Movie Monday: The Viking

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Monday, January 26th, 2015
6:30 PM

Set against a backdrop of the icy dangers of the Newfoundland seal hunt in 1920s, this is an exciting tale of hardship and redemption. "It follows a conflict between two rural men out to sea and onto the ice floes where they settle their differences for good and all."

An example of early maverick filmmaking, it was the first sync-sound feature shot in Canada and is both an authentic document of those times and the rugged industry and a great example of early story-telling on film. 73min 1931 PG

Often touted as the first sync-sound feature shot in Canada, The Viking (1931) was considered a lost film until the mid-1960s when a print was discovered in a fish storage plant in Newfoundland. Though shot in the Quidi Vidi neighborhood of St. John's, Newfoundland, this ambitious tale of the North Country was actually not a Canadian production. American adventurer Varick Frissell, who was enamored with the culture and people of Newfoundland through his work with Dr. Wilfred Grenfell, secured financial backing from Paramount Pictures and used a New York cast and Hollywood crew. Though shooting the film in sync sound was a courageous choice, The Viking's real significance lies in its documentary-style approach to the narrative, which later became a hallmark of Canadian filmmaking. The integration of nonfiction techniques with a fictional narrative resulted in a rich sense of place that focused on the relationship between people and their environment. This approach distinguished many later Canadian feature films.

Sadly, The Viking is also known for the tragedy that occurred when an explosion destroyed the back of the vessel, killing 27 men, including Frissel. The unfortunate off-screen events tend to overshadow the film's remarkable achievement in cinematography and its documentary-like chronicling of a culture and way of life now long past. 73min Pg (incl. intro by Dr Wilfred Grenfell)
Learn more at wikipedi.org

About Movie Monday:
Monday nights at the Eric Martin Pavilion theatre - near Fort and Foul Bay. Come celebrate nearly-free (by donation and cheap snacks), popular, mental health and social cause movies hosted by The Movie Monday Society.