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I'm thinking maybe the exclamation points in the subject will get people to look.
Not to get anyone's hopes up, but I don't know of any forthcoming viking movie. However, I was hoping you all could point me in the right direction toward finding a good one.
I'm teaching a World Mythology class for middle school kids at the moment, and after studying each culture I've let them watch a movie with related themes. We watched bits of the Armand Asante Odyssey for Greek myth, and The Mummy for Egyptian myth (yeah, that's more of a stretch, I know).
I'm hoping to do something to tie in with Norse myth before moving on to Arthurian myth and Excalibur (yeah, the one with the silver capped Merlin).
The only lead I really have is Erik the Viking, with Tim Robbins, John Cleese, et al, which is really a comedy more than anything else. It just doesn't seem like pop culture (at least recently) has really mined Norse myth that heavily.
Any ideas for something I could use? Again, keep in mind this is a 12-14 year old audience.
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The only Viking movie I remember is the 13th warrior. It is a fairly forgettable movie that pales in comparison to other battle epics like Braveheart. Here's a description from Amazon:
quote:What happened to The 13th Warrior? Directed by John McTiernan (Die Hard), it's the tale of young Arab ambassador Ahmahd ibn Fahdalan (Antonio Banderas), who's vanquished from his homeland for loving the wrong woman. On his journeys he associates with a ragtag group of Vikings who are traveling back to their homeland to confront a nefarious threat that's cloaked in such superstition they're forbidden to speak its name. It is prophesied by a witch doctor that 13 warriors must confront the evil; however, the 13th chosen man must not come from the north. Suddenly Banderas is forced into the breach, somewhat against his will. More poet than battle-worn warrior, he must not only fight the aggressors but come to terms with the unfamiliar Norse culture. What follows is a vigorous and brutal adventure reminiscent of Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. Sumptuous and invigorating battle sequences fill the screen from beginning to end as the brave Norsemen battle insurmountable odds. Sounds good. So why did this film, once known as the Eaters of the Dead, sit on studio shelves for two years? Presumably because of the thoughtless editing that trimmed down the film to its bare bones, crafting an actionfest out of an epic. It's not often that you crave for a movie to be longer, but The 13th Warrior could've benefited from fleshing out of its subplots and characters. On the surface it's good eye candy with some fine pulse-quickening moments, and Banderas and the accompanying cast turn in sympathetic performances, epitomizing camaraderie in the face of impending doom. However, if you're looking for a good thematic tale from the Dark Ages (akin to Braveheart), you may be disappointed.
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13th warrior is really more Beowulf than anything else. In an ideal world, the movie would not only have Norse culture but Norse mythology involved. I'd like a nod to Odin, Thor, Valhalla and the like.
You'd think with all the Icelandic sagas and eddas there'd be *something* put on film, no?
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posted
The 13th Warrior. Sort of a retelling of Beowulf, I think. With Antonio Banderas and a bunch of hot Norsemen. Er, check it out and see if it fits the bill-- it was based on a novel by Michael Chriton, so it was pretty thoroughly researched. Not really a myth, I guess, but some interesting cultural stuff.
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My first thought was Kull The Conqueror, but now that I think about it I believe they made up their set of gods for that movie, but I'm not sure. Posts: 733 | Registered: Sep 2003
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I found a page at IMDB about The Viking Sagas. The reveiw makes it sound like it might be worth watching, but it is Rated R so it might be a problem with the intended audiance.
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How about the old Disney show "Gargoyles"? I think Odin was a major character in several episodes.
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I vote for the Veggietales video Lyle, the Kindly Viking. Not that it's particularly accurate when it comes to Vikings, but it is fun to watch.
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As far as what to show your kids, I am drawing a blank. You would think there would be more viking movies. Hrm. Odd.
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Oh, Geez. I didn't see the age group you were talking about. The 13th Warrior might be a bit gritty for them. Lots of blood and death.
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There is a brief music video involving vikings in "Serendipity." I loved John Corbett in that. "You don't think he looks like he hates the music?" Also Disney's "Atlantis" had equally brief snippets. I think they are an alternate beginning in the special features.
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You could do a reading from Douglas Adam's Long Dark Teatime of the Soul, rather than showing a movie.
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I don't think the 13th warrior would be too bad... they were okay with watching some of the things in The Mummy, though a few of them winced a bit. For movies, I send home permission slips just to be on the safe side as far as parents are concerned.
We already showed the 13th Warrior to our House (just my little corner of the seventh grade) and they were okay with it. This myth class is grades 6-8, taken from the entire school, so only three of my kids are actually from my House.
I was just hoping for something that made a little more reference to myth, rather than just norse-esque feel like 13th Warrior. A student in my class said she had an awesome video that would be perfect... then went home and rewatched it only to discover it was in Swedish, without subtitles. That didn't exactly work out well.
With the utter lack of originality in Hollywood these days, you'd have thought they'd have gone to the Viking well at least *once* for a movie... yeesh.
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posted
If you are showing mythology movies, how about The Whale Rider?
Here's a brief description of the movie:
quote:There is a legend that Paikea rode on the back of a whale and led his people to New Zealand. Since that time tradition has decreed that the first-born male descendant will become chief of the tribe. Then Pai is born...and she is a girl. She grows up within a close-knit village which retains the tribes traditional spiritual relationship with the sea and their warrior values. Although loved by all, Pai faces rejection from her grandfather, Koro, who is brokenhearted that there is no grandson to carry on the line.
This movie takes place in modern day New Zealand. It might be nice for your students to see how ancient myths are still deeply woven into the fabric of the Maori's everyday lives.
The movie is PG-13 because there is one scene where an adult was smoking a joint. Other than that, I think it is a perfect film for your intended audience. It is, hands down, the best coming of age movie I have ever seen.
[ January 09, 2004, 05:08 PM: Message edited by: Beren One Hand ]
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posted
Just remember that The 13th Warrior is a re-telling of the Grendel parts of Beowulf which makes for a pretty short story. Not a lot to flesh out.
It's also the movie version of Michael Crichton's Eaters of the Dead which only managed to hit 93 pages or so, in paper back. Even he couldn't pad his idea to much longer.
All in all, though, it did capture quite a bit of his story, which had tons of info on Viking life.
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