Friday, March 14, 2025

Vikings and Vikings Valhalla

I am currently watching the Vikings and Vikings Valhalla, and I am enjoying them immensely. I don't know if I can rate them with the Korean series Mr. Sunshine an ironic title for a story about a radicalized young woman resisting the establishment in the period of the Russian-Japanese War, and her lover, a Korean emigrant to the United States who comes back to Korea as a US Marine and finds himself conflicted as to his identity: Korean or American?

Mr, Sunshine is so wonderful that even though I started out talking about Vikings etc. I find myself swept away by my memories of this wonderful Korean saga...

Well, I think the viking saga is very satisfying. Professional medievalists who are experts in 9th century Northern Europe and especially Scandinavian culture will no doubt find lots of things to criticize, but I must say that the producers and writers have made a serious effort to recreate an interesting story about an interesting period: the building of viking kingdoms, and at the same time the conversion of the Scandinavians to Christianity. Here's what I liked: The beautiful cinematography, especially the dramatic land- and seascapes.

Horses and boats. All the tools, costumes, furniture, buildings, etc. They were convincing

The great amount of care to create and develop characters who evolved over both series. This was quite an acccomplishment, given that IMDB lists for the first series 250 actors who had speaking roles and portrayed named characters.

The acting! The serious effsort to show what the conflict between Christians and Pagans might have been like. And more!

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