Coming off The Lighthouse, The Northman is Robert Eggers’ first big-budget flick with an ambitious historical Vikings epic. While the first trailer featuring Alexander Skarsgård’s berserker warrior gave away Hamlet vibes, the director assures it’s more than just a story about Revenge, with the plot also exploring mysticism and adapting Icelandic sagas.
The Northman is not your average “Dad is killed by Uncle” drama, though Eggers laughingly describes the film, in the same manner, speaking to Empire for May 2022 print issue. The $60 million feature based on a real Vikings tale explores the story of Prince Amleth and his journey for vengeance over uncle Fjölnir (Claes Bang) for killing his Kingly Father Horwendil (Ethan Hawke). The tale of Prince Amleth of Jutland by 12th Century Danish author Saxo Grammaticus actually inspired William Shakespeare‘s Hamlet.
The preview debuted last Christmas shows glimpses of the young Viking prince’s transformation into an Úlfheðnar berserker, or better put, a wolf warrior at the forefront of Viking raids.
“Amleth is used as the tip of the spear during these raids,” says Eggers. “So it was important that he look terrifying. His sole purpose was to slaughter, to be sent in and wreak havoc. His body was a weapon, so it had to be believable that you would throw him straight into the lion’s den and he would fight his way out.”
The Northman plot and fight scenes are based on the Icelandic Saga
The director further explained what sets Úlfheðnar berserker apart from the rest of the Danes, calling them, “A warrior who believes that they’re transforming into an animal in an ecstatic state before they go into battle.” In fact, a specific scene shows Skarsgård bringing out the primal instincts of Amleth when he bits someone’s throat out and roars repeatedly looking at the moon, during a climax of a fight sequence.
Surprisingly, that scene isn’t entirely fictional – coming straight from the Egil’s Saga where it reads” “My teeth solved my troubles/And tore out his throat.” Interestingly, several elements in the movie are direct inspirations from the Icelandic saga such as the iconic mid-air spear reversal fight move by Amleth.
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“The sagas can sometimes read like ‘80s action movies,” says Eggers describing the Old Norse sagas as tales with one-liners. Eggers’ previous Fantasy mystery contained little/brief dialogues, so perhaps that’s one element that resounds in his filmography.
The Northman hits theatres on April 22, 2022.
