The Long Ships (1965)

A Moorish king (Sidney Poitier) is obsessed with a legend of a giant bell made of gold and believes it is more than a legend, that it exists. When a shipwrecked Viking (Richard Widmark) implies he knows of the bell's location, the king is more determined than ever to find it. Very loosely based on the novel by Frans G. Bengtsson and directed by Jack Cardiff (SONS AND LOVERS). As a simple adventure film, the film is nicely done for the most part except for some embarrassing comedic moments like a mass rape in a harem (yes, it's played for laughs) and the abuse of a eunuch (also played for laughs). There's also the unsavory racist implications that might not have been so obvious in 1965. Am I really supposed to root for some smelly savages because they have blonde hair as opposed to the more cultured and civilized Moors because their skin is darker? I'm a big Richard Widmark fan but at age 50, he was a bit too mature shall we say for the young Viking adventurer he plays here (the 30ish George Peppard claims he turned the role down). Perhaps I'm just reading too much into it, if you put your mind on cruise control there's actually a lot to enjoy here. Particularly, Poitier's performance and the handsome cinematography (filmed in what was then Yugoslavia) of Christopher Challis (ARABESQUE). With Russ Tamblyn, Oscar Homolka, Rosanna Schiaffino, Colin Blakely, Lionel Jeffries, Edward Judd and Beba Loncar.