Coordinates | 29°57′53″N90°4′14″N |
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{{infobox film | name | The Man Who Would Be King | image The Man Who Would Be King film poster.jpg | caption original film poster by Tom Jung | director John Huston | producer John Foreman | writer Rudyard Kipling (story)John HustonGladys Hill | starring Sean ConneryMichael CaineChristopher Plummer Saeed Jaffrey | music Maurice Jarre | cinematography Oswald Morris | editing | distributor USA: Allied Artists Pictures Corporationnon-USA: Columbia Pictures | released 17 December 1975 | runtime 129 minutes | country United KingdomUnited States | language English | budget }} |
The film follows two rogue ex-non-commissioned officers of the British Raj who set off from late 19th century British India in search of adventure and end up as kings of Kafiristan. Kipling is believed to have been inspired by the travels of American adventurer Josiah Harlan during the period of the Great Game between Imperial Russia and the British Empire and James Brooke, an Englishman who became the "white Raja" of Sarawak in Borneo. Like much of his writing, Kipling's original story takes a nuanced view of imperialism; in Huston's telling, both East and West have their faults and virtues.
A few years earlier, the pair of rogues had met Kipling at his office. After signing a contract pledging mutual loyalty and forswearing drink and women until they achieved their grandiose aims, Peachy and Danny set off on an epic overland journey north beyond the Khyber Pass, "travelling by night and avoiding villages", fighting off bandits, blizzards and avalanches, into the unknown land of Kafiristan (literally "Land of the (Non-Muslim) Infidels").
They chance upon a Gurkha soldier who goes by the name Billy Fish (Saeed Jaffrey), the sole survivor of a mapping expedition several years before. Billy speaks English as well as the local tongue, and it is he, acting as translator and interpreter of the customs and manners, who smooths the path of Peachy and Danny as they begin their rise, first offering their services as military advisors, trainers, and war leaders to the chief of a much-raided village.
Peachy and Danny muster a force to attack the villagers' most-hated enemy. In their first battle, the natives decide that Danny must be a god when he is unharmed after being struck in the chest by an arrow. In fact, the arrow was stopped by a bandolier hidden beneath his clothing. As victory follows victory, the defeated are recruited to join the swelling army.
Finally, there is no one left to stand in their way, and they are summoned to the holy city of Sikandergul. There, the head holy man sets up a re-enactment of the arrow incident,in order to determine whether he is a man or a god by seeing if he bleeds or not. When Danny flinches, the monks grab him and rip open his shirt, only to be stopped however, by Danny's Masonic Jewel (given to him for luck by fellow Mason Kipling). By coincidence, the symbol on the Jewel matches that of "Sikander" (Alexander the Great), who had passed through many centuries ago and promised to return. The holy men are convinced Danny is the reincarnation of Sikander. They hail him as king and lead the two men down to storerooms heaped with treasure that belonged to Sikander, which now belong to Danny.
As the months pass, Peachy is anxious to leave with the treasure before winter closes the passes (and before the natives learn the truth). Danny is against it however and develops delusions of grandeur. First he suggests that Peachy bow to him like the others. Then he begins making plans to turn the land into a modern country, to the extent that he envisages eventually meeting Queen Victoria "as an equal". Disgusted, Peachy decides to take as much booty as he can carry on a small mule train, with his old friend's blessing.
Meanwhile, Danny decides to take a wife after seeing the beautiful Roxanne (played by Caine's wife Shakira), despite Peachy's strong warnings. Roxanne, having a superstitious fear that she will be struck dead if she consorts with a god, tries frantically to escape, biting Danny during the wedding ceremony. The bite draws blood, and when everyone sees it, they realise Danny is human after all.
The angry natives pursue him and Peachy. Billy tries to buy time by courageously charging the mob singlehandedly with a Khukuri, but the pair are soon captured. Danny is forced to walk to the middle of a rope bridge over a deep gorge; he apologises to Peachy before the ropes are cut. Peachy is crucified between two pine trees, but is cut down the next day when he survives the ordeal. Eventually, he makes his way back to India, though his mind has become unhinged by his sufferings. As Peachy finishes his story, he presents Kipling with Danny's head, still wearing its crown, thereby proving the tale is true.
Huston had planned to make the film since the 1950s, originally with Humphrey Bogart and Clark Gable, then Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas, and then Robert Redford and Paul Newman — Newman suggested British actors Connery and Caine. The film was shot at Pinewood Studios and at locations in France, Morocco and the USA.
Saeed Jaffrey is an ethnic Indian, not a Gurkha.
The film has almost no speaking parts for women, and except for the part of Roxanne (who barely speaks at all), there are no other named female roles.
Category:1975 films Category:American films Category:British films Category:English-language films Category:Films set in Afghanistan Category:Films directed by John Huston Category:Films based on short fiction Category:Epic films
ca:L'home que volia ser rei de:Der Mann, der König sein wollte es:The man who would be king eu:The Man Who Would Be King (filma) fr:L'Homme qui voulut être roi it:L'uomo che volle farsi re nl:The Man Who Would Be King no:Mannen som ville bli konge pl:Człowiek, który chciał być królem pt:The Man Who Would Be King ru:Человек, который хотел стать королём (фильм) sv:Mannen som ville bli kungThis text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
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