The Viking is a Hollywood movie from 1928. It is among the earliest feature-length movies filmed entirely in Technicolor, and the last to be a silent movie. Though silent, it has a soundtrack. It is an adaptation of the 1902 historical novel The Thrall of Leif the Lucky by Ottilie A. Liljencrantz.
Lord Alwin, the smooth-shaven Earl of Northumbria, is captured by Vikings and whisked away to Norway, land of the bearded Northmen. Sold as a slave, he ends up in the possession of Leif Ericsson, a famous navigator with a bold plan of discovering America.
As Leif sails the ocean blue to meet his father Eric the Red, chief of Greenland, the white Anglo-Saxon protests in vain against his treatment at the hands of Egil the Black, Leif's Danish sailing master. The only silver lining is the rosy Helga Nilsson, the one female member of Leif's crew, who is increasingly enthralled by the dashing new thrall. And Egil the Black turns green with envy.
The Viking is in the public domain and can be found on YouTube
and other video sites.
The Viking provides examples of the following tropes:
- Artistic License: Vikings (and in fact, Scandinavians in general up to at least the 16th century) used patronymics rather than family names. Hence the name "Helga Nilsson" makes no sense from a historical perspective, because "Nilsson" means (very obviously) "son of Nils" and can never be a woman's patronymic. Less obvious, "Nils" is also an abridged form of Nicholas, which is Greek in origin and was introduced to Scandinavia through the cult of St. Nicholas. Nobody in pre-Christian Scandinavia was called Nils.
- Famed In-Story: Before Leif Ericsson even appears in the movie, he is already mentioned as "the famous Leif Ericsson" in a title card, and when he finally appears on screen, a title card introduces him as "famed throughout the North for his strength, courage and justice." Shortly after, King Olaf honors him by proposing a toast to him, and later comments on Leif's plan of exploring the sea west of Greenland that such a voyage "would be an adventure worthy of you, Leif Ericsson!". No solid explanation for why Leif is so famous is given, as all this takes place before Leif makes his famous discovery.
- Faux Action Girl: When she is first introduced, Helga is wearing a helmet and armor, and a title card tells us that she is "living the life of a Viking sea rover under the protection of the famous Leif Ericsson". In the very same scene, she also falls from her horse (much to the amusement of the onlookers), and sprains her wrist, which she keeps rubbing, and needs to have patched up by her male companion. During the treatment, the pain is visibly troubling her, although she comically tries to act tough. The entire sequence signals that she is not really cut out for the "life of a Viking sea rover", but is much rather a big tomboy who only wants to be tough, but is not.
- Five-Second Foreshadowing: One of the ladies in Lady Editha's room prays before a cross "From the sword and the chains of the Vikings, O Lord, deliver us." Next we see a Viking kill a guard from behind a tree, and less than three minutes later, the castle has been stormed by Vikings and Alwin has been carrried off to Norway as a slave.
- Here There Be Dragons: On Leif's map of the Atlantic ocean, the western end of the ocean is shown as an abyss watched over by dragons.
- I Have No Son!: When Leif reveals himself as a Christian, Eric makes his disapproval known by hurling an axe at him, and when Leif reproaches him for attacking his own son, he asserts that "[w]hen you turned from the gods of our fathers, you ceased to be a son of mine."
- Little Stowaway: Helga wants to join Leif on his voyage of exploration, but Leif intends to leave her in Greenland. When Eric's and Leif's men are fighting, she uses the commotion to disguise herself with furs, pants, a horned helmet and a fake beard, and go aboard with Leif's crew. Later she is discovered hiding in the hold, and Leif accepts the fact.
- Pelts of the Barbarian: Many of the Vikings attacking Alwin's castle wear primitive fur garments, and so do many of the Greenlanders forming Eric the Red's company. In contrast Leif, King Olaf and Olaf's guests do not wear furs, giving the impression that in the movie's world, wearing shaggy furs and pelts is reserved for pagans.
- The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A title card introduces Helga as "living the life of a Viking sea rover under the protection of the famous Leif Ericsson"; this implies that Leif and his crew are "sea rovers", a term which usually means "pirates". However Leif and his crew are never seen committing piracy, do not talk about having done so in the past, and Leif's characterization as "famed for his justice" seems to be at odds with a piratical past. Even though they are apparently financially well-off, it remains unclear how they support themselves, or what is the purpose of their company.
- Sweet Polly Oliver: To join Leif's voyage of exploration, Helga dresses up as a Viking to board Leif's ship with the others. She does not bother to keep up her disguise for long, as Leif cannot turn back because of his falling out with Erik anyway.
