Viking
Short description
Set in the late 10th century within the Kievan Rus, this historical drama follows Prince Vladimir after the death of his father. Following the murder of one brother and a conflict for power, Vladimir is forced into exile to escape his brother Yaropolk. While in Sweden, Vladimir is persuaded by a warrior named Sveneld to gather a Varangian army. He returns to his homeland to challenge Yaropolk and confront the forces of the Byzantine Empire in an effort to reclaim his territory and establish peace.
The film was directed by Andrey Kravchuk, who previously directed Admiral and later directed Once In The Desert and Rise of the Empire. The screenplay was written by Kravchuk and Andrey Rubanov. The ensemble cast features Danila Kozlovsky as Vladimir, alongside Svetlana Khodchenkova, Aleksandra Bortich, Paweł Deląg, Aleksandr Armer, and Anton Adasinsky.
Despite a massive budget of 1.22 billion USD, the movie earned 29 million USD at the worldwide box office. Audience reception was generally low, with a rating of 4.6/10 on IMDb from 5,400 votes and a score of 4.9/10 on TMDB based on 179 votes.
What's left behind the scenes
- On October 1, 2016, the Russian blockbuster “Viking” was presented at Comic Con Russia 2016. The filmmakers showed the public exclusive materials prepared specifically for the convention, including a “live” trailer – a stunt show at a booth built like an ancient Russian outpost. Visitors to the event were also able to participate in contests testing their knowledge of Russian history, try on costumes of the film's characters, and take photos with props.
- The film was the first in the history of Russian cinema to be released with the support of the “Tiflokommentator” application, which allows visually impaired people to watch the film in theaters with audio description.
- The main historical consultants for the film were Doctor of Historical Sciences Vladimir Petrukhin and Doctor of Philological Sciences Fyodor Uspensky.
- On-location shooting took place in Crimea: at the Taygan Reservoir (Belogorsky District), in the Genoese Fortress (Sudak), in the village of Shkolnoye (Simferopol District), in Bakhchisarai, and at Cape Fiolent (Sevastopol).
- Preparation for the film took six years, starting in 2009.
- The film was financed by ‘Direktion Kino’ CJSC, and also received investment from the Cinema Fund and the KIT studio (part of the Gazprom-Media media holding). The creators of the film also received 232 million rubles from the Federal Fund for Social and Economic Support of Domestic Cinema, and requested another 190 million. The newspaper ‘Izvestia’ reported that approximately 700 million rubles from the film’s budget were allocated by the state on a refundable and non-refundable basis.
- The music for the film was composed by Russian composer and producer Igor Matvienko. The soundtrack took two years to create. The composer initially studied the music of the 9th-10th centuries, familiarizing himself with the era of Prince Vladimir. Specialists from the Gnesin Academy were involved in the recording, and replicas of antique instruments of that time (wheel lyres, gudok, tambourines, gusli) were commissioned. Tracks were recorded on these instruments, then the phonograms were mixed with a synthesizer. A special studio was equipped for recording the music. Producer Igor Polonsky, arrangers Artem Vasiliev, Alexander Kamensky, Rafael Safin, vocalist Aia from the group “Gorod 312,” and many others participated in the work.
- The role of Princess Rogneda of the Principality of Polotsk was played by Aleksandra Bortich, who is of Belarusian ethnicity. Ekaterina Vilkova was also considered for this role.
- The historical drama has two versions with different age ratings: “12+” and “18+”. “This is the first time we’ve done this, and since the film is being made in collaboration with Channel One, we hope to explain to viewers that both families and those who prefer something more intense can watch it,” said the film’s producer, Anatoly Maksimov.
- According to producer Anatoly Maksimov, work on the film began in the fall of 2008. More than 3,000 people were involved in the filming: “directors, actors, artists, cinematographers, administrators, stunt performers, financiers, builders, and representatives of many, many other professions.”
- The film's sets were used in the construction of the first film park in Crimea and all of Russia, “Viking”. Construction of the facility began in October 2015 on the left bank of the Kizilkobinka mountain river at the beginning of the ascent to the Red Caves (Kyzyl-Koba grove). The “Viking” film park opened in May 2016.
- Viktor Verzhbitsky, Sergey Bezrukov, Maxim Matveyev, Mikhail Eliseev, and Sergey Puskepalis also auditioned for the leading roles.
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