Viking (film)

Plot

The movie is loosely based on historical accounts such as Primary Chronicle and Icelandic Kings' sagas.

Kievan Rus, late 10th century. After the death of his father, Svyatoslav I, ruler of Kievan Rus, the young prince Vladimir (Danila Kozlovsky) is forced into exile across the frozen sea in Sweden to escape his treacherous half-brother Yaropolk (Aleksandr Ustyugov), who has murdered his other brother Oleg (Kirill Pletnyov) and conquered the territory of Kievan Rus. The old warrior Sveneld (Maksim Sukhanov) convinces Vladimir to assemble a force of Viking mercenaries led by a Swedish chieftain (Joakim Nätterqvist), hoping to reconquer Kiev from Yaropolk.

Production

The film was produced by Konstantin Ernst and Anatoly Maksimov, best known for the Russian urban fantasy/supernatural thrillers Night Watch and Day Watch.

A few scenes were filmed in 2013 to secure funding, a common way to secure finances for large movie productions in Russia. Most of the production was done in March–July 2015. The budget was on par with the Russian WWII epic Stalingrad, 1,250 million rubles (approximately USD$20 million).

The film was shot on several locations in Crimea, including the city of Bakhchisarai, the Taigan Water Reservoir in the Belogorskiy Raion, the medieval Genoese fortress in Sudak, and Cape Fiolent near Sevastopol. Some scenes were filmed in Ravenna, Italy in mid-August 2015. The shooting took place in Basilica of San Vitale and the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia. This Basilica an important example of early Byzantine architecture in Europe, and was used for scenes set in Chersonesus.

The cast is mostly Russian; however the film does features Swedish actor Joakim Nätterqvist, Canada's John DeSantis and Belarusian actress Aleksandra Bortich.

Nätterqvist told Sweden's TV4 that on set he worked with a translator, a Norwegian actor who have lived (and educated) in Russia. Most of his dialog is in a very stripped down amalgam of Swedish and Norwegian, to simulate old norse.

The costume designer traveled to several cities and countries, buying fabric and studying frescoes and museum in China, India, Helsinki, Riga, Novgorod, Stockholm, and Minsk.

The Pecheneg language, an extinct Turkic language once spoken in spoken in Eastern Europe (in what today is most of Ukraine, parts of southern Russia, Moldova, and Hungary) in the 7th–12th centuries, was "re-invented" for the movie.

Members of Kazakhstan’s famous Nomad Stunts was responsible for the battle scenes, including the pyrotechnics, explosions and rigging.

Versions

The film will be released in two versions, one family friendly version with an age restriction of 12+, and a complete version, with a rating of 18+. According to Radio P4 Stockholm, the movie will also eventually be released as a TV-series, featuring hours of footage that did not make it into the cinematic release.

Music

The music for the film was composed by Igor Matvienko. The soundtrack was created over two years. Matvienko studied music from the 9-10 centuries, the era of Prince Vladimir. The Gnessin Academy were involved in the recording, using copies of ancient instruments such as (hurdy-gurdy, gudok, tambourines, gusli). The tracks were recorded with these instruments, and then mixed with synthesizer. The final music was assisted by producer Igor Polonsky, arrangers Artem Vasiliev, Alexander Kamensky, Raphael Safin, soloist from the "City 312" Aya group and many others.

The film's trailers (and part of the movie) was scored by Irish composer Dean Valentine. Valentine's music was recorded with the Orchestra Of Ireland. Valentine is best known for his original music for trailers including Captain America:Civil War, Interstellar and American Sniper, but he has also scored Irish documentaries and motion pictures such as Tiger Raid, and Close to Evil.

Marketing

The first official teaser trailer was shown during a closed pitch event with the management of the Russian Ministry of Culture and chairmen of Cinema Foundation of Russia.

In September 2015, Central Partnership distribution studios announced the release date for the film as 22 December 2016. On 19 November 2015, Film Direction and Channel One Russia released the official trailer to the public.

The producers of the film attended Comic-Con Russia, and a large sword fight was performed by the films' stuntmen, a fighting replicating a scene from the movie.

UK based Red Arrow International will sell the movie internationally. A screening for potential buyers was arranged at the 2016 American Film Market. They received 200 inquiries from 45 territories to buy the movie. The Russian News Agency reported on January 19, 2017 that ‘Viking’ had been sold to more than 60 countries, including Germany, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, China, South Korea, The United Kingdom and Italy.

The set and the scenery used in the production were used to create Russia’s first movie-based theme park, which opened in may of 2016 near the village of Perevalnoye, Crimea.

Reception

Reception of the movie in Russian media was mixed. Many critics in magazines like Afisha, Time Out Russia and GQ Russia praised the movie's visuals, but derided the story and the portrayal of medieval Russians.

Box office

The film has grossed руб.1.48 billion (US$25 million) in Russia and was the tenth highest-grossing film in the country in 2016. The film grossed 398 million rubles ($6.7 million) across four territories in the Jan. 5-8 weekend, which earned it a place in the top 10 movies of the international box office.