Robert Eggers Tears Through 'The Northman' Viking Accuracy and Effects

When I saw The Northman this past weekend, I left the theater totally energized. This movie is so visually enthralling and thrilling it's hard not to leave feeling like you've been reborn into Valhalla. The film's director, Robert Eggers, is known for movies like The Lighthouse and The Witch. Now with a bigger budget, he was able to meticulously make an authentic Viking movie that goes incredibly hard for its entire runtime. 

But how did he gather this authentic point of view, and how did he collaborate with Alexander Skarsgard to build out his lead character? 

Check out this video from Vanity Fair, and let's talk after. 

One of the coolest things about this video is that we learn the little boy rowing was actually done in a parking lot near the ocean because the sea was too wild that day. So the water spray and rocking of the boat were all done by people off-camera. It was also funny to hear Eggers say there are "not a lot of allusions to classical art" in this movie, and then show us the exact shot that is, which is a boat charging up the canal. 

Eggers worked with historical experts to make sure the things in this movie were accurate. Everything in the large boat was built to those specifications. I loved hearing how complicated the oner was moving the camera to the boat as well. In order to do so, one of the extras had to wait until they were out of frame, toss their oar overboard, and then duck down so the dolly could fit where they were sitting.

The music in this scene is from Viking-era instruments, which adds extra authenticity to the scene. 

What were your favorite moments from this video and the movie? Let me know in the comments. 

Source: Vanity Fair