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| The 13th Warrior | |
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 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | John McTiernan Uncredited: Michael Crichton |
| Produced by | Michael Crichton John McTiernan Andrew G. Vajna |
| Written by | Michael Crichton (novel) John McTiernan (screenplay) William Wisher Jr. (screenplay) Warren Lewis (screenplay) |
| Starring | Antonio Banderas Vladimir Kulich Dennis Storhøi Clive Russell Richard Bremmer Tony Curran Omar Sharif Erick Avari Sven Wollter Diane Venora Asbjørn 'Bear' Riis |
| Music by | Jerry Goldsmith |
| Cinematography | Peter Menzies Jr. |
| Editing by | John Wright |
| Distributed by | Touchstone Pictures |
| Release date(s) | US August 27, 1999 |
| Running time | 102 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English Norwegian Latin Greek Swedish Arabic |
| Budget | US$85,000,000 (estimated) |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The 13th Warrior is a 1999 action film based on Michael Crichton's novel Eaters of the Dead, directed by John McTiernan and an uncredited Crichton, and starring Antonio Banderas as Ahmad ibn Fadlan and Vladimir Kulich as Buliwyf (Beowulf). The 13th Warrior was a disappointment at the box office, earning only US$61,698,899 worldwide.
The novel upon which the film is based and loosely inspired by Richard Frye's translation of ibn Fadlan's non-fictional account of his travels up the river Volga in the tenth century. The plot is largely a modernized retelling of the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf, with elements added from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights.
The film goes to some pains to achieve a historical atmosphere, including use of Arabic, Norwegian and Latin dialogue.
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Production and revenue
Originally titled Eaters of the Dead, production began in August 1997, but the film went through several re-edits after test audiences did not react well to the initial cut. After re-shooting several key scenes with Crichton taking over as director (causing the release date to be pushed back over a year), the title was changed to The 13th Warrior.
The budget which was originally around $85 million reportedly soared to more than $110-115 million before principal photography wrapped. With all of the re-shoots and promotional expenses, the total cost of this movie was a rumored $160 million (estimated), which given its lackluster box office take (earning only US $61,698,899 worldwide), made for a loss of nearly $100 million.
It did however get some money back with a successful video release. The movie became a minor hit on video and has become somewhat a cult classic, especially among fans of Norse mythology and Viking history.
The outcome of this film's production disappointed Omar Sharif so much that he retired from film acting. He did not take a role in a major film until 2003's Monsieur Ibrahim.:
- "After my small role in The 13th Warrior, I said to myself, 'Let us stop this nonsense, these meal tickets that we do because it pays well.' I thought, 'Unless I find a stupendous film that I love and that makes me want to leave home to do, I will stop.' Bad pictures are very humiliating, I was really sick. It is terrifying to have to do the dialogue from bad scripts, to face a director who does not know what he is doing, in a film so bad that it is not even worth exploring." [1]
Plot
The plot centers on Banderas' character, Ahmad ibn Fadlan, who angers an influential noble in Baghdad and is commanded by the Caliph to serve as "ambassador to the North"—i.e., is expelled from the city—as a result. Traveling with Melchisidek (Omar Sharif), an old friend of his father, he meets a shipload of Viking raiders whose minor king has just died.
The language barrier is awkward, as Ahmed speaks only Arabic and most of the Vikings speak only Norse. Melchisidek and Herger, the Vikings' skald, both speak Latin and communication is established. After Buliwyf becomes the new leader, a bewildered youth enters the camp and requests aid for his distant village, threatened by an old and supernatural force. Through the commands of an oracle, it is decided that exactly thirteen men must go to face this danger, and that the thirteenth must not be a Norseman; thus Ahmed is recruited.
Ahmed learns Norse quickly by sitting amongst the group and listening intently to their conversation, eventually beginning to understand what they are saying. He feels he has to prove himself to the uniformly huge Vikings, who mock him for his physical weakness and his small Arabian horse, but his fast learning of their language, ingenuity, and horsemanship eventually earns their respect and friendship.
The foe, known as the Wendol, have the appearance of both man and bear, although no bodies are left behind after their first nocturnal clash. In fact they do resemble pre-homo sapiens affecting the appearance of bears to confuse and instill fear into their enemies.
Losing members of their small force with each battle, and finding the settlement indefensible, Buliwyf opts to track the Wendol to their lair and attack them. Buliwyf and the remaining warriors track the Wendol, and uncover that they are cannibals; a chamber in the Wendol lair is full of human bones that have been gnawed upon. Buliwyf kills the Mother of the Wendol, but is poisoned by her.
Upon discovering that the warriors have entered the lair, the Wendol force them to submerge into a pool which leads out to the cliffs by the sea. The last remaining warriors return to the village and prepare for a final battle. The Wendol appear and both engage in an epic battle. Buliwyf kills the leader of the Wendol and they retreat, defeated.
Order is restored to the village, but only after Buliwyf dies from the poison. Ahmad ibn Fadlan returns to his homeland, thankful to the Norse for helping him to "become a man, and a useful servant of God".
Accident
- The movie was filmed in Vancouver and during production two horses were injured. One horse was put down after a wire sliced his leg tendon.[2]
Soundtrack
- The original soundtrack was composed by Graeme Revell and featured the Dead Can Dance singer Lisa Gerrard. The score was rejected by the producers.
- The soundtrack used in the final battle scene, called "Valhalla," was also used in the movie Kingdom of Heaven by Ridley Scott at the final siege scene.
- The final soundtrack was composed by Jerry Goldsmith.
Historical inaccuracies
- Ibn Fadlan uses a grindstone and other blacksmith's tools to file down his Viking longsword into the stereotypical Arab sword -- a shorter, narrower, curved, scimitar. In fact, a sword created in this manner would not have functioned as well as it would not be properly tempered; moreover, the scimitar was a Turkish weapon not in use among Arabs in the Middle East until about two centuries after ibn Fadlan's time.[3]
- Ibn Fadlan refers to an attack by Tatars; in fact this referred at the time to a Turco-Mongolian tribe living far to the east of ibn Fadlan's route; tribes calling themselves "Tatar" would not inhabit western Turkestan until after the Mongol invasions of the thirteenth century. Moreover, the modern Tatars of the Volga descend from the Volga Bulgars, a people, visiting whom was a goal of historical ibn Fadlan. The historical ibn Fadlan did report being waylaid by Oghuz Turks in what is now western Kazakhstan.
- Some of Buliwyf's men use an anachronistic mix of armor and weapons. One is wearing what is clearly a Murmillo helmet from the gladiator games of the Roman Empire, while another is wearing a sixteenth century Spanish helmet and breastplate. Likewise, one habitually uses a one-handed horseman's axe which dates from the mid-fifteenth century, and in the final battle scene another is shown using what appears to be a Lochaber axe, a Scottish pole-arm which did not distinctively exist until around the year 1600. Curiously, it was originally intended to use much more historically accurate gear. A reproduction of the Sutton Hoo helmet was specially commissioned for the film, to be worn by Buliwyf. For reasons unknown the original costumer was replaced, and the new one introduced the blatant anachronisms seen in the film.
References
- ^ Movie & TV News @ IMDb.com - WENN - 20 November 2003
- ^ Cruelty to Animals in the Entertainment Business : Cruel Camera - Cruelty on Film : the fifth estate : CBC News
- ^ Nicolle, David. The Armies of Islam : 7th-11th Centuries. Osprey Publishing, 1982; Nicole, David. Armies of the Caliphates 862-1098. Osprey Publishing, 1998.
Bibliography
- Richard Nelson Frye, Greater Iran. Mazda Publishers. 2005. ISBN 1-56859-177-2
External links
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