'Vikings': The lure of historical drama
FROM FARMER TO SEAFARER. Ragnar Lothbrok (Australian actor Travis Fimmel in breakout role), future ruler and hero of Norse legend, embarked on an adventure which led to the discovery of Britain. Photos courtesy of History Channel Asia
MANILA, Philippines - There is an emerging trend in television drama, and it has taken on this formula - a smattering of swashbuckling scenes, scenery untouched, as yet to be despoiled by modern man, and frilly ruffs and clunky armors back in vogue.
All these ingredients make for a bona fide historical drama, and today’s producers are making good use of war as a central plot in their stories.
HBO’s "Game of Thrones," heavily inspired by the sagas of dynastic wars waged in medieval Europe, continues to enrapture a wide audience.
Finding the entertainment value in war is hardly a novel concept, as the Roman Colosseum was once the theater of barbarity - and of the utterly insane and bawdy spectacle of iron, flesh, and blood - for the collective cheers and jeers of its otherwise civilized audience (they who further institutionalized that Greek invention, democracy: "demokratia").
Today, the TV screen takes the place of the amphitheater without bringing in the actual bloodshed, and infuses a bonus - gripping human drama spurred by adventure, conflict, and ambition.
Facts, myths, legends
History Channel’s "Vikings" takes on the same formula that made its predecessors in the historical-drama genre a success.
There is an abundance of medieval battle scenes, lush scenery for Midgardian backdrop, and costumes meticulously crafted to stay as faithful as possible to the era in place.
It is a retelling of how the Vikings came to England, painting a picture of them as barbaric warriors with noble hearts hungry for adventure.
"Vikings" is the saga of Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel), a Norse farmer, seeking to explore the uncharted territories to the west of the Scandinavian shores.
Bored and disgruntled over having to raid the eastern Baltic states every year, he prods Viking chief Earl Haraldson (Gabriel Byrne) to allow him to explore lands to the west.
Ragnar, along with other Vikings, sail to England via the North Sea, changing the course of history.
The legendary Norse hero of the same name, whose valor and rule have been sung about in Old Norse poetry and epics, inspired the creation of the series.
The pilot episode has some potentially anachronistic elements, though - noblewomen such as Earl Haraldson’s wife Siggy (Jessalyn Gilsig) were wearing copious amounts of eyeliner, a cosmetic practice alien to the Norse, as they only painted their faces in battle.
AUTOCRACY. Viking chief Earl Haraldson (Irish actor Gabriel Byrne) orders his minions to raid the Baltic states
Michael Hirst, writer of one of the first historical drama series, "The Tudors," wrote this series.
In an interview with movie site HitFlix, Hirst said it was quite a challenge writing "Vikings," as most of the information obtained by this production's researchers were from manuscripts by Christian Anglo-Saxon monks, who were, to a certain extent, outsiders.
Mythology fans might find the series potentially fascinating.
Ragnar claims to be a direct descendant of the god Odin, constantly invoking him throughout the series.
The divine namedropping could be a little unsettling at first, yet the invocation could be something akin to the nominal Catholic’s “Oh my God,” reflecting the colloquy of the ages.
The struggle for power, the thirst for adventure and victory, and the bitter cold of the Scandinavian winters are well captured right from the pilot episode, making for a compelling saga. - Rappler.com
Here's the official trailer of 'Vikings':
'Vikings' will be aired on History Channel Asia on September 29, a little over 6 months since its broadcast in North America.
