The Long Ships

Plot synopsis:
The first book covers the years 982 to 990. While still a youth, Orm is abducted by a Viking party led by Krok and they sail south. They fall captive to Andalusian Muslims and serve as galley slaves for more than two years, later becoming members of Almanzor's bodyguard for four years. They return to Denmark to King Harald Bluetooth's court where Orm meets Ylva. Orm later returns to Scania with Rapp. Orm and Rapp join a Viking party raiding England again after a brief period of peace in that area following the reconquest of the Danelaw in the mid-10th century by King Edgar, Ethelred's father. Orm joins a party led by Thorkell the High in England and when he learns that Harald's daughter Ylva is staying in London, gets baptised and marries Ylva. They move to a neglected farm, his mother's inheritance in Göinge, northern Skåne, near the border with Småland. During the following years (992 to 995), Orm prospers, and Ylva gives birth to twin girls (Oddny and Ludmilla), a son, Harald, and later to another son (though possibly from Rainald), Svarthöfde (Blackhair in the Michael Meyer translation). Meanwhile, Orm also gets busy in converting the heathens in the district, with the help of Father Willibald.
The year 1000 passes without Christ returning. In 1007, with Orm now forty-two, his brother Are returns from the east, bringing the news of a treasure ("Bulgar gold") he had hidden. Orm decides to travel to Kievan Rus for the gold, and together with Toke and the Finnveding chieftain Olof mans a ship. They recover the treasure and return home safely. From then on, Orm and Toke live in peace and plenty as good neighbours, and Svarthöfde Ormsson becomes a famous Viking, fighting for Canute the Great. The story ends with the statement that Orm and Toke in their old age "did never tire of telling of the years when they had rowed the Caliph's ship and served my lord Al-Mansur."

Tags: violence, action

Review:
"The Long Ships" is the story of a mighty gold bell "as tall as three tall men," the one people call the Mother of Voices, cast long ago by the monks of Byzantium Prince Aly Mansuh had searched from the mountains to the sea for the bell Now he must know what lies beyond the horizon until Allah's divine guidance leads him to the treasures of IslamPrince Aly's wife Aminah thinks that her husband is chasing a legend, a fairy tale that has already cost them dearly in lives and gold But the prince is no dreamer He is sure that the bell does exist and it rests somewhere in this world, in a Christian land For him it was stolen by the Christian armies when they plundered their way across his cities to the dishonor and humiliation of his ancestors In that morning, the obsessed Moorish prince is informed by his guards that a stranger in the market knows the whereabouts of the golden bell The stranger is arrested and taken to a tower for interrogation The stranger assures to the prince that he knows nothing but stories and legends, and swears that, out in the market he was trying to earn some money for food and shelter He also said that he is a sailor, a dreamer, a Norseman, a Viking who was shipwrecked and was simply trying to get back to his homeland Richard Widmark is the true Norse warrior who swallowed the ocean He tells his father that he has returned because he needs another ship and another crew Rolfe said that he had found the bell He heard it booming away like a god's hammer on a mountain of ice Nothing else would've brought him back after losing his ship That ship cost his father the tribute money he owed the king Sydney Poitier promised Rolfe that he would not be prepared to die so calmly He shall give him an example of real courage that comes from authority, 'his' authority Aly Mansuh asks Lady Aminah to select one of his guards to be the first to feel the kiss of steel before the Viking Rosanna Schiaffino could offer Rolfe and his comrades the chance to live and to sail from these shores as rich men With fire in her cheeks, Lady Aminah looked lovely as the most envied woman with eye-catching legs Orm (Russ Tamblyn) asks the great Odin what did they do that he turns his rage against them ruining his father Gerda (Beba Loncar) is the beautiful snow princess taken as a hostage and whom to be sacrificed as a maiden to lift the curse of the death ship Krok (Oskar Homolka) is the old, ruined man who asks himself how a thane whose entire fortune consists of two gold pieces, find or even equip another ship King Harald (Clifford Evas) practically stole the ship build by Krok's men He cheated the broken man in giving him two gold pieces for his funeral ship, the difference between the ship's price and two years' tribute he owes him Sven (Edward Judd) is the sailing master to King Harald of Norseland who really thinks the ship is cursed for being a funeral ship He commands the sailors, these 'greedy devils' to turn back or they'll be hanged in the king's name With great stars, mutinous sailors, beautiful cinematography, and a look at a Moorish harem, "The Long Ships" remains another fine Viking adventure with a lot of humor and fun.
For this was the mother of voices¨.Rolf (Richard Widmark) as leader of a band of Norsemen along with his brother Orn (Russ Tamblyn) stealing a ship sets sail for the unknown land in search of a missing solid-gold bell .
Widmark heading off a mysterious place, defending his people and battling for his survival against mutinous crew , evil oppressors(Clifford Evans) and especially fighting Moorish prince named El Mansuh(Sidney Poitier) There're also some gorgeous babes ( Rosanna Schiaffino, Beba Loncar) around to offer us certain comfort .This enjoyable picture packs adventures, thrills, good action scenes and is very amusing.
In this film called " The Long Ships " we have a Viking reciting a legend which was once told to his people of a great bell which was as high as 'three tall men.' Said to have been created by the monks of Byzantium, in actuality, they had indeed cast one out of solid gold, but was small enough to be handed as a gift to the German emperor, for his personal chapel, during the middle ages.
Here we have, Richard Widmark as Rolfe, a seafaring Viking who is captured by Aly Mansuh, the Moorish prince (Sidney Poitier) who threatens him with torture is he does not reveal its location.
That's certainly did not come out in this film which has all the appearances of something that Vince McMahon might have directed.I'm guessing that Richard Widmark, Sidney Poitier and the rest of the cast wanted to do something that paid well without too much strain on the talent.
The Long Ships has some of his best work and it also has a stirring musical score.I saw this film in theaters as a teen and over forty years later I still enjoy this rollicking medieval romp.Vince McMahon couldn't have staged it better..
The entertaining if somewhat protracted interest in spectacular pseudo- and quasi-classical myths, legends, histories and fantasies has been a healthy undercurrent in popular film from right around the time when Jack Cardiff's The Long Ships was released.
On one side is the Moor army led by king Aly Mansuh (Poitier), on the other is the Norsemen led by Rolfe (Widmark).Thought to be an attempt at cashing in on the success of Richard Fleischer's The Vikings and Anthony Mann's El Cid (in spite of there being a 6 and 3 year gap respectively?), The Long Ships is a messy film bogged down by confused intentions and a poor script from Beverley Cross & Berkely Mather.
Over the years, my memory has been deceiving me: the scene in question is extremely tame, only one person, a Moorish guard, riding the Mare, his demise not in the least bit graphic, making the film as a whole quite the disappointment.The humdrum story sees ruffian Rolfe (Richard Widmark) leading a group of scrawny Viking warriors on a quest to find a fabled bell made of solid gold.
Also looking for the bell is Moorish king Aly Mansuh (Sidney Poitier), who isn't about to let the pale northerners steal his prize.Poorly executed action scenes rub shoulders with moments of embarrassingly bad slapstick comedy (the raucous vikings' wild antics—drinking, brawling and raping—are played for laughs), leading to an uneven film that lacks the rousing sense of adventure to be found in the earlier Hollywood viking epic The Vikings (1958).A usually reliable cast do little to distinguish this mediocre romp, Poitier clearly not taking matters seriously judging by his ridiculous James Brown hairdo, Widmark and Russ Tamblyn (as Rolfe's younger brother Orm) failing to put any swash into their buckling, and Brit comic actor Lionel Jeffries camping it up in black-face as an effete eunuch!And don't even get me started on the film's many goofs, which include the massive bell being towed on a raft (which would sink immediately under the weight of all that gold), Rolfe seemingly able to swim from the Barbary coast to Scandinavia, and the small matter of who has been ringing the bell all this time and why (the rocky outcrop on which it is found being totally deserted).My rating: 5 deafening golden bell bongs out of 10.
I felt Richard Widmark did not take his character too seriously, likewise Sydney Poitier, Oskar Homolka and Russ Tamblyn, Thr big plus for the movie was a great soundtrack.
It's basically a good old adventure yarn, and it's still actually a load of fun, even if it gets a bit bogged down in the middle.Richard Widmark is a Viking (only slightly more ridiculously than his nemesis Sidney Poitier as a Moor) who is shipwrecked and thinks he has found the location of the fabled 'Mother of Voices' - a gigantic golden bell as tall as 'three tall men', made by monks somewhereorother.
The first sequence including the monks features an unusually inventive use of color;wonderfully using shadows and light it promised great things.But what follows does not rise to the occasion,by a long shot.Intended to match the critical and commercial success of Richard Fleischer's "the Vikings" (1958),it signally fails in its purpose.The story must have been found in pulp fiction .Besides,the treatment fluctuates between pure adventures yarn and parody.Richard Widmark,realizing how silly the part he played was ,gives a tongue in chick rendition whereas Poitier seriously performs his baddie .What a gap!It's true that the Vikings did plunder the monasteries and they sometimes enslaved the monks whom they did not kill.They traded with the Muslims too.And the golden bell could have provided a good start.But you 'd rather pick up Richard Fleischer's movie instead..
Richard Widmark and Sidney Poiter create two adversaries who end up searching for a long-lost golden bell, referred to as the "Mother of Voices."  At first, Richard Widmark, as the Viking adventurer, has to convince his father, a Viking thane (leader of a Viking village) that, one the bell exists, two he knows where it is, and three, he needs a ship that the village has built for the king in order to find it.
Also, the Viking king, Harold, has put to sea in his long ships, expects to search the seas for Rolfe, and hang him for the aforementioned crimes.If the viewer takes this film with a touch of humor, and simply looks for entertainment, this is a very nice film to watch  The music score is stirring, and the action, coupled with touches of wry humor, gives a true sense of enjoyable movie fun.
Widmark and Poiter have good support cast members, Russ Tamblyn, as Rolfe's younger brother, Oscar Homolka, as the father, Rosanna Schiaffino, wife of Mansuh, all of whom contribute to the movie's action and humor..
Just Take It As What It Is. Though released at about the same time, "The Long Ships" was not intended as an epic spectacular film in the line of "The Vikings" (1958), "Ben Hur" (1959), "Spartacus" (1960) or some other of the 50's and early 60's classics.
This movie has to be assumed just as what it was planned to be: a colorful period costume extravaganza in the times of the Vikings with lots of action and adventure; as such it stands as a most enjoyable product all the way.A very impressive color photography in beautiful open-wide outdoor locations, perfect settings and an interesting cast help too.
Richard Widmark is the Viking chief that leads his men in the search of the "Mother of Voices" a legendary huge bell made of gold; Sidney Poiter plays a sort of villainous Muslim leader who also wants the bell and fights the Vikings for it.
Beautiful Italian actress Rosanna Schiaffino adds the feminine touch as Poitier's favorite wife.If you don't think much in realistic terms and just let yourself go with action and adventure you'll surely have a good time with this film.Just for the record: in Argentina "The Long Ships" was renamed as "Los Invasores Vikingos" ("The Viking Invaders")..
As a moorish ruler obsessed with a wrong done by christians there is  some relivance to today,but the obsession is for GOLD not correcting the wrong deed.Richard Widmark is NOT a Viking,but this movie is a laugh a minute with mistakes and unbelivable happenings.Still Oscar Hominka is right on in his small but important role,and its good to see Russ Tambyn in a non West side story role.Not to be taken to seriously as the much more recent 13 warrior is to be..
Imagine giddy vikings raping their way through a room filled with women being played for laughs or Sidney Poitier as a Moorish king surrounded by blackfaced subjects: the film hasn't aged well and it's not fun enough or good enough to make up for that.
Meanwhile, Sidney's wife, Rosanna Schiaffino, is more than frustrated with her husband's lack of intimate interest in her, and with another good-looking man in the picture, she might look elsewhere to get her needs met.While you're busy scratching your head wondering why anyone cast Dick Widmark in a period piece, you'll find out he's not the only unconvincing Viking in the movie.
the waining pagan faith.Orm's growth,as both a warrior and a man are really quite an inspiring story.And this film doesn't cover any of it.We have some sort of a worked -up plot about searching for a lost golden bell,and some casting that is bizarre.Widmark plays Widmark,tough,glib,and cynical.He does a fine job,but it isn't anything that he hadn't done in at least 20 pictures before.Who,in the name of all that's holy,cast Poitier in a role that called for Anthony Quinn to repeat his performance in"Sinbad the Sailor"?Did Sidney take this on because he was short of funds?Tamblyn is his own sweet self,and Homolka,Judd,Evans,Blakely,Jackson,and Lodge are their usual capable selves in their roles.Schiaffino is lovely to gaze upon,and at least tries to create a character,which is more than can be said of Loncar.(By the way,why couldn't we see more of that voluptuous blond sneaking into the smokehouse with Tamblyn?Has anybody got her phone number?)The last act is pretty implausible.The Moslems return to town with the bell,enter a silent city with the crowds NOT giving them the expected adulation,and walk right into an ambush.GIVE ME A BREAK!These are Moors,not morons.
This story tells a fanciful tale of a Great Golden Bell that only the Viking Long Ships can get to by navigating the "Maelstrom." Exciting fun and adventure!.
The Long Ships is one of three movies Sidney Poitier made with Richard Widmark.
RELEASED IN 1964 and directed by Jack Cardiff, "The Long Ships" chronicles events circa 1000 AD when a Viking misadventurer, Rolfe (Richard Widmark), and a Moorish king (Sidney Poitier) from the Barbary Coast strive to find "The Mother of All Voices," a priceless gigantic golden bell near the Pillars of Hercules, which refer to the promontories that flank the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar (the northern "pillar" is Calpe Mons, aka the Rock of Gibraltar).
The storyline involves the hero, Rolf, played intelligently by non-classically-trained Richard Widmark as an infinitely resourceful rogue coming home--having lost his previous Viking ship in a maelstrom.
What follows is a battle, capture by Poitier's men, an escape that goes awry in the King's harem, and a voyage at sword's point by the Vikings to find and bring back the great bell.
The climax of the film is a battle fought in the Emir's city made possible when the Viking King comes to claim his ship and then fights with Rolf to make the great treasure his own.
It it is what it is...the OTHER Viking film of the sixties, A Moorish King, Aly Mansah (Sidney Poitier) cajoles after much fighting with his Viking adversary, Rolfe (Richard Widmark), looking out of place as much as the British supporting cast for a legendary 'Golden Bell' named 'The Mother of Voices' at the 'Pillars of Hercules'...
The film sees Richard Widmark playing a Viking in search of a legendary golden bell, while Sidney Poitier stars against him as a Moorish prince equally intent on getting said bell for himself.What follows is an often rousing and entertaining adventure filled with all manner of seafaring, scrapes and beautiful women.
Richard Widmark is excellent in the Kirk Douglas role, Sidney Poitier cast very much against type as the villain and Gordon Jackson as a cowardly Viking providing comic relief many years before he became the authority figure made famous by his roles in The Professionals and Upstairs/Downstairs.2 things that really stand out about this film, the revelation of the giant bell (which seems to float very well considering it's supposed to be solid gold?)and the 'Steel mare' torture device which really is the stuff of nightmares, like the Tarzan film where his African porters would be ripped apart by being tied to criss crossed palm trees.
Beautiful color photography, excellent atmosphere and sets, a great title theme, and a sly sense of humor that doesn't take itself too seriously.Some critics have called it comic book level, but hey, this a Fun movie and not actual history.It is also somewhat ahead of its time by featuring an interracial marriage between Mansuh and his wife.After returning to Norway and after much intrigue, Rolfe{ Widmark: gets a crew together and sails off on the Kings magnificent fighting ship.After going through the malestrom and ruining his second shipt they confront the Moorsbut surrender because they are outnumbered.After repairing their ship, they set out again to find the bell.
I put it on the other night to watch and he loved it,we have never laughed so much.This film is not to be taken as a history lesson it is just a fun film and nothing more,most of the time its unintentionally funny,for instance the long distance swimming Richard Widmark does at the near beginning of the film.The amount of costumes Sidney Poitier goes through,the different accents the viking crew have and who they are{Gorden Jackson}is one of them,Lionel Jeffries plays a black Enoch,so you see what i mean,how can you take this film seriously.
The 1964 British-Yugoslavian epic "The Long Ships" with Richard Widmark and Sidney Poitier, concerns a rivalry between marauding Viking seafarers and Moorish swordsmen.
The hero and villain are searching for a fabled gigantic golden bell of legend reputed to be as tall as three men and made with 'half the gold in the world.' This entertaining, formulaic, far-fetched nonsense has Widmark hamming it up as a rogue Viking while Poitier plays his Moorish prince with a straight face as well as straightened hair.