scrap lumber and yardsticks disappeared to make swords,and every trash can lid became a battered shield [that no longer fit the can]. By Sunday morning there were many bruised and splinter wounded 10 year olds You should rate this type of movie by the number of bandaids passed out to young berserkers!

crew have and who they are{Gorden Jackson}is one of them,Lionel Jeffries plays a black Enoch,so you see what i mean,how can you take this film seriously. For me the funniest part of the film is when,one of the viking rowers moans to Richard Widmark about rowing and says ''My hands are sore'',arnt vikings supposed to be tough strong men,what was the script writer thinking of. The Long Ships has lots of strange script writing which only adds to the amusement of the film,also the viking outfits which is mainly leather make them look very camp.They look like they are going to a gay bar.And poitiers hair is all over the place. The mare of steel is as gruesome as i remember it,but i always wondered why there were spikes at the bottom,wouldn't the victim be dead long before they reached the bottom?And where did his body remains quickly disappear to,a bit of a puzzling device that one. But don't avoid watching this film because it is a fun adventure,and the musical score is great.

non-classically-trained Richard Widmark as an infinitely resourceful rogue coming home--having lost his previous Viking ship in a maelstrom. He reports having heard a fabulous Golden Bell--The Mother of Voices--and tries to get men to follow him in order to take it as loot. His father, played brilliantly by Oskar Homolka, ismeanwhile trying to collect the money owed him by the King, Clifford Evans, for whom he has made a splendid funeral ship, by giving the granddaddy of all Viking parties. The King refuses to pay, Rolf gets his crew--and then steals the black-sailed funeral ship. The ship is wrecked on the shore of North Africa, in a kingdom run by Sidney Poitier, who tries hard but is not up to classical accent either. What follows is a battle, capture by Poitier's men, an escape that goes awry in the King's harem, and a voyage at sword's point by the Vikings to find and bring back the great bell. The climax of the film is a battle fought in the Emir's city made possible when the Viking King comes to claim his ship and then fights with Rolf to make the great treasure his own. The film ends with Rolf selling the king on backing a fantastic new venture, which he of course will lead. Several in the cast including Russ Tamnblyn, Rosanna Schiaffino, Edward Judd and others make a fine impression. The humor in this film, especially in the party scene and the harem battle, are classic achievements. By any standard I know, technical, creative, or otherwise, this is a great adventure film, perhaps the best of all time. And the attempt to bring the bell to the ship is one of the most breathtaking achievements in film history. I cannot recommend this brilliant piece of cinematic art and laughter too highly. Jack Cardiff here creates a masterwork.

Radic's powerful, melodic score and enjoy the heck out of this epic clash of Vikings and Moors. And be warned: the Mare of Steel is not for the faint-hearted!

ship, Widmark feels that he has the right to take the ship and head for this search.Rolfe Widmark's role kidnaps the daughter of the king, intending to hold her as a hostage and preventing the king from taking revenge upon his village, and his father, the thane of said village. The crew, under Rolfe's leadership, returns to the last presumed site of the Golden Bell, and meets the Moorish prince, El Mansuh, played by Sidney Poiter. Both Rolfe and Mansuh intend to find the Bell, and keep it for themselves, and therein lies the story. Also, the Viking king, Harold, has put to sea in his long ships, expects to search the seas for Rolfe, and hang him for the aforementioned crimes.If the viewer takes this film with a touch of humor, and simply looks for entertainment, this is a very nice film to watch The music score is stirring, and the action, coupled with touches of wry humor, gives a true sense of enjoyable movie fun. Widmark and Poiter have good support cast members, Russ Tamblyn, as Rolfe's younger brother, Oscar Homolka, as the father, Rosanna Schiaffino, wife of Mansuh, all of whom contribute to the movie's action and humor.

didn't realize until my 30's just how much I liked Colin Blakely. I wanted to be taken captive by a bunch of Vikings. I loved the scene where the Vikings took over the harem. Funny, very entertaining and just well choreographed.