In the Shadow of the Raven (1988)

Sick Product of a Sick System

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Another great film from Iceland. What a beautiful and deep work! I saw it many times in my home country, Russia, as it was shown on central TV quite often in 1999-2001. The story is breathtaking - Trausti, who has become a Christian, returns to Iceland from Europe, but then he is thought to be lost at sea and while he is still not found, his house is looted, his people are murdered and he is virtually alone. Then, his revenge starts. Trausti finds new people who will help him to avenge his family and friends. Finally, he uses a very sly method, with the help of nature - in fact, a geyser, that is used as a water heater there. Then, mostly all of his enemies are destroyed and although Trausti is revenged, the film leaves you with a heavy heart, as so many people are dead. What is great in this film is the brilliant, severe nature, with terrible rains all the time. It is not merely a background for the action, no, it acts and work out as a real hero there, too. Other big plus is the role of the fat, greedy Bishop, who is the actual master of the lands, and he is a vile, sinful, horrid creature, with no drop of Christian mercy inside. His power is enormous and his deeds are so gruesome that you feel a deep disgust to him. The very fact that even in a "baptized" land people still pray to hidden statues of Thor explains much in this film. The faith has not come, and the nominal religion is used for masking the bloody crimes. Watch this splendid and breathtaking film, you really must do it.

I thought this was the better one, the plot is that Trausti comes home from Norway where he had studied Christian, when he arrives to Iceland it's been a whale which stranded, and another family gets to it at the same time as Trausti's family does, meanwhile they are fighting about the whale Traustis mother is stabbed in her ass and dies(funny eh!) then Traustis men wants revenge, but Trausti who dislikes fighting just slams his sword in the ground over and over again, after some scenes I've forgot Trausti and a girl from Eiriks(the other family) family gets together when Traustis men killed her father(Eirik), they are going to get married, but no one from Eiriks family agrees to that, so during the love night Eirik's followers burns down the house they're in and killing everyone who comes out from there, and Isold(the girl Trausti marries) comes out running, but her secret lover mistakes her from being Trausti and throws a knife in her chest. Then Trausti wants revenge, but he doesn't want to fight(cause of him being Christian and all) but after some scenes he gets his revenge.A very good film if you like this Country-Western movies which got scenes with shots of each other eyes for like 5 minutes, saying nothing,All movies from Iceland are about Revenge, and that's what Hollywood movies build upon, like Once Upon A Time In The West etc.

The Shadow of the Raven is bigger in scope and conception than the only other Icelandic film of its kind (Outlaw: Gisli's Saga). It portrays not only a feud between two families, but the conflict in medieval Iceland between the ancient pagan religion and encroaching Christianity. Naturally, the advocates of Christianity use it for their own political purposes. The other big themes of medieval literature are there as well: conflict of loyalties, treachery by trusted friends, romantic attraction between enemies, and revenge against all odds. The film makes some concessions to modern cinematic conventions - the dialog is not always as terse and ironic as you find in the sagas. But the film is still very authentic, and the action (though it flows from the characters and situations) is not easily predictable.

I saw this movie about 10 years ago in Cincinnati under the title "Shadow of the Raven." It was subtitled, obviously, and it was an excellent movie. I would love to see it again. I wonder if it will ever come out on video? It is such a shame that great movies like this are so quickly "forgotten."