Enjoyed Redsbad, but with s grain of salt. It seems that this genre of film (Vikings, The Last Kingdom, etc) insist on portraying the Nordic, Danish, Frisian, whomever) as superheros on the battlefield. As a student of history, I can acknowledge their prowess (even with the need to exaggerate the tiny percentage of women who actually engaged in battle or raids) within limits. It seems that Saxon warriors or Frankish troops are relegated to incompetent or unskilled (scene after scene of some Nordic warrior slaying 4-5 enemy combatants) in so many of these films. It must be remembered that they too where warrior cultures which eventually subjugated these invaders, a task which could not be accomplished without military acumen. The portrayal of the Christianization of pagan peoples also seems greatly exaggerated. Were there abuses and at times over jealous clerics and nobles, naturally, however to paint such a skewed portrait in a film attempting to convey historical events may lead the less scholarly viewer to accept this without question. The perspective in production after production of painting pagan, bellicose, raiding peoples as "noble savages" while casting Christianity in a negative light seems more a reflection of the producers and writers' agendas than fact. I look forward to these same film makers creating a series of films illustrationing the centuries of slaughter, slavery and forced conversations at the hands of Mohammed and his religious descendants, though they would likely be prevented for fear of the Muslim response.
Review of Redbad
