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Erik The Viking (Director's Son's Cut) [1989]


RRP: £15.99
Our Price: £2.72 (subject to change)

Surprisingly different"We are the gods. We can not make men love each other."
Review date: 2007-05-13 Rating: 10 out of 10

Erik encounters a woman that makes him think (Samantha Bond). He confronts his grand father with the age old question of why young men have to fight. Erik, "I met this woman, she got me to thinking." Grandfather "What did you do?" Erik, "I killed her."

From this and other conversations Erik finds he must go on a quest to end The Age of Ragnorok. In the process they must do a parody of many old movies such as "The Vikings" (Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis), "Felinni - Satyricon.", and many Viking myths. Will he complete the quest and also confront the girl of his dreams (Samantha Bond) or will he fail, and sword makers everywhere will have job security?

Everyone does an excellent job of acting. And if you liked Samantha Bond, she is in many other English classics as Agatha Christie's "Murder is Announced" and "Rumpole of the Bailey"


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Reviews


Not funny enough for adults, not fairy tale enough for kids
Review date: 2007-03-24 Rating: 4 out of 10

It is a little disappointing revisiting this movie after so many years..
This is a pretty lavish set, if you are a fan of the movie.. not just the original cut, but a redone, tighter, leaner cut, edited by Terry Jones son.
Terry goes to great lengths in the commentary and accompanying interview to explain that this is not a Monty Python movie, but a fairy tale - taken from his children's book. However, in reality, it spans the gap between python and fairytale, in a similar way to Jabberwocky, or Time Bandits.
As Python comedy, it is never crazy or cutting edge enough to please the fans. At least John Cleese is here, (a last minute replacement for Jack Lemmon, apparently.) in fine fettle in a delicious cameo. There are definite sparks, and laugh out moments - I enjoyed the loading of the boat scene (`That's no good, now you have all the men with moustaches on one side, and the ones with beards on the other!'), but even in a leaner cut it is never quite the mirth fest it so wants to be.
As a fairytale, it does not quite have the memorable message or nemesis to make it all work, although the moments in the middle are pure fairytale - the Utopian land of Hy-Brazil is a perfect cross of Python and fairy tale, making it more memorable than even the ending of the film.
The curiosity factor of the film is upped by a string of interesting cameos - not just Cleese, but Eartha Kitt, Mickey Rooney and Freddie Jones all have memorable parts.
So it is a mixed bag - it is funny, but only in places. It is memorable, but only in places.. It's just hard not to wonder how much better and edgier it might have been if Graham Chapman had not died, and the Python team had stayed on board to complete it together.

Almost, but not quite.
Review date: 2006-11-20 Rating: 8 out of 10

It's not quite true to say that Disc 2 features 'the original UK theatrical release'. At least one scene is still missing, so if you're the kind of person who remembers that Leif the Lucky had a bigger part in the cinema than he does on the VHS release, you'll be sad to hear that he isn't any luckier in this version. It is more or less the same as the VHS release, however. But that's not the primary reason for buying this set.

The Director's Son's Cut is shorter than the original - 25% shorter, in fact - and the difference is probably only noticeable to people who know the film well. A line here, a tiny scene there, a bit of running around before he reaches Freya's cave, that kind of thing - it all adds up but isn't horribly jarring in the scheme of things. The film is tighter, and snappier for it. New opening credits are a little distracting, and the impact of the original title screen (and music) is lost somewhat, but it moves the film on a little quicker so isn't a disaster.

The additional features aren't completely inspiring - edited interviews from the time of shooting, rather than new material - but the commentary is interesting, and the packaging is nice. Overall it's a much better product than the previous DVD release of this film, and it's a good fun romp through Norse mythology and post-Python humour, with some lovely visuals.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Samantha Bond
John Cleese
Mickey Rooney
Tim Robbins
Eartha Kitt

Creators:
Samantha Bond (Primary Contributor)
John Cleese (Primary Contributor)

Recording label: Arrow Films
Manufacturer: Arrow Films
EAN: 5027035004280
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 2
Format: Box set, PAL, Special Edition, Widescreen,
Release date: 2006-10-09
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 165 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1989
Language: English (Original Language)

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