Severed Ways:

The Norse Discovery of America

Madman

R4 DVD

This unusual independent film is the first film by director / writer / producer Tony Stone. He has apparently produced rock bands before, and this shows from the heavy metal backing track to the film.

The story is of Norse explorers Om and Volnard who have been left behind when their party was attacked by Skraelings (native tribes). They decide to make their way northwards in the hope of finding a Norse settlement. Although they can survive in the wilds they are unprepared to find a pair of Christian missionaries who have been shipwrecked and have built a small farm. Om in his traditional Norse savagery kills one monk but Volnard spares the other, who then follows them in their trek.

He should have killed the monk when he had the chance as the monk’s attempts to turn Volnard to Christianity lead to a split between Volnard and Om. As well as the internal division they are also being followed by the local tribes who will probably kill them if given a chance. Can they resolve their differences and cooperate to make it to safety? Divided they don’t stand a chance.

I enjoyed most of the film, but there were a few parts where Stone’s relative inexperience showed. We did not need, for instance, the closeup shot of Om defecating in the woods. Nor does the soundtrack do much justice to the film. Some scenes are protracted almost to the point of boredom and need some serious editing. To offset this, though, the scenery is beautifully filmed and the change of colours as winter approaches gives the film a sense of elapsed time as the travellers keep heading north.

Overall the film is a mixture of good and less good, but I enjoyed it. Tony Stone shows a lot of potential and it will be interesting to see his future work.

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