Son of Odin 1 (2004)

Hard words, fast decisions, total dedication! Such description does little justice to the way the first movie in the renown Son of Odin trilogy was truly made. In fact, the drunken, slurred wording of ‘Allright, let’s make that Fucking Film!’ was the true instigator, pronounced as it was through a haze of 80% Stroh Rum by the-soon-to-be world famous director Hans Bruntt.

Experience the total viking power!!!

The set was ROSKILDE FESTIVAL 2004, amidst the drizzle and the rain, with thunder and lightning battling with Korn as to who was loudest. On a forgotten field of darkest woe farthest from the music stages (a hellishly confusing rural maze that resulted in several disappearances among the staff), the pioneers of creativity convened. The inspiration for the movie was found at www.viking.virkelighed.dk – a danish webpage designed by someone pretending to be a immature 9-year old, rambling on in a poetically primitive manner about vikings, eternal power, and eternity being something about forever combined with ecological whipped cream, as well as the flawed understanding that the true enemies of all vikings were vampires, ninjas and mermaids, and that Mjoelnir was one of the norse gods.

Such misconceptions about ancient Skandinavian mythology are widely echoed in the beliefs of many heavy metal bands, who are convinced that Wagner was indeed a viking. As young, untried actors – eager to test their mettle in combat – flocked to the banner of Hans Bruntt, the first movie in the legend of THE SON OF ODIN was born, and FOKING FILMS was now an established institution. Filmed with a pityfully small Ixus 30 hand-held camera, this first production echoed the beginning of world cinema, with its fading, black-and white screenshots, background heavy metal music, and silent movie texts so reminiscient of Murnau’s ‘Nosferatu’.

The fate of Halvgrim Helgrimsson

Starring co-producer LarsBP as grim-visaged Odin, God of War and Death, the movie opens with the ever patient, world-encompassing gaze of the norse God-King, as he sends one of his messenger ravens, Hugin, down to Middle-Earth from Valhalla, and the unfolding of a prophecy. In the land of the vikings, three brothers of the Total Heavy Metal Clan display their masculinity around the roaring camp fire. Eminently played by Malene Vestergaard, Rasmus Skat Andersen and Mads Anton Madsen, the three brothers – Halvgrim Helgrimssön, Gül Uhrin, and Bruhn Farinn – take it upon themselves to fulfill the epic quest conveyed to them by Hugin.

As the black raven leads them across the perilous plains, Gül and Bruhn perish on the field of war as only one brother is destined to survive the trials facing them. As Halvgrim, bloodied but unbowed, reach the demesnes of the oracle (performed in a cool, laidback manner by Ole Wesenberg) it speaks to him of restraining his inner viking power, and of not giving in to the red rage until the black wolf howls.

The berzerker rage

Overcome with despair, believing sanity to be weakness of character, Halvgrim renounces his beliefs, and roars to the uncaring skies in grief of the loss of his brothers. Blood-maddened, he charges across the desolate plains, killing and dismembering at will as he runs amuck with total viking power. In this endless hell of the soul, he faces barbarians and ninjas (painstakingly well performed by Jakob Vogdrup and Ole Munk), equally overcome by an eternity of bloodlust, and defeats them all in single combat, ultimately becoming…. The Son of Odin.

Unable to understand the warnings given, Halvgrim does not see his doom fast approaching, as the siren song of a local landlubber mermaid (Sara Jørgensen) promises succor and peace, as well as death at the end of sharp fangs – and so the first part of the legend ends with tragedy as he completes his destiny.

The aftermath… Endless chatter

Afterwards, it took a while for the world to stop gawking at this wonder of cinematic ingenuity, especially after special effects consultant Bo Jørgensen and perspective advisor Daniel Foeged lent their critical eyes and hands to the production. As the first headlines exploded with praise, facebook and twitter forums (even the ones not yet invented) echoed with endless chatter of young, malleable minds, and the movie was sent – faster than the speed of light – around the globe via the World Wide Web, to enter the annals of fame forever. Like a true viking.

The text above is taken from a paper by Dr.Mindstripper, The English Journal of Psychoanalysis, April 2005 (reprinted here without permission).

Reviews

‘Vikinger er totalt seje. Formålet med deres liv er at gå amok. Vikinger er de bedste til at gå amok. Overhovedet. Deres verdenskort er skrevet med blod, og deres hobby er at gå i krig. Hvis en viking bliver sur på dig -tja, så er du nærmest allerede død. Og du kan ikke gøre noget ved det. Vikinger vinder altid. Evig sejr er definitionen af deres kampmoral, og derfor taler man om TOTAL VIKING POWER!!!’. Taken from Viking Virkelighed, 2005

‘Halvdød opløsning – dobbelt horror!’. Clive Barker, FANGORIA Magazine, 2005

‘I must confess, the conditions of the set alone would have sent Lars von Trier screaming for a steady cam and some iced tea, and I am convinced that Björk would simply have been made speechless – which is no small feat. This – this is…. without a doubt the best viking movie ever made! It is true grit on a background of blood, hardcore acting born of sweat, muscle and piss, and a great day for art cinema. It brings tears to my eyes. Truly’. – Lee Majors, In his book: ‘Reflections on ‘The Norseman’ movie’, 2005

‘For fanden da Ole Munk slår hårdt. Den mand er champ!!! For fanden da’.
Brydeklubben Viking – home of the brave, BKV Årsnyt, 2005

‘HJOLDA! FENRY’S HJOLDA!!!!’ – Dan Abnett, Lone Wolves, 2005

Son of Odin 1 production photos