The Viking

The Viking

Newfoundland and Labrador is famous as the backdrop for films and TV shows like Son of a Critch, Republic of Doyle, Hudson & Rex, and St. Pierre. But one story stands apart. It’s the the tragic tale of movie, The Viking.

In 1922, an American named Varick Frissell arrived in Labrador with the Grenfell Mission, documenting his travels on film. By 1928, he had completed three documentaries, including one called, The Great Arctic Seal Hunt.

Frissell became fascinated by the seal hunt, and soon he was determined to make the first Hollywood-style sound film in Canada.

He wrote a screenplay about two sealers, rivaling for a woman’s love, and formed a production company. Paramount Pictures backed the project with $100,000, while insisting on a professional Hollywood cast and crew. Most filming took place in Quidi Vidi, in 1930.

But Frissell wanted more realism. To capture the peril and drama of the seal hunt, he joined the sealing ship, the SS Viking on its annual voyage to the Grand Banks and Labrador.

Varick Frissell and his dog, Cabot

Tragically, on March 15, 1931, while filming near the Horse Islands, an explosion in the ship’s powder room destroyed the back of the vessel. Frissell, his cinematographer Alexander Penrod, 25 crew members, and a stowaway were killed.

Some survivors trekked across the ice to safety; others were rescued by nearby vessels. Frissell’s body was never recovered.

Despite the disaster, the film was completed and released that June under the title The Viking.  It premiered in Toronto, New York, London, and Paris.

The incident remains the deadliest accident in film history. It’s a haunting reminder of the risks taken to bring the wild Labrador seal hunt to the silver screen.