Review #1,209: 'Erik the Viking' (1989)

After the enormous success of Monty Python, the individual members of the innovative troupe started to branch out to work on their own passion projects, which often yielded fantastic results. Terry Gilliam's Time Bandits, for example, is now considered a family classic and remains a firm childhood favourite for many who grew up in the 1980s. A Fish Called Wanda, starring Python alumni John Cleese and Michael Palin was a hilariously farcical movie that went on to be Oscar nominated for Best Director and Best Screenplay, and winning for Kevin Kline's unhinged supporting turn. Some ventures, however, were less successful, although some Python loyalists may insist otherwise. Terry Jones adapted his own children's book for Erik the Viking, a movie that shares much in common with the aforementioned Time Bandits, but shares little of its sense of wonder, imagination and wit.

While on a routine raping-and-pillaging expedition, Viking Erik (Tim Robbins) realises he has grown tired of the never-ending circle of violence and misery celebrated by his people. He falls for a girl (Samantha Bond) after saving her from some of his bloodthirsty brothers, before accidentally killing her. The experience sends him seeking answers and wisdom from the wise woman Freya (Eartha Kitt), who explains to Erik that Fenrir the wolf has gobbled up the sun and plunged the world into the dark days of Ragnarok. Determined to see the sun again, Erik sets off on a quest to find the Horn Resounding which, when blown, will transport him to Asgard where he can confront the Gods. However, such a miracle will spell the end of war, thus putting blacksmiths Keitel (Gary Cady) and his underling Loki (Antony Sher) out of business, as well as threatening the reign of the brutal Halfdan the Black (John Cleese).

Erik the Viking takes Norse mythology so seriously that there are long stretches of the film during which it is easy to forget that it's a comedy. 10 or 20 minutes can easily go by without so much of a giggle, as Jones struggles to keep the tone consistent and, with an obviously limited budget, the action exciting. Still, although Erik pales in comparison to some of the wonderful work Jones has been involved in over the years, it certainly isn't a bad movie, and in no way deserves the stigma still attached to it. There are some laugh-out-loud moments, including the bickering relationship between beserks Sven (Tim McInnerny) and his father (Charles McKeown), and a Japanese slave master who berates his subjects with racial slurs ("You incomprehensible. horizontal-eyed western trousers wearers/How I abominate your lack of ancestor worship!"). Ultimately, the film is too inconsistent and tonally uneven to work, but go in expecting a handful of laughs and a few famous cameos and you may not be too disappointed.


Directed by: Terry Jones
Starring: Tim Robbins, Mickey Rooney, Eartha Kitt, Terry Jones, Imogen Stubbs, John Cleese
Country: UK/Sweden

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #192: 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' (1975)

This is one of those films that I can't believe I had never seen before now. Also on this list are the likes of It's A Wonderful Life (1946) and The Great Escape (1963), but they will be seen all in good time. It's a shame I had waited so long to be honest, as it is quite possibly the most hilarious and brilliant comedy I've ever seen. There's not much to say about Monty Python that hasn't already been said, but it is well known that the group (John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin) were revolutionaries in the art of comedy, combining a number of elements to create an overall surreal and ingenious sense of humour.

The film is based loosely on the legend of King Arthur (Chapman) and the Knights of the Round Table. Arthur is on a quest to find the Holy Grail, and with his fellow Knights, encounters a number of dangerous and ridiculous obstacles along the way. These include a castle guarded by French knights with 'outrageous accents', the Black Knight, the Knights Who Say Ni, the Three-Headed Giant, the Rabbit of Caebannog, and the Beast of Arrrrrrggggghhhhh.

Whereas Life of Brian (1979) was a very intelligent and quite biting satire on religion, Holy Grail is pretty much just an excuse to be extremely silly. From the opening scene, where Arthur arrives pretending to ride on his imaginary horse while his squire bangs two coconuts together to make a galloping noise, you know that the film is not going to play by any comedy rules, and is certainly not afraid of being just plain weird. It plays out in an episodic structure, much like The Flying Circus, but the team are clearly at their most comfortable here and are certainly no slouches when it comes to comedy set-pieces. My favourite would probably be the famous Black Knight, who when Arthur has hacked three of his limbs in a brilliantly gruesome manner, is still trying to fight ("'tis but a scratch!").

The comedy comes from all angles - word-play, visual gags, surrealism, post-modernism, blink-or-you'll-miss-it background gags, and simply pulling silly faces - and they come thick and fast, including more laughs per minute than most comedies will be lucky to muster in 90 minutes. This is simply a brilliant film, and will forever remain amongst the greatest comedies ever created.


Directed by: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones
Starring: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Michael Palin
Country: UK

Rating: *****

Tom Gillespie