The Long Ships

1964

2h 5m

Adventure

List

54%

Tomatometer

13 Reviews

38%

Audience Score

500+ Ratings

Moorish ruler El Mansuh (Sidney Poitier) is determined to locate a massive bell made of gold known as the "Mother of Voices." Viking explorer Rolfe (Richard Widmark) also becomes intent on finding the mythical treasure, and sails with his crew from Scandinavia to Africa to track it down. Reluctantly working together, El Mansuh and Rolfe, along with their men, embark on a quest for the prized object, but only one leader will be able to claim the bell as his own -- if it even exists at all.

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Variety Staff

Variety

Any attempt to put this into the epic class falls down because of a hodge-podge of a storyline, a mixture of styles and insufficient development of characterization.

Apr 23, 2011

Full Review

TIME Magazine

Has impossible acting, a preposterous script, some eminently seeworthy ship reconstructions, and more enjoyable bloody foolishness than many an epic costing three times as much.

Apr 23, 2011

Full Review

Trevor Johnston

Time Out

Awful international Technirama hodge-podge, adapted from a novel by Frank G Bengtsson, in which the Vikings wrestle with the Moors to lay hands on the legendary Golden Bell of St James (rather an anti-climax when it finally appears).

Jun 24, 2006

Full Review

Judith Crist

New York Herald Tribune

I choose to think all this was intentional, a straight-faced spoof of all the stuff and nonsense that mythologies are made of -- so straight-faced that it can afford the occasional wisecrack, the here-we-go-again ending.

Aug 15, 2022

Full Review

TV Guide

The press books announced "Sidney Poitier in his first non-Negro role!" Poitier put it most elegantly: "To say it was disastrous is a compliment."

Apr 23, 2011

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Treats history as if it were a tale fit for a romper room.

Rated: C

Mar 31, 2009

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Andrew Y

Not very good in any regards. The acting is laughable, the script and costumes dire so I can’t think of a single thing to recommend it - except for the execution system ‘the iron mare’ which deserved to see more actors sliding down together with their careers………..

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

05/14/24

Full Review

Steve D

Complete and total cheese.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

07/20/23

Full Review

Brenton H

I guess I've learnt about my choice of nostalgic movies. For me I first saw this film as a wide eyed 7yo boy. Now I'm 60 and it is on my modest list of movies that take me back to a simpler time, it is what I call a 'comfort movie'. A movie that just lets me love it for its awe of the day I felt as a child. I love this movie like 'A Journey to the Centre of the Earth' gets me every time. Yes, the film and special effects maybe lame at first, but it sure worked in its time!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I've seen this movie as a boy in the 60s and liked it very much at the time. But now I'll have to give it a try to see it as an adult.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Loved this film since I was a young child. Now 51 1/2 believe this was the fore runner to today's action films. Yes it's cheesy but so entertaining!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Some parts of this Saturday matinee offering are rather dubious now, like the flagrant racism and sexist overtones in which women are treated like cattle. Vikings speak with American accents, too, instead of European ones.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

Full Review

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Jack Cardiff

Director

Richard Widmark

Rolfe

Sidney Poitier

Aly Mansuh

Rosanna Schiaffino

Aminah

Russ Tamblyn

Orm

Oscar Homolka

Krok

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Synopsis

Moorish ruler El Mansuh (Sidney Poitier) is determined to locate a massive bell made of gold known as the "Mother of Voices." Viking explorer Rolfe (Richard Widmark) also becomes intent on finding the mythical treasure, and sails with his crew from Scandinavia to Africa to track it down. Reluctantly working together, El Mansuh and Rolfe, along with their men, embark on a quest for the prized object, but only one leader will be able to claim the bell as his own -- if it even exists at all.

Director: Jack Cardiff
Producer: Irving Allen
Screenwriter: Beverley Cross, Berkely Mather
Genre: Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 26, 2010
Runtime: 2h 5m
Sound Mix: Stereo

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