Onlinewsma Absolutely Brilliant!

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Curt Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

clanciai Everything is wrong in this film, but it's a masterpiece. Vestal virgins are mixed up with Vikings, the year is 768, and the Vkings are invading some Arthurian part of Cornwall, it seems, that is very Christian indeed, with bishops and clergy all dressed up like in a Shakespeare play, they use long bows and crossbows long before they were invented, and the Vikings even practice human sacrifices and weddings by bleeding a white bull - this is all anachronisms with myths and rituals and ceremonies all mixed up with bits and pieces from the Trojan war to Robin Hood, but it's the cinematography that counts. This is marvellous all the way, the film being a feast for the eyes from beginning to end, and even the story is quite good. There is nothing wrong with the actors either, they are all common standard picturesque prototypes, and the whole set-up and scenery compositions, the swashbuckling dialogue and the colourful clichés are all so flamboyant, so the acting does not have to be very qualified. Cameron Mitchell, usually villains or cowboys, is always an ace in B-pictures, and here he is allowed to play out his whole register including an infinitely prolonged Bogartian farewell scene. The girls are all overwhelmingly blonde and beautiful, and the queen could have been something for Sophia Loren. Mario Bava is the man both behind the camera and the direction, and it's a splendid combination. Every shot is esthetically delightful to the eye, there are some gprgeous and gory battle scenes, and the finale is equal to the best of Tyrone Power and Errol Flynn. In brief, this is a grossly underrated masterpiece in its very kitschy way, and it could be the best Viking film ever made. It is certainly superior to the Kirk Douglas one.

Mark Turner It's been written that much of the output from Italian studios in the sixties were little more than remakes of movies from other countries. It's even mentioned in one of the extras on the new blu-ray release of this film. The thing is that's not always a bad thing. Consider that a movie like A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS was a remake of YOKIMBO, a Japanese samurai film. The same was true of THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN here in the U.S. Putting your own spin on another film can work and did. Unfortunately not so much in current fare.Director Mario Bava was a man who had one of the best concepts of visualization when it came to cinematography. The images he places on the screen are interesting and captivating. That becomes obvious in this movie, a remake of sorts of the film THE VIKINGS. While I loved that original film I found much to enjoy in this one as well.In 786 AD a Viking king Harald lands on the shores of England willing to make peace with the English, a country he and his kin have plundered for years in the North Sea. King Loter is willing to agree to terms and sends Sir Rutford to negotiate the peace. Instead, Rutford ceases the opportunity to take out the Vikings with an ambush, killing the king leaving only a few to escape. He also uses them as a patsy when he has one of his men kill Loter as well.Some of the Vikings survive. Among those still alive are the Harald's two sons Eron and Erik. Eron is rescued and returned home while Erik is saved by the Queen and raised as her own. Both are raised differently with two opposing views of the world based on their environments.Twenty years pass and the Vikings are now led by Eron (Cameron Mitchell). Once again they set out to plunder the English coastline and seek vengeance for the treachery of the past. Erik has been placed in charge of the English fleet and sets out to confront them, not realizing that Rutford has planted one of his own men onboard to ensure Erik never makes it back. The unknowing brothers battle and Erik is thought lost at sea only to wash ashore on the beaches of the Viking land.Rutford offers the Queen his hand in marriage which she refuses realizing how treacherous he is. Rebuffed he offers his obedience to Enron and becomes his ally instead.We know that eventually the two brothers will face off against one another and that a winner will be determined. If not something else will interfere with their reunion. Rutford will have to pay for his actions. And somehow, the Vikings and the English will have to settle their differences. It is the journey to these things that makes this movie both interesting and entertaining to watch.Growing up in the sixties the sword and sandal movies as they were called were a staple of my TV movie diet. They showed every week on the local VHS channel, everything from Hercules to his many sons to Samson and more. Watching them now I'm surprised how much I enjoyed them but still find something in them. Somehow this movie evaded me back then. Fortunately I made up for it with this release.The acting here isn't nearly as broad as I've seen it in other Italian movies in this genre. Make no mistake, they were the leaders in this sort of film back then. Here the acting is more subdued when needed and widely open in other scenes as called for. Mitchell, an actor mostly associated with the TV western HIGH CHAPPARAL, comes off nicely here. But it is the visual stylings of Bava that take center stage. The movie might not be Oscar worthy but it does offer solid storytelling that holds your interest throughout.I've seen a number of these movies and never have I seen someone capture such colorful and fantastic shots. Bava used brightly colored lights in many of his movies and that usage of light is on display here in scenes taking place in the Vikings main building. He also does an amazing job capturing shorelines, horizons and more. Many of those images would make great pictures to be placed on the wall they are so rich and well done.Once again Arrow Video has taken what was once a washed out scratched up mess and turned it into a gorgeous presentation. It's a beautiful 2k 1080p hi def transfer and it shows. Extras include a new audio commentary track by Tim Lucas the author of MARIO BAVA ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK, GLI IMITATORI a comparison between this film and its unacknowledged source THE VIKINGS, the original ending and a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys. I will continue to sing the praises of Arrow Video as long as their output remains as top of the line as this one proves. If you enjoyed the film in the past then by all means pick up this edition. It will be like seeing the film as you've never had the chance before.

BrentCarleton Mario Bava really outdoes himself with this story of two brothers separated in infancy, who grow to be rival leaders in a battle between Scandanavia and Britian.This yarn, replete with monumental battle sequences on both land and sea, magnificent coastal and interior castle settings, and bravura use of color simply amazes in its ambitious achievements.The film opens with a battle sequence on the seashore, by turns both thrilling and horrifying as the soldiers meet with death by spear while the nearby coastal village is burned, with women and children scattering to their doom.With this breathless sequence, Mr. Bava introduces the audience to a breakneck pace that never lets up.The story such as it is, is played engagingly on the level of an Errol Flynn film, intelligent enough for adults, but close enough to a comic book for whatever youngsters may be in the audience.It is, however, the visuals that linger in the mind: a grotto with an enormous twisted tree upon which are bound two captured adulterers, bathed in that phosphorescent green light that Mr. Bava was so adept at casting; a stunning vista of the seashore at twilight with two women in billowing robes silhouetted against a sky banked with tempestuous cloud formations, Georges Ardisson and his mother flanked by flaming braziers, amidst tall stalagmites, in a setting that might be from Dante's Inferno, (and recalls a similar setting in Orson Welle's "Macbeth" and countless others.Mr. Bava painted his masterpieces not on canvas but on celluloid.The cast is both attractive and serviceable, with Mr. Ardisson and the luscious Kessler Twins deserving of special commendation. Indeed the Misses Kessler, (as Vestal Virgins) perform a sword dance with such delicacy and intricate footwork that it is easy to see why their cabaret act was once the toast of Europe.Highly enjoyable for fans of the genre.

John Seal Mario Bava's viking epic Gli Invasori is rumoured to have been picked up by Anchor Bay for a digital overhaul sometime in 2007, and their disc can't arrive a moment too soon. Currently unavailable on home video, this film was granted a perfunctory video release by Panther Entertainment in the late 1980s, and that's the version this review is based upon. From the badly pan and scanned evidence displayed on the tape, it's a film that will benefit hugely from a correctly formatted, correctly colour coded, and complete widescreen print. Like many Bava films, Gli Invasori (re-titled The Invaders here) features magnificent action sequences, intense colours, and over the top art design--all of it badly compromised by careless telecine work on this tape. Though the film hews fairly closely to the narrative arc of most sword and sandal features, it also includes some spooky Bava touches, including an ominous tarantula (in Britain, no less!) and a crucifixion scene. Star Cameron Mitchell acquits himself well, though his close-cropped strawberry blonde locks seem somewhat out of place, and the Kessler sisters make for pleasant eye candy. All in all, it's an obscure treat that will, with any luck, get some mass market exposure in the not too distant future.