ERIK, THE CONQUEROR

Erik, the Conqueror – Gli Invasori

Baron Rutford orders his troops to wipe out a Viking colony on the Scottish coast. The Viking king is killed in combat, but his two young sons are saved. In the midst of confusion, they get separated. Erik is raised by Queen Alice and eventually named commander of the Scottish fleet. Iron, raised by the Vikings, grows up to become King. But the day comes when the long-lost brothers must face each other in battle, neither aware of who the other is.

Italian cinema of the time specialised in recycling Hollywood hits. After the success of Richard Fleisher’s The Vikings (1958), the mythic northern warriors inspired Italian producers. From the storyline to the reprisal of scenes and from screen credits to the final attack on the fortress, Erik, the Conqueror exhibits troubling similarities to its American cousin. But fortunately, the Bava touch turned this low-budget production into an adventure film worthy of its name. Thanks to a cinematography of blazing colours and high-level of craftsmanship, Erik, the Conqueror is an epic film.

Evening organised jointly with the French Cinémathèque and Toute la mémoire du monde, an international festival of restored films.

The 2k restoration of Erik, The Conqueror – realised by Arrow Films and Cinématographique Lyre et Comeci, in partnership with the laboratories Hivanti (Paris) and L’Immagine Retrovata laboratory (Bologna) – was made from the original 35mm negative and the original Italian sound negative.