Adventure, Drama  •  1964  •  126 min  •  Older Kids (7+)

The Long Ships (1964)

The Long Ships poster

The Long Ships (1964)


Rating & Dimensions

Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Center
Political: Center
Diversity: Moderate
Family Values: Mixed
Islam: Negative

Viewer Rating
5.8

Overview

The Long Ships is a 1964 British-American adventure following a Viking seafarer and a Moorish king in an uneasy alliance to find a legendary golden bell. Richard Widmark and Sidney Poitier lead a cast that brings unusual racial diversity to a mid-century Hollywood epic, though the film uses that diversity as casting rather than commentary. The story is driven by greed, rivalry, and spectacle, with no strong ideological lean in any direction. Religion appears in a positive light on both sides of the cultural divide. The absence of political messaging, progressive social framing, or traditional values advocacy leaves the label where the evidence points: Neutral.


Starring Cast

Richard Widmark  •   Sidney Poitier  •   Russ Tamblyn


Where to watch

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Detailed Bias Analysis

Analyzing...
Center

Primary

Political: Center
Confidence: High

The film centers on a daring Viking adventure involving a quest for a legendary golden bell and a confrontation with a tyrannical Moorish king. Its narrative explores themes of individual freedom against oppression and the dangers of obsession, without explicitly promoting a specific political ideology.

Diversity: Moderate
Confidence: High

The film includes visible diversity within its cast, featuring a prominent Black actor in a significant role. The narrative primarily focuses on adventure and does not explicitly critique traditional identities or center on themes of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Secondary

Family Values: Mixed
Confidence: High

The narrative centers on an epic adventure and quest, with family structures and values not forming a significant thematic focus.

Islam: Negative
Confidence: High

The film depicts the Moorish empire, a culture deeply influenced by Islam, as both sophisticated and fundamentally cruel. Prince Aly Mansuh's fanaticism and the empire's harsh justice system, including brutal executions, are presented as integral to this society. The narrative offers no counterbalancing positive portrayal of the faith.

LGBTQ: N/A
Confidence: Medium

The 1964 adventure film 'The Long Ships' focuses on a Viking quest for a legendary golden bell. The narrative does not include any identifiable LGBTQ+ characters or themes, maintaining a focus on its historical adventure plot.

Trans: N/A
Confidence: High

The Long Ships, a 1964 historical adventure, centers on Viking expeditions and the quest for a legendary golden bell. The film's narrative is devoid of any identifiable transsexual characters or exploration of related themes. Its plot focuses entirely on traditional adventure elements, including battles, exploration, and cultural clashes, without engaging with gender identity topics.

Female Combat: No
Confidence: High

The film depicts various conflicts and adventures in a Viking setting. While female characters are present in the narrative, no scenes show a female character achieving victory over one or more male opponents in direct physical combat using skill, strength, or melee weapons.

Gender Swap: No
Confidence: High

The film adapts a historical adventure novel without altering the established genders of its core characters. All significant roles maintain their original gender portrayals from the source material or are new creations that do not involve a gender swap.

Race Swap: No
Confidence: High

The film's characters are portrayed in a manner consistent with their established or implied racial backgrounds from the source material and historical setting. No instances of characters being depicted as a different race than originally conceived are present.


Viewer Rating Breakdown

5.8

Viewer Rating

Combines user and critic ratings from four sources

User Ratings

IMDB logo
6.0
The Movie Database logo
6.1

Critic Ratings

Rotten Tomatoes logo
5.4
Metacritic logo
N/A

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