The Long Ships (1963)
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50% of critics liked it
(12 reviews) -
39% of users liked it
(931 ratings)
In this elaborately mounted seafaring adventure, Rolfe (Richard Widmark) is a Viking leader with the cunning and devious mind of a pirate. Rolfe tells others sailors of "The Mother of Voices," a mammoth bell made of gold and as tall as three men, but he adds enough incorrect details to… More In this elaborately mounted seafaring adventure, Rolfe (Richard Widmark) is a Viking leader with the cunning and devious mind of a pirate. Rolfe tells others sailors of "The Mother of Voices," a mammoth bell made of gold and as tall as three men, but he adds enough incorrect details to throw them off the proper trail. However, Aly Mansuh (Sidney Poitier), the leader of a group of ambitious Moors, sees through Rolfe's story, and soon the two are in a breakneck race to be the first to capture the precious bell. The Long Ships also features Russ Tamblyn and Oscar Homolka. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Jack Cardiff
- Written By
- Beverly Cross, Berkeley Mather
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure, Art House & International, Classics
- In Theaters
- Jun 24, 1964 Wide
- Studio
- Sony Pictures Entertainment
Critic 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.
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, 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.
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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).
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Howard Thompson, New York Times
A hollow movie and a loud one - but it moves.
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, TV Guide's Movie 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."
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Featured Audience Ratings
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Cast
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Richard Widmark
as Rolfe
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Sidney Poitier
as Aly Mansuh
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Russ Tamblyn
as Orm
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Rosanna Schiaffino
as Aminah
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Beba Loncar
as Gerda
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Oscar Homolka
as Krok
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Edward Judd
as Sven
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Clifford Evans
as King Harald
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Jeanne Moody
as Ylva
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Colin Blakely
as Rhykka
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Gordon Jackson
as Vahlin
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David Lodge
as Olla
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Paul Stassino
as Raschild
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Lionel Jeffries
as Aziz
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Henry Oscar
as Auctioneer
- Oskar Homolka