What an absolute mishmash of a historical film that Hammer inflicted first on the British and then the world wide movie-going public with The Viking Queen. But as in their horror films the accent was on blood and gore as opposed to historical accuracy. And for a film called The Viking Queen, Vikings don't even appear in this epic.
It is the dying wish of an ancient Briton king that his daughter share rulership with a nice Roman guy sent over to bring the enlightened ways of Rome to those uncivilized Celts. Don Murray is the Roman legion head and Carita in the second of her only two film is our Celtic princess. They love each other and have some ideas considerably ahead of their times, but too many vested interests on both sides get in the way.
On her side there's Donald Houston playing a Druid priest who keeps invoking the Greek King of the Gods Zeus. He's the best in the film, he has glorious part that calls for overacting, he knows this film is a Thanksgiving gobbler and goes full blast. With that full head of hair and beard that makes him look like Charlton Heston as Moses on steroids, Houston is light years away from the pretty youth on that South Sea Isle with Jean Simmons in The Blue Lagoon.
And among his crowd is his jealous second in command Andrew Keir who thinks there's only one way to deal with conquered people. Keir takes over while Murray's away on business and starts a war where most of the cast eventually is killed.
If you like Hammer films for their gore than you'll like The Viking Queen. But personally with references to Zeus and characters like Osiris from Egyptian culture and Priam who was the King of Troy this is one mess of a film and everyone connected with this knew it.
It is the dying wish of an ancient Briton king that his daughter share rulership with a nice Roman guy sent over to bring the enlightened ways of Rome to those uncivilized Celts. Don Murray is the Roman legion head and Carita in the second of her only two film is our Celtic princess. They love each other and have some ideas considerably ahead of their times, but too many vested interests on both sides get in the way.
On her side there's Donald Houston playing a Druid priest who keeps invoking the Greek King of the Gods Zeus. He's the best in the film, he has glorious part that calls for overacting, he knows this film is a Thanksgiving gobbler and goes full blast. With that full head of hair and beard that makes him look like Charlton Heston as Moses on steroids, Houston is light years away from the pretty youth on that South Sea Isle with Jean Simmons in The Blue Lagoon.
And among his crowd is his jealous second in command Andrew Keir who thinks there's only one way to deal with conquered people. Keir takes over while Murray's away on business and starts a war where most of the cast eventually is killed.
If you like Hammer films for their gore than you'll like The Viking Queen. But personally with references to Zeus and characters like Osiris from Egyptian culture and Priam who was the King of Troy this is one mess of a film and everyone connected with this knew it.