Tsujigiri
Waiting at the Crossroads
The Thirteenth Warrior
Directed by John McTiernan
Based on the Book by Michael Crichton – Eaters of the Dead
This film based around the tale of Beowulf and drawing heavily upon Norse myth and legend, is a story of the coming of age of a Arab Noble and his embracing of his status as a warrior and a man, from his starting position as an exiled medieval playboy.
The principal characters name is Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan Ibn Al Abbas Ibn Rashid Ibn Hamad, I think I’m going to avoid mentioning that again.
In adaptation the name of the beast Grendel was changed to the tribe name Wendol and Beowulf became Buliwyf, the chieftain.
Filmed on location in beautiful British Columbia the story takes place to a backdrop of dark forests and brooding mountains. The overall feel of the film is dark and resolute, and the feel setting of an early Viking village is accomplished nicely..
The plot follows thirteen warriors as they undertake a mystic quest to save a beleaguered people from a evil fate at the hands of a cannibalistic tribe.
The thirteenth warrior is no Viking but is the Arab Noble through whose eyes we see the story unfold. His place amongst the host is dictated by a skald, or Norse seer who states that without his accompaniment the quest is doomed to failure.
As the story progresses we find ourselves watching the chief protagonist learning the basic hard truths of life without the comforts of civilisation, and we see him adopt the values and manner of a Norse warrior.
In the finale of the film as the remaining warriors stand to face the onslaught of cavalry one single prayer is chanted by all the characters:
Lo there do I see my father.
Lo there do I see my mother.
Lo there do I see my brothers and my sisters.
Lo there do I see the line of my people back to the beginning.
Lo they do call to me;
They bid me take my place among them in the Halls of Valhalla,
Where the brave may live forever.
This single moment in the film inspired within the viewer an urge to reach for his broadsword and stand beside the character whom you have come to know, it is very powerful and well filmed.
Finding actors to stand beside Antionio Banderas and make him appear to be of average size or smaller was a task in itself as Banderas stand over 6ft tall. Bearing this in mind you can appreciate that the actors in this film are giants amongst men.
As a footnote to the film, when Melchisedek (The hero’s initial aide) is conversing with Herger in Greek, they aren’t actually speaking Greek, but instead Latin!
The DVD of The Thirteenth Warrior may be ordered by clicking on the following link:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004R95C/o/qid=1110306846/sr=2-1/ref=sr_bt_1/202-1597688-1164638
You can find Michael Crichton – Eaters of the Dead here for order:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0099222825/qid=1110305498/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_27_2/202-1597688-1164638
Directed by John McTiernan
Based on the Book by Michael Crichton – Eaters of the Dead
This film based around the tale of Beowulf and drawing heavily upon Norse myth and legend, is a story of the coming of age of a Arab Noble and his embracing of his status as a warrior and a man, from his starting position as an exiled medieval playboy.
The principal characters name is Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan Ibn Al Abbas Ibn Rashid Ibn Hamad, I think I’m going to avoid mentioning that again.
In adaptation the name of the beast Grendel was changed to the tribe name Wendol and Beowulf became Buliwyf, the chieftain.
Filmed on location in beautiful British Columbia the story takes place to a backdrop of dark forests and brooding mountains. The overall feel of the film is dark and resolute, and the feel setting of an early Viking village is accomplished nicely..
The plot follows thirteen warriors as they undertake a mystic quest to save a beleaguered people from a evil fate at the hands of a cannibalistic tribe.
The thirteenth warrior is no Viking but is the Arab Noble through whose eyes we see the story unfold. His place amongst the host is dictated by a skald, or Norse seer who states that without his accompaniment the quest is doomed to failure.
As the story progresses we find ourselves watching the chief protagonist learning the basic hard truths of life without the comforts of civilisation, and we see him adopt the values and manner of a Norse warrior.
In the finale of the film as the remaining warriors stand to face the onslaught of cavalry one single prayer is chanted by all the characters:
Lo there do I see my father.
Lo there do I see my mother.
Lo there do I see my brothers and my sisters.
Lo there do I see the line of my people back to the beginning.
Lo they do call to me;
They bid me take my place among them in the Halls of Valhalla,
Where the brave may live forever.
This single moment in the film inspired within the viewer an urge to reach for his broadsword and stand beside the character whom you have come to know, it is very powerful and well filmed.
Finding actors to stand beside Antionio Banderas and make him appear to be of average size or smaller was a task in itself as Banderas stand over 6ft tall. Bearing this in mind you can appreciate that the actors in this film are giants amongst men.
As a footnote to the film, when Melchisedek (The hero’s initial aide) is conversing with Herger in Greek, they aren’t actually speaking Greek, but instead Latin!
The DVD of The Thirteenth Warrior may be ordered by clicking on the following link:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004R95C/o/qid=1110306846/sr=2-1/ref=sr_bt_1/202-1597688-1164638
You can find Michael Crichton – Eaters of the Dead here for order:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0099222825/qid=1110305498/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_27_2/202-1597688-1164638
