Iceland’s dramatic scenery has been used many times as a backdrop to stunning movie scenes, from the car chase on the glacial lagoon Jokulsarlon in the James Bond movie Die Another Day to the isolated landscapes of the Snaefellsness Peninsula captured in Journey to the Centre of the Earth. Now however, the whole island will be put on the silver screen with the filming of an as-yet-untitled epic based on the dramatic, gory and downright bizarre Njal’s Saga.
Njal’s Saga is widely credited as being the best of Iceland’s fantastic medieval tales. Njal’s Saga tells the story of a series of vicious blood feuds during the Christian conversion of Iceland, the involvement of Icelanders in the vicious Battle of Clontarf just outside Dublin, and concludes with an uncharacteristically peaceful ending for the saga after the wanton (and sometimes comedic!) violence of the earlier chapters.
The film, to be directed by Iceland’s number one director Baltasar Kormakur, is set to cost in the region of $60m making it by far the most expensive film ever made in Iceland. It is a fitting tribute to the longevity of the sagas and their important place at the heart of Iceland’s cultural identity. The film is currently in production and due to be released some time in 2010 – definitely something to look forward to!
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