The Vinland Mystery

This short film about The Vinland Mystery is an interesting one, as it brings to light some topics often not discussed in school. For me, I had very minimal previous knowledge about viking voyages. All I really knew about this topic was that some vikings traveled across the Atlantic, led by Erikson, and discovered various parts of the northeastern North America continent. This video was able to briefly describe other certain topics in a coherent short amount of time, which made watching this video without much previous knowledge a lot more enjoyable than it otherwise would have. Much of the topics talked about are really quite interesting, for example, some of the fighting that took place and how Greenland was settled after its discovery. Also the lengths that some of these archaeologists took to try and prove that the Norse had made settlements in these areas, as I was unaware that there were people really wanting to discover certain things in those areas, and I didn't think there was much more to be discovered. Although, I'm not sure if what they found was really enough to 100% prove their theories and hypothesis's about the Norse making their settlements here. But it is interesting to think about nonetheless that there were some people able to make a living and in these areas with such harsh climates so long ago.

The video describes the discovery of a Norse settlement in Newfoundland called L'Anse aux Meadows. I would say that overall this video is really well done. The details about the discovery of this land, and the general structure that the video was ordered in makes it very easy to comprehend while also being interesting to listen to. The accounts coming from the discover himself help portray this discover and gives the motivations behind how it was discovered. Furthermore, the info they give on the Eskimos and what appears to be a recounting of events gives and even bigger context to this historic event and help encapsulate the video's time-frame. Additionally, a major aspect of this film that helped convey the overall sentiment was the sound score. Throughout the entirety of the film, the music that went along with the content helped give a sense of wonder and accomplishment while just watching to story of this site. Finally, I like the way that all the info was presented and the addition of good visuals to showcase the discovery.

A problem with the film, however, is that although the content is really good in this film, I would say that it does not go in-depth enough. This is mainly limited by the length of the film; however, if they could have included more commentary from the discoverer or more historical background into the context of the site, it would have greatly improved the film. Further, I think that the pacing could have been slightly quicker. It feels to be a bit too drawn out for the content that is in the film, and I think conveying the content a bit quicker could help remedy with that. Another criticism that I have with this film is that the cuts of the discoverer could be a bit cleaner in their presentation. It feels that the film is built around an interview almost, and I think it could be improved by just making those portions more straightforward so that it seems more like the discoverer himself is telling the story. Overall, I think that it is still a great film and would rate it 8/10.

I would rate this as an 8 out of 10. The documentary was good for how short it was, but it could have been a bit longer. I did find it interesting how the documentary used the different folklore and maps. There were plenty of examples of proof that the site at L'Anse Aux Meadows, was indeed a Norse site.

The Inuit folklore telling was interesting. It was nice to see the paintings as the story was being told. The narration made the paintings make much more sense, and I am glad they took the time to tell the lore rather than just flashing the images at the audience. The use of the old map showing what could be the northern peninsula of Newfoundland was especially helpful in showing how the archeologists came to the conclusion of where to look for Vineland. It was also useful to see the reconstructions of the Norse homes, It was hard to see exactly what the archeologists were seeing on the ground before the reconstruction.

With that, there are a few things that the documentary could do better. It could have been slightly longer to allow for more detail. The documentary feels much like an overview of the site. It feels like something you would watch just to get a taste of what could be discovered. I would have loved to hear more about the actual construction of the homes. It also would have been helpful if they had mentioned whether they had discovered signs of fire at the sight. I know they had mentioned that the belongings of the settlers were gone, but were they actually taken by the settlers. If there is evidence that the site was packed up nicely, then it would show that this isn't vineland because lore shows vineland as being the site of a large fire that killed the inhabitants. The documentary could have also added drawings of what some of their finds may have looked like in their time of use. Things like a diagram of Norse construction, and an image of the pin holding up a Norse cape. The hardest part of looking at an archeologist site is imagining what the dirty, damaged pieces belonged to in the prime of their use.

I would rate this movie a (9/10). The overall movie was enjoyable to watch and intriguing. I have watched a few viking films previously, and studied some Norse history.

The producer does a good job of explaining the history behind the movie. I found it interesting to see how the Vikings made there way over through Iceland and Greenland. I thought it was cool when they started to dig on the site to find any evidence of the Vikings. Especially when they found the iron nail and the bronze. It was cool for the story to come full circle and they find evidence in support of viking existence at the dig site. Unfortunately they find that the site may not actually be Vinland, but there was vikings there at one point in history.

I'm particularly fond of Norse history, so naturally I was very excited to watch this film. I think the story was told well, but it was made back in the 1980's so the quality of the picture isn't the greatest. It makes up for the picture quality by the quality of information presented throughout the whole film. I decided to give this film a 9/10 because the film was hard to watch and it doesn't make me want to watch it again. I also found that some of the interviews during the film were hard to understand, even with headphones in. If I rated it 10/10, the movie picture and long story telling would have to improve.

The Vinland Mystery was overall a very enjoyable film. I gave the movie a 9/10 because of a few things that lacked quality. I thought the picture was hard to read at times. I did think the long talking scenes often gave a lot of information, which can make it hard to keep the audience entertained. I found some of the interviews hard to understand, but it made it more understandable with the talking scenes. I am a big fan of Norse history, so having an opportunity to write this review excited me. People often don't realize who some of the earliest settlers actually were.

On a scale of one to ten with ten being the highest, I would rate this movie at about a 6. I think that, overall, the movie is a good watch and gives accurate information (accurate to the time the movie was filmed; early to mid- 1980s) to the viewer about Viking settlements along the North American coast. I think the inclusion of motion pictures from Dr. Ingstad's research helped authenticate the movie and ground it in real life- instead of just watching an interview and scenery, we were able to watch clips of life in the area and archaeological digs that provide physical evidence for Viking settlements. I believe the scenic shots also give the movie a sort of authenticity by providing the audience with visuals of the land they are learning about. Dr. Ingstad talks about iron and bog iron, and the voiceover is paired with a shot of bog iron being dug and pulled straight from the field. As a wildlife major, I tend to enjoy documentaries that include facts about the natural environment and animals and show long shots of scenery and native wildlife. I enjoyed animals such as the black bear and spruce grouse being the visual that was provided while the narrator was explaining possible locations the Vikings may have settled and where Vinland (traditionally) would have been. I think it made a nice connection to the fact that historians and archaeologists cannot just point at any given map and name any given location as Vinland- there are accounts by the Viking settlers that describe wildlife and vegetation and the landscape, and these all factor in to locating the 'true' Vinland. Additionally, the inclusion of traditional art and maps really gave me a sense of how real this actually is; Dr. Ingstad and the narrator aren't just talking about any random old story, they are explaining the history behind the first European settlers of North America.

I will admit, however, that my review is a bit on the low side of what I think this movie deserves. This is simply because the movie is a short documentary that reviews information that I already knew- I am biased. I think the movie is of excellent quality in both filmography and information for the time that it was created, and that it would be an interesting and insightful watch for someone who doesn't have prior knowledge of Vinland and Viking settlements in North America. It is an interesting movie and I think it would have been more interesting and fun to watch had I not already known the information that it was made to pass along.