The Viking Queen 
                                              
Director: Don Chaffey
Year: 1967
Rating: 4.0
A Viking Queen who is in Britain and speaks with what I thought was an Italian accent but is Finnish and who would look more at home in a 1960s Soho disco than on a battlefield fighting Roman legions. Hammer was way out of its depth with this historical epic. Epics cost money and this looks more like a weekend re-enactment. Your side gets to put on the Roman tunics and your side gets the blue paint. I want a chariot! Now fight. This has the spark of an empty can of gasoline. In particular the sudsy romance between the Viking Queen and a Roman Centurion. I thought I would fall asleep every time they embraced with, I love you, I l love you, I love you. We will go to Italy and eat grapes. What are grapes? Things my slaves bring to me. Please shoot me now.



The Romans as were their wont have conquered England (I once worked at a Roman archeological dig in Colchester for the salary of peanut butter sandwiches). But the natives are restless. And the Druids are trying to enflame them to rebellion. When the King dies, he anoints his daughter Salina to be the Queen. The Druids tell her that it is predicted that she will wield a sword and drive the Romans out. Well, they got half of that right. But Salina just wants peace and the hunky Roman Commander Justinian (Don Murray) to play house with. They go hunting boar but the boar isn't the one doing the rutting.   An insane Druid Priest who enjoys a Friday night of barbecuing people over an open fire as they yell out to Zeus and a Roman second-in-command (Andrew Kier) want to get rid of Justinian because he is too easy on the Brits. And war we get. And some whipping and rape naturally.



This is lightly based of course on a real historical person, Queen Boudica. When her husband the King died, he split power between his daughters. The Romans decided this was a good time to take their land and flogged Boudica and raped the two daughters. Boudica raised an army and slaughtered an estimated 70,000 Romans and their supporters. She took over Colchester and London. That was not to last and the Romans re-grouped and defeated her and she killed herself. This was during the time of Nero as is this film. The Queen is played by a Finnish actress only credited as Carita. Her one and only film credit. I wonder where they found her and where she went.