All The World’s A Stage: Norse Code
This issue’s special report from the Xena set kicks off a special peek behind the scenes on the Ring trilogy of episodes, The Rheingold, The Ring and Return of the Valkyrie. The journey into Norse legend begins with The Rheingold, in which Xena takes to the skies as a Valkyrie, as Kate Barker reports…
Official Xena Magazine: Issue 15
A lot of people with an interest in opera will know of classical composer Richard Wagner’s famous ‘Ring Cycle’ of operas. A lot of people familiar with ancient mythology will know that the original basis for Wagner’s Ring operas is the Norse legend of Beowulf and the monstrous Grindl. But as far as the producers of Xena are concerned, a certain Warrior Princess played a rather large role in the tale… and not a lot of people know that.
Yes, it’s snow-capped forests and Norse legend for Xena in this rather creative version of the Ring saga; three episodes’ worth, in fact. What’s more, with the aid of the ever-useful flashback, we get to see Xena as a fully-fledged Valkyrie, riding a flying horse and crossing paths with Odin, king of the Norse gods.
The trilogy’s first episode, The Rheingold, sees another chapter in Xena’s dark past, some time between her adventures in Chin and the changing of her path to the side of good. It seems that Odin (Alexander Petersons) has made Xena a Valkyrie, providing her with a flying horse, the striking silver armour of these legendary warrior women and, unbeknownst to him, the chance to steal the awesome power of the Rheingold, the ring of the trilogy’s collective title.
Of course, let’s not forget that the plot also calls for 10 feet of monster Grindl wandering through the story, just to make things really interesting. And these episodes are very cool - literally. “We’re playing with a snowy, Sleepy Hollow sort of look,” explains John Fawcett, director of The Rheingold and Return of the Valkyrie, the first and last episodes of the trilogy.
“Rick Jacobson is director of the middle episode, The Ring, and we’ve been talking a lot, establishing a very atmospheric look for the trilogy. We’re using Vikings - a lot of long blond-haired and red-haired guys - and the whole thing is cold and snowy. It’s got a kind of blue/white feel. We’re assuming it’s the north end of Norway or someplace like that.”
In the opening minutes of The Rheingold, we see Xena as she was several years ago, dressed in full Valkyrie splendour, complete with winged helmet and chest and torso armour of silver leaf. She sits crouched beside a campfire at night, examining the ring that will cause so much trouble. “Xena as a Valkyrie is in this snowy, surreal forest,” Fawcett says in overview of this particular establishing scene, “and she’s about to come face to face with this towering 10-foot creature.”
Well, the snow-chilled, moonlit, northern European forest is actually made up of New Zealand fir trees and moulded vines, covered in artificial snow made of paper and filmed inside a studio in the middle of the afternoon. But make no mistake about one thing: when Fawcett talks about a 10-foot monster planted in the middle of it, he’s not just telling tall tales. Stuntman Roger Morriset is seven foot four inches tall, even without playing his part as the Grindl, whose giant mechanical head brings the formidable creature up to just about 10 feet.
“Roger’s visibility is limited inside the suit,” Fawcett points out, “so we have to sometimes push him around a bit to get him in the right spot. But he’s used to it, and so are the crew.”
In fact there are two Grindls; the 10-foot mother and the smaller, seven-foot ‘baby’. Both have been created especially for these episodes, overseen by Howard Berger, the ‘B’ in KNB Effects Group. Put simply, the larger, ‘mother’ Grindl is made up of a two-piece suit worn by Morrissey and described by Berger as a “big, tree-demon thing.” The effects also include a set of giant gloves, which are separate from the main suit, and can be operated by a puppeteer for close-up shots of the creature’s hands. The mother and baby monsters are made up of the same materials.
It sounds hot, especially for Morrissey, who’s inside the monster suit. “The longest we’ve kept Roger in the suit is for about half an hour,” Berger assures me. “The biggest problem when it comes to the fighting, which takes a lot of energy and exertion. But Roger’s very good; he can go the distance.”
As Fawcett has said, production on The Rheingold - and indeed the entire trilogy - can be quite a surreal sight. During rehearsals for this Valkyrie-Xena-meets-monster campfire scene, Fawcett and stunt co-ordinator Shayne Dawson have short discussions with Morrissey, who is completely covered by the Grindl suit. Morrissey answers in a muffled voice from somewhere inside the costume, as if this monster has swallowed him whole. Earlier, some of the crew were seen carrying the Grindl head onto the set from elsewhere in the studio, looking for all the world like a successful hunting party just returned from the kill.
Further on in this scene, Xena rises from the campfire and turns and whacks the monster with her sword, appearing to get the weapon stuck fast in the creature’s hide. “Can I play with it a bit when it’s in there?” Lawless asks later, while watching a playback of the take on the video monitor.
“Absolutely,” confirms Fawcett. It’s obvious that everyone is having a lot of fun with this four-minute scene, even though they’ve allocated an entire day for its completion.
Walking from the snow-laden set during a pause in filming, Lawless breaks into song: “...it’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas…” It’s beginning to feel a lot like a great episode, as well.