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Sean Connery,
Candice Bergen,
Brian Keith,
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John Milius
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: Warner Home Video
: Adventure
: 119 min.
: English, French
: English, Spanish, French
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In the early 1900s, an American businessman was kidnapped by a rebellious Arab chieftain, principally as a means to embarrass the sultan of Morocco. This abduction sparked the threat of armed intervention by President Theodore Roosevelt, which was never carried out. In The Wind and the Lion, the unattractive male captive is replaced by the gorgeous female Mrs. Pedecaris, an American widow played by Candice Bergen. The ruthless but essentially decent Arab chief Raisuli is portrayed by Sean Connery, while Teddy Roosevelt is depicted as a jingoistic blowhard by Brian Keith. The film's main theme -- that of America's emergence as a world power -- is largely secondary to the growing mutual-respect relationship between Mrs. Pedecaris and Raisuli. After releasing his hostage, Raisuli is himself captured by German forces, who at the behest of the Kaiser are seeking out methods of laying the groundwork for what would evolve into World War I. Mrs. Pedecaris must then help Raisuli escape. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Special Features: - Commentary by Writer/Director John Milius
- Vintage making-of featurette
- Theatrical trailer
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| The Hot Air and the Boredom
by Saroz
February 3, 2004 - 11:15 PM PST
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1 out of 2 members found this review helpful
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This film takes a historical incident and twists it way out of proportion. It's the story of an American woman and her children, who are kidnapped by the Raisuli, an Arabian bandit and self-proclaimed hero. The film is entirely predictable: the Raisuli turns out to be an honorable man, he and the American slowly find affection for each other, yadda yadda yadda. The climax, especially, with American and German soldiers battling it out for control of Morocco, is utterly preposterous. Sean Connery also makes a horrible Middle-Eastern man.
There is one bright spot, though: Brian Keith's portrayal of Theodore Roosevelt. His scenes are easily the best in the film, lovingly recreated and given some excellent dialogue, including prophetic words for America as a world power: "[Other countries] may respect us, even fear us, but they will never love us." His performance alone doubled my rating of the film.
Milius' commentary proves two things: he was far more in love with the Roosevelt material than any of the rest (that much is obvious), and he has delusions that somehow, his picture can even hold a candle to David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia. It can't. That film is eminently worth your time - as is The Man Who Would Be King, a far better, but similar film from the mid-seventies with Sean Connery in the lead. Give one of those films your time. This one doesn't deserve it. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 5.52)
21 Votes
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