Viking | Through the Shattered Lens

Cavatica didn’t know where I borrowed and changed the chant in the beginning of my ThunderCats post previous to this one so I decided what better way to answer his question than using one of Lisa Marie’s favorite past features in the blog. I always did enjoy her “Scenes I Love” posts since it showed that even a bad film could have a redeeming quality with that one perfect scene that redeems the rest. Or it could be a scene that just reinforces just how great the rest of the film truly is.

So, my first attempt at “Scenes I Love” happens to be from the final battle in John Mctiernan’s epic tale of an Arab chronicler becoming sword-brothers with a band of Viking warriors and their king, Buliwfy. I love this scene for the reciting of the Viking Death Prayer by the few defenders left at the end of the film. Buliwfy, the Viking king, begins the prayer to be followed by the rest then finished by Ahmed Ibn Fadlan (Antonio Banderas) just in time to stand fast against a charge of the inhuman “Eaters of the Dead” (really just a remnant tribe of neanderthals).

That prayer is very powerful and with Jerry Goldsmith’s rousing music providing a proper background it’s definitely hard for one not to pick up a sword or axe and stand fast against the incoming horde.

The original Viking Death Prayer

Lo, there do I see my Father..
Lo, there do I see my Mother
And my Sisters and my Brothers..
Lo, there do I see the line
Of my people back to the beginning..
Thay do bid me to take my place among them..
In the Halls of Valhalla,
Where the Brave may live forever.

I just came across the trailer for this little film from Danish director Nicholas Winding Refn (directed the soon-to-be cult-classic, Bronson) called Valhalla Rising. I’ve heard of this Viking period film late last year, but couldn’t find much info on it other than it was one brutal and great-looking film. Whether it was any good I still have to see for myself.

The film stars Mads Mikkelsen (Le Chiffre in Casino Royale and Tristan in King Arthur) as the Norse warrior One-Eye in 1000 A.D. and travels with a boy named Are as they join with a band of Vikings. From what I could tell from the trailer above much violence occurs during their travels. The choice of music for the trailer is more than just a bit unusual especially when paired with the brutal scenes of violence shown.

I’m always down for some ultra-violent filmmaking and at times that alone will save a film for me. Here’s to hoping that Valhalla Rising will be more than just brutality and gore but actually have some depth to it. If it doesn’t then at least I’ll get my fill of the grue and gore.