Now three movies in, there is no doubt that Robert Eggers is one of the more creative minds working in the film industry today. With The Northman (2022), the co-writer (along with Sjón), director, and producer brings forward his most accessible piece yet. . . but that doesn’t mean that this is not as creative, intricate, challenging, or authentic as his The VVitch and The Lighthouse.
This time taking a deep dive into Norse history and mythology, it might surprise some that the main source they worked from was the story of Amleth. . . a tale which appears in the “Gesta Danorum” (History of the Danes) – as it is also the main inspiration for William Shakespeare’s Hamlet (it is easier to spot the similarities once you are aware of the connection).
After an introductory scene that rather brutally reacquaints and then breaks up the family of King Aurvandil War-Raven (Ethan Hawke), Queen Gudrún (Nicole Kidman), and their young son Amleth (Oscar Novak), their child sneakily flees their community, looking to survive until a time when he will be able to exact revenge.
Now an adult (played by Alexander Skarsgård), he has become a great warrior (perfectly visualized by a near five minute village raid scene which contains only a few cuts – meaning, there are several utterly impressive continuous takes. . . at one point, an arrow comes right at us). Despite his success, he cannot shake off his dark past. . . as visions continue to remind him of his fated path in life.
Secretly branding himself a slave after getting news of the whereabouts of those responsible for his childhood upheaval, he goes undercover, soon forming a strong bond with a Slavic sorceress slave, Olga of the Birch Forest (Anya Taylor-Joy) – who can immediately tell that Amleth is not what he seems.
Transported to the rather barren and still quite isolated Iceland, they find themselves within a small community run by Fjölnir the Brotherless (Claes Bang). Leading to a bloody conclusion of nighttime subterfuge, blunt reveals, familial strife (that might be an understatement), and volcanic levels of bloody revenge, who will survive this epic adventure, and who will find themselves ushered into the halls of Valhalla by the Valkyrie?
Even if this was an absolute mess of a script (which it is most definitely not), the detail and vision of Eggers and his team would still make it a worthwhile watch. With director of photography Jarin Blaschke often using natural light (though there are definite moments of modern cinematography utilized at certain parts), Eggers further enlivens our senses by being as period authentic as possible in regards to costumes, infrastructure, and even longships. It didn’t hurt that the COVID delay actually allowed the already built buildings to weather in the natural elements, while the actors could grow their beards even longer as well. To further demonstrate the detail, everything was supervised by experts and historians, with numerous animals even playing their part. This allows the audience to experience what truly feels like a lived in, fully textured environment (it probably didn’t hurt that the real life locations were in the middle of nowhere in Ireland). Mud cakes the ground, rain chills the air, fires attempt to warm the bone, while each and every item seen is copied to look like what has been found in Viking burial chambers – a true Nordic feast for the eyes.
With a scope that far exceeds its budget (which grew from 65 million to approximately 90 million due to pandemic delays), The Northman is a true piece of cinematic art. Fusing ancient storytelling with dynamic visuals, period authenticity, and a mesmeric Nordic folk music inspired score by Robin Carolan and Sebastian Gainsborough (who is also known as Vessel), it truly transcends the medium, providing a sense that we are seeing something reaching out to us from the annals of history – joining nicely with the 2021 Arthurian tale The Green Knight (which also exudes a sense of echoes from the distant past). So, erupt for another glorious world created by Robert Eggers, there’s no doubt you’ll go berserk for it.
Excellent review Nikolai. I got to see The Northman on the IMAX screen when it was originally released. Your highlighting of its authenticity is spot on. The Viking Age was one of my specialties in teaching World History and this film and the History Channel’s Vikings both have contributed to a more realistic picture of their long neglected and misrepresented culture. I was particularly impressed with their depiction of the berserkers. The Hamlet connection is also so important and certainly greatly enhanced the dramatic story line. As always your insights are a pleasure to read. Thank you again.
Always great to hear from you Arthur. And thank you for those fine comments. . . hopefully we’ll get to see more movies on this topic in the coming years.