases/any/any/any/any/any/0/any/any/avf062142/any/any/any/any?advanced=true BBFC: ''Erik the Viking'' 1990] Retrieved 2013-03-05</ref>

In 2006 Jones was given the opportunity of re-editing the film for its [[DVD]] release. He delegated the actual editing work to his son Bill, who produced a 75-minute<ref name=BBFC3>[http://www.bbfc.co.uk/search/releases/any/any/any/any/any/0/any/any/cvf062142/any/any/any/any?advanced=true BBFC: ''Erik the Viking'' 2006] Retrieved 2013-03-05</ref> "Director's Son's Cut", with re-ordered scenes and much tighter pacing as well as a completely remixed and re-dubbed soundtrack.

===Media adaptations===
Graham Thompson adapted the film into a 1989 comic book.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lambiek.net/artists/t/thompson_graham.htm|title = Graham Thompson}}</ref>

A [[video game]] for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] was in development by [[Eurocom]] and was to be published by [[Video System]] and [[Kemco]] but was cancelled before release.<ref>{{cite web |last= Caoili |first= Eric |title= Eurocom's Mystery Terry Jones NES Game: Erik the Viking |url= http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2009/07/eurocoms_mystery_terry_jones_n.php |website= GameSetWatch |access-date= 24 December 2018 |date= 15 July 2009 }}</ref>

==Reception==
On [[Rotten Tomatoes]] the film has an approval rating of 47% based on reviews from 19 critics.<ref>{{cite web |title= Erik the Viking (1989) |url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/erik_the_viking_1989 |website= [[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date= 5 April 2021 }}</ref>

[[Variety (magazine)|''Variety'' magazine]] gave the film a positive review: "The idea of telling the story of a Viking warrior who thought there must be more to life than rape and pillage is an amusing one", and concluded that it was "an enjoyable film".<ref>{{cite web |date=1 January 1989 |author= Variety Staff |title= Erik the Viking |url= https://variety.com/review/VE1117790720 |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |access-date= 22 January 2020}}</ref> [[Vincent Canby]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' gave it 3 out of 5 and wrote: "Doesn't measure up to the best of the Python films, but it consistently entertains through the occasional gags that do not work and dialogue that is sometimes obscured by sound effects."<ref name="Canby">{{cite web |date=28 October 1989 |last=Canby |first=Vincent |author-link=Vincent Canby |title=Review/Film; A Viking Antihero Runs Amok With Idealism (Published 1989) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/28/movies/review-film-a-viking-antihero-runs-amok-with-idealism.html |website=[[The New York Times]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150525124647/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/28/movies/review-film-a-viking-antihero-runs-amok-with-idealism.html |archive-date=2015-05-25 |url-access=registration |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' gave the film 0 out of a possible 4 stars, calling it "An utterly worthless exercise in waste and wretched excess, uninformed by the slightest spark of humor, wit or coherence."<ref>{{cite web |date= 27 October 1989 |last= Ebert |first= Roger |author-link= Roger Ebert |title= Erik the Viking movie review & film summary (1989) |url= https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/erik-the-viking-1989 |website= [[Chicago Sun-Times]] |access-date= 22 January 2020 }}</ref>
Chris Willman of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' gave a it a negative review, and called it "A stillborn comedy in which minutes sometimes mysteriously go by between even attempted gags, and in which virtually no comic scene works up to any kind of viable punch line or payoff."<ref name="latimes">{{cite news |date=1989-11-01 |first=Chris |last=Willman |title= 'Viking' Fumbles With Too Few Laughs |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-11-01-ca-20-story.html |access-date=2020-10-10 }}</ref>

===Box office===
It made £845,436 in the UK.<ref name="org">{{cite web|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-back-to-the-future-the-fall-and-rise-of-the-british-film-industry-in-the-1980s.pdf|page=22|title=Back to the Future: The Fall and Rise of the British Film Industry in the 1980s - An Information Briefing|website=British Film Institute|date=2005}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0097289}}
* {{BBFC title|AFF062142|Erik the Viking}}
* [http://film.virtual-history.com/film.php?filmid=191 Virtual History: Still photos from ''Erik the Viking'']

{{Terry Jones}}

[[Category:1989 films]]
[[Category:1980s fantasy comedy films]]
[[Category:1980s fantasy adventure films]]
[[Category:British fantasy comedy films]]
[[Category:British fantasy adventure films]]
[[Category:British independent films]]
[[Category:Orion Pictures films]]
[[Category:Films based on Norse mythology]]
[[Category:Films directed by Terry Jones]]
[[Category:Fictional Vikings]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Terry Jones]]
[[Category:Films set in the Viking Age]]
[[Category:Films set on fictional islands]]
[[Category:Films adapted into comics]]
[[Category:1989 comedy films]]
[[Category:1980s English-language films]]
[[Category:1980s British films]]

Erik the Viking - Revision history

Kurt at 22:35, 7 February 2023

Kurt at 22:09, 2 February 2023

Kurt: 1 revision imported

en>Vitruvius Rufus at 15:45, 31 December 2022