Erik the Viking

Blackness. Flames begin to lick upwards from the bottom of the screen. Suddenly all hell breaks loose. Screaming, yelling. Black figures flash across the foreground, with the flames still burning behind. There follows a confusion of burning, raping, killing and looting - we don't clearly see what's going on. Suddenly we cut to the interior of a hut. The door is in the process of being broken down. The camera pans onto the close-up face of an attractive girl who is staring in horrified fascination at the door. Her arms are white with fresh dough and flour. Suddenly the door bursts open and a wild-looking Viking leaps into the hut. He holds a sword. He looks around wildly and then his eyes come to rest on the girl. This Viking, I'm afraid, is Erik. We are about to see him in the worst possible light so be prepared. The girl, whose name is Helga, cowers, and looks terrified but resolute. Erik glances round. Then slowly he advances on the girl, forcing her back onto a chest. Erik holds his sword to Helga's throat with his right hand, while his left hand searches to find the thongs holding up his trousers. He is clearly having difficulties trying to hold his heavy sword to Helga's throat at he same time as undoing his trousers. He fumbles and lowers his sword for a moment.

HELGA:

Have you done this sort of thing before?

ERIK:

Me? Of course! I've been looting and pillaging up and down the coast.

HELGA:

(looking sceptical)

Looting and pillaging, eh?

ERIK:

(on the defensive)

Yes.

HELGA:

What about the raping?

ERIK:

Shut up.

HELGA:

It's obvious you haven't raped anyone in your life.

ERIK:

Sh!

He covers her mouth with his free hand, and looks round to make sure no one's heard. Then he carries on trying to undo his trousers, but he is now somewhat more than half-hearted about it. Helga watches suspiciously.

HELGA:

Do you LIKE women?

Erik is clearly shocked and stung by the insinuation. He stops.

ERIK:

Of course I like women... I LOVE 'em.

HELGA:

(pointing out the obvious)

You don't love ME.

ERIK:

No... right... this is RAPE... Mark you, I'm not saying I couldn't get to like you... in fact... well, to be quite honest, I prefer it when there's some sort of mutual feeling between two people...

HELGA:

What - rape?

ERIK:

No. It isn't rape then, is it?

HELGA:

Oh, get it over with.

ERIK:

(hesitates again)

I don't suppose... no...

HELGA:

What?

ERIK:

I don't suppose you... you DO like me at all?

HELGA:

What d'you expect? You come in here, burn my village, kill my family and try to rape me...

This is too much for Erik. We withers under the irony.

ERIK:

I'll kill you if you say anything about this to anyone.

HELGA:

(puzzled)

About raping me?

ERIK:

About NOT raping you...

HELGA:

You DON'T like it, do you?

ERIK:

Well it just seems a little bit crude, that's all.

HELGA:

What about the killing and looting? That's just as crude, isn't it?

ERIK:

Oh well - you've GOT to do them.

HELGA:

Why? Why have you got to go round killing and looting?

ERIK:

To pay for the next expedition, of course.

HELGA:

But that's a circular argument! If the only reason for going on an expedition is the killing and looting and the only reason for the killing and looting is to pay for the next expedition, they cancel each other out.

ERIK:

Oh! Stop talking as if we were married!

HELGA:

Well you started it.

ERIK:

I just said I didn't feel like raping you.

HELGA:

And I was just saying that rape is no MORE pointless or crude than all the killing and looting that goes on. Erik vents of his frustration on the already shattered door.

ERIK:

Scream.

HELGA:

Ah.

ERIK:

Louder.

HELGA:

Aaagh! Rape!

ERIK:

(he'd forgotten about that)

Oh, thanks

Two more Vikings burst in with eyes blazing. They have the very unfortunate names of Ernest and Jennifer, but it doesn't really matter, for reasons which will become obvious very quickly. They are also slightly drunk.

ERNEST:

Rape?

JENNIFER:

Where?

Jennifer the Viking sways and leans against a door post. The marauder's eyes come to rest on Erik and Helga who are standing, fully clothed, about six feet apart. They look slightly puzzled.

HELGA:

He raped me standing up.

There is a pause. Erik looks up at Helga. Why has she saved his face by telling this lie? Jennifer the Viking turns to Erik.

JENNIFER:

You finished, then?

ERIK:

Oh... yes... I suppose so...

ERNEST:

Right! Me first!

JENNIFER:

No! I asked!

Ernest leaps on top of Helga and pins her to the ground. Jennifer joins in. Erik looks stunned for a moment. Then he suddenly leaps to Helga's defence.

ERIK:

Leave her alone!

He pulls Jennifer off, but Jennifer fights back. Erik forces Jennifer back until he falls into the kneading trough. They fight in the dough for some moments, until Erik runs Jennifer through. The dough is stained red, and the film is rid of such an inappropriately named Viking once and for all.

Erik then turns his attention on Ernest who is still on top of Helga. Without a moment's hesitation, Erik runs him through the back. Ernest screams. So does Helga. Erik turns white, and pulls out his sword. Ernest falls over into a heap with his co-misnomer, and Erik kneels beside Helga to find a bloodstain under her breast where he has inadvertently run her through. She is clearly not long for this world.

HELGA:

Thanks for saving me from a fate worse than death.

ERIK:

I didn't mean to!

HELGA:

(gasping for breath)

Oh, that's all right then... it's the thought... that counts...

Erik cradles her head and tries helplessly to staunch the blood.

ERIK:

You told them I raped you - why?

HELGA:

(dying)

I dunno... you looked so... so vulnerable...

ERIK:

Why should you care?

HELGA:

(dying)

Why... should YOU care?

ERIK:

Tell me your name?

Helga looks up at him, but dies in his arms, without ever saying her name.

ERIK:

Tell me... what IS it...?

Erik realizes she has gone. He gazes at her for some time. He looks around at the two dead bodies beside them. Then he listens to the sound of raping and slaughter continuing on the outside. Screams and bloodthirsty shuts echo alongside the roar of flames and the cries of animals. The camera tracks into a big close-up on Erik.

Superimpose the title: ERIK THE VIKING:

Second title:
TIM ROBBINS.

Mix through to wide shot of the burning village. Figures running here and there. Superimpose the rest of the opening titles. By the last of the opening titles the last of the flames are dying down.

Cut to a close-up of a very loud-looking Viking screaming into the camera, as he hurls an axe. This Viking's name is Thorfinn Skull- Splitter. The axe thuds into the wall a few inches away from the face of a frightened girl, Unn, who is pinned to the wall with her braids spread out. The Vikings are hurling axes at her a la Kirk Douglas in THE VIKINGS.

Several Vikings sitting at ale-bench, laugh in a rather unpleasant way. Erik, however, frowns. He is sitting at a table on a dais, next to his grandfather, the chief of the village. His grandfather almost chokes with merriment. Erik's mother glances at him with some hostility. Meanwhile the drunken Thorfinn has just lifted the totally legless Ivar the Boneless up off the floor and presses an axe into his hand. A tremor of nervousness ripples round the females in the Mead Hall. Ivar is clearly in no condition to throw anything, except, perhaps, the contents of his stomach. Unn winces. Finally, amidst much giggling, Ivar throws wildly, and the axe smashes into a jug being carried by one of the serving girls. The menfolk erupt into drunken hysterics at this. The women clearly feel that the occasion is getting out of hand. But before any of them can work up enough courage to intervene, Thorfinn Skull-Splitter has thrust an axe into the hands of the even more plastered Sven the Berserk. Now Sven is not the Viking to let a little matter like not being able to see straight stop him heaving the axe at a young maiden. He takes the axe and whirls it wildly over his head. Even the other drunken Vikings realize this could be dangerous, and they cower behind the table. Sven lets go of the axe. Unn shuts her eyes prepared for the worst. There is a dull thud and a grunt and then a whoop of mirth. Unn opens her eyes to find that the axe has come to rest in the back of a totally stupefied Viking who merely slumps forward onto the table he is sitting at. On the opposite side sits Harald Missionary, a rather seedy cleric who has long since given up trying to convert the pagans and found solace in their mead. He thinks about intervening, but decides that it's a bit late really and that he might as well finish off his ale-cup instead. GRIMHILD HOUSEWIFE (his only admirer) refills it for him. At this moment, however, the axe-throwers have run out of axes, so, as they go to retrieve the ones they've thrown, Harald Missionary salves his conscience by lurching across to the unfortunate Unn. He pokes his dog-eared bible under her nose.

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