THE LONG SHIPS (1964) ¢ ¢ ¢ ¢
D: Jack Cardiff
Richard Widmark, Sidney Poitier, Russ Tamblyn,
Rosanna Schiaffino, Oscar Homolka, Edward Judd,
Lionel Jeffries, Bela Loncar, Gordon Jackson
Viking adventurers hijack the king's funeral ship and sail down to North Africa in search of a fabulous treasure: the legendary "Mother of Voices", a great golden bell. A colorful, action-packed, tongue-in-cheek swashbuckler, complete with brawls, battles, harem girls, sweeping music and model ships plowing the soundstage seas. Poitier looks stiff and out of place as a Moorish prince, but Widmark really gets into the jaunty, throwaway spirit of the piece as a Norseman with a crooked grin and a wisecrack, lie, or tall tale for every occasion. Nobody who saw this at the Eastwood Theater in Madison on a particular Saturday night in 1964 will ever forget it. A landmark guilty pleasure.
Sidney Poitier
(1927-2022)
