Mmm, Vikings (Arthurian Vikings, but whatever, it's cool)

[ealgylden]

Okay, I know everyone was all giddy yesterday about the King Arthur pics of Keira looking fierce (but cold. Poor girl, that costume looks really uncomfortable) or Ioan looking terribly butch, or both. I was too, believe me. But I want to throw a little love in the direction of Stellan Skarsgard. Come on, is that not the face of a Viking who knows he's doomed to die, and wants only to die well? I've only seen Stellan in contemporary roles, so I had no idea he had such a great look for period pieces. Nice surprise. I also have no idea who this Cedric he plays is (Cedric the Saxon, kidnapped and sent back in time from Ivanhoe?), but I'll admit freely that the Arthurian mythos is not traditionally my thing. I had one Medieval Comp. Lit. class on it as an undergrad (Gildas to Mallory, yeehaw), and that's pretty much it. Anyway, Stellan has definitely made the cast of my fantasy Beowulf and/or Viking saga movie, along with Dennis Storhoi and Vladimir Kulich from 13th Warrior (not a great pic of Dennis, but Vladimir looks fearsome), possibly Rutger Hauer (he did "nobly doomed" wonderfully in Ladyhawke, but that was a long time ago, and he's not aging well) and pretty much all of the Rohirrim. Some of the extras in King Arthur seem to fit the bill as well, and who is that long-haired cutie? Him too. I'll make him Wiglaf or something.

And speaking of King Arthur, I’m not in favor of banning books, but damn if I'm not tempted when it comes to Mists of Avalon. Not permanently, but just long enough so that there's one generation of teenies that doesn't shriek, "But Guinevere was blonde! She was a pious Christian virgin! Why isn't it all about the women? Where's Morgaine/Viviane/Morgause/whotheheckever?" whenever something Arthurian arises in pop culture. And I like MoA, or at least I did when I read it at thirteen (haven't read it since, and from what I hear it often doesn't hold up well after adolescence). But kiddies, it is not the Arthurian gospel. It's certainly not very good history, Arthurian or not. Or, you know, history at all. It's just a novel. Honestly.

Comments

[ealgylden.livejournal.com]

Oh sure, that whole Saxons vs. Normans gig is muy anachronistic, but Scott's hardly concerned with such things. It makes a good story, so away we go (and away Hollywood still goes- Heaven forfend we should have a movie set in medieval England, whatever decade, that didn't toss Saxons vs. Normans in there somehow). It was mostly a snark, but it's true that he's the only "name brand" Cedric who came to mind. Well, except for Cedric Sneer (http://members.tripod.com/~Melissa_Raccoon/CedricSneer.html) from The Raccoons (http://www.savethegalaxy.com/raccoons1.html), but I'm pretty sure it's not him. ;)

I've read and enjoyed some Rosemary Sutcliffe (what I've been able to find anyway- I'd sell my sister for a copy of Blood and Sand), but I don't remember Cerdic. Time for a reread, maybe. Arthur at Maldon, though? Oof.

Stellan was excellent in Insomnia, I agree. He doesn't get enough recognition in this country, though I think much of that's the price of being a character actor. I'm sure he's "that mean guy from Good Will Hunting" to an awful lot of people. And I've heard of, but never read, Markell (or I've heard of Wallander, at least), so I'll have to keep an eye out.

Mists of Avalon was fun when I read it as a preteen, but even at the time I was thinking, "I'm going to outgrow this really quickly." And no surprise, I did- I've tried once or twice to read it since, and have never gotten more than a chapter in. I've only seen bits of the miniseries, but the costumes looked pretty, at least. Honestly, though, it's that Mystical Shamanism nonsense again. I just can't stand it.

Rosemary Sutcliffe

[fuchsoid.livejournal.com]

The shots from King Arthur look very promising, apart from that unfortunate strappy outfit (could she really draw a bow in that without it falling off?), and made me immediately think of the excellent Rosemary Sutcliffe novel Sword at Sunset, which is an Arthur story based (I think) on the earliest, Welsh Arthurian stories, with a Romanized Celtic Arthur fighting the Saxons. It's probably out of print now, but well worth reading if you can lay your hands on it. Most of RS's stuff is, especially the Lantern-Bearers series, set in late-Roman Britain, which run on into Sword at Sunset, and Mark of the Horselord, which is basically a Romano-Celtic take on the Prisoner of Zenda.

I read as much of her stuff as I could lay my hands on in my teens.
Sword at Sunset also had the excellent effect of inoculating me against Mists of Avalon, which I managed about two chapters of before hurling it aside with some force.

Re: Rosemary Sutcliffe

[ealgylden.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the strappy outfit is very artistic, but not that practical, I think. It gets chilly in England. Hope she has good shoes and a nice warm cloak, at least.

I definitely need to re-read Sutcliffe. I read Mark of the Horselord, if I'm remembering it rightly (it's the one with Phaedrus the gladiator, right?), but I never got to read Swords at Sunset, thanks to some light-fingered library patron. I've always been fond of Dragon Slayer, because, hey, Beowulf. Quickest way to get my interest is with Beowulf. It's a shame that ninety percent of her work is out of print, though. Fingers crossed that it gets reprinted soon.