Apparently, Mel Gibson is going to make a movie, or "film" for those of you who drink mocha lattes and other shit, that has to do with vikings, and maybe Leonard Di Caprio will star in it:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118012680.html?categoryid=13&cs=1. I hope it happens and I hope it's good, though a viking saga would not be complete without Russel Crowe in the lead--had Ridley Scott been able to convince him to take on "Kingdom of Heaven," it would have succeeded on the level of "Gladiator." Crowe is a throwback to the old breed that could carry an action (or any other) flick. Anyway, back to vikings and I'm wondering if Gibson's story is or is not based on the "Saxon Chronicles" books penned by Bernard Cornwell. He's written four of them, and I've read them all which concern the 9th century Dane and Norse raids and domination of Saxon England. Good reads--Cornwell is a pretty good storyteller and they're a bit illuminating on what life was like during that period. I also recommend his "Sharpe" series that takes place during the Napoleonic Wars and his book, "Agincourt" which is a helluva good telling of the famous battle, seen through the eyes of long bowman, Nick Hook.
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118012680.html?categoryid=13&cs=1. I hope it happens and I hope it's good, though a viking saga would not be complete without Russel Crowe in the lead--had Ridley Scott been able to convince him to take on "Kingdom of Heaven," it would have succeeded on the level of "Gladiator." Crowe is a throwback to the old breed that could carry an action (or any other) flick. Anyway, back to vikings and I'm wondering if Gibson's story is or is not based on the "Saxon Chronicles" books penned by Bernard Cornwell. He's written four of them, and I've read them all which concern the 9th century Dane and Norse raids and domination of Saxon England. Good reads--Cornwell is a pretty good storyteller and they're a bit illuminating on what life was like during that period. I also recommend his "Sharpe" series that takes place during the Napoleonic Wars and his book, "Agincourt" which is a helluva good telling of the famous battle, seen through the eyes of long bowman, Nick Hook.
Recently, I watched "The Vikings" on TCM, which stars Kirk Douglas (I think he turned 93 the other day) and Ernest Borgnine (also still alive and in his nineties), as well as Tony Curtis. To be brief, I don't think the film has held up well--it seems trite, overacted and sloppy today.
A couple of other viking notes: vikings did not wear the horned helmets that you often see depicted, most frequently on the heads of drunken Minnesota Vikings fans. Those would have quickly become a hindrance in battle, easily knocked off in close quarters combat. Instead, they did actually wear helmets with actual bird wings on the sides and other decorations that would not prove to be counterproductive while killing Englishmen. Also, the term viking actually means "raiding" so, to go viking meant to go on a raid. Vikings were raiders either from what is now Denmark, or the Norse lands of what is now Scandinavia. Their influence on life in England during the 800s was extremely extensive, influencing and effecting virtually everything that occurred on the island. Very similar, in fact, to the Comanche presence in Texas from around 1750 to 1870 where every consideration of the fledgling state and its settlement weighed the Comanche threat (read Fehrenbach's "The Comanches" if you ever want to read a kick ass history book). In fact, I think of vikings as really the Comanches of the British Isles. Not quite as mean and not nearly the horsemen the Comanches were, but hell on wheels, nevertheless.
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