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The Northman pretty obviously doesn't endorse the violence of the Vikings because it's plainly evident that their way of life is unsustainable. The movie begins with Aurvandil bemoaning about how he longs to be brutally murdered in battle. His obsession with violence and religious ecstasy are passed on to Amleth, and both of their bloodlust is inextricably tied to fantasies of self destruction. How are you going to build a properly functioning nation state when you're running around hoping to get killed in a blood feud? Rather than paying attention to the world around them, Aurvandil and Amleth are devoted to mysticism that leaves them ill-equipped to do anything other than kill. Aurvandil's reign ends the only way it could: in a bloody coup. His successor Fjolnir represents a step towards progress. He and his tribe no longer go viking themselves, but rather participate in a sophisticated trade network that spans the Eurasian continent and go to work developing an agrarian colony. However, Fjolnir's settlement is also insufficiently advanced to persist into the future. He still relies on slave labor, and although he's not too prideful to perform some of his own labor, he still sees those slaves as less than human. Fjolnir's not running around acting like a dog, but he's still liable to turn to human sacrifice when he's under pressure. His attempts to resist the superstitious bloodlust of the past fail, and when they do his settlement is wiped off the face of the earth as his slaves run free. What's so clever about the script is how it marries this revisionist history with the traditional form and themes of the Icelandic saga, where individual lives don't matter nearly as much as the preponderance of family legacy. In a sense, Amleth is rewarded by the end of the movie, but not for slaughtering dozens of people or taking his revenge, but for putting aside his rage and identity for long enough to connect with a woman he has little in common with. Amleth is obviously not mentally fit to be a king of anything, but his children, the product of an intermingling of Nordic and Slavic ethnicities, might have the wisdom he lacks, paving the way forward towards the multicultural empire the Vikings would eventually become, one where women could become powerful traders in their own right rather than chattel. I wish that thoughtfulness was present in the actual filmmaking. Eggers' previous movies were paced to build atmosphere and immersion, but The Northman moves at breakneck speed, moving from plot point to plot point. Scenes that could have been really ominous and tense, like the visions or the fight with the skeleton, have no room to breathe and instead fall flat. In short, great script, poor execution.
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Apr 24, 2022 23:14
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| # ¿ May 21, 2024 08:21 |
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