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The Long Ships

Play trailer Poster for The Long Ships 1964 2h 5m Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
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54% Tomatometer 13 Reviews 39% Popcornmeter 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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The Long Ships

Critics Reviews

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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 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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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 Read all reviews
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The Long Ships

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Movie Info

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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