The Man Who Would Be King

dr.jones1986

Active member
Has anyone seen this old classic. It is a little less well known them some other great adventure movies but I figured it would be well liked by the raven members. It was directed by the great John Huston and stars Michael Caine and Sean Connery. Really great adventure movie. I was able to get it on sale the other day on Barnes and Noble.com.
 

Montana Smith

Active member
dr.jones1986 said:
Has anyone seen this old classic. It is a little less well known them some other great adventure movies but I figured it would be well liked by the raven members. It was directed by the great John Huston and stars Michael Caine and Sean Connery. Really great adventure movie. I was able to get it on sale the other day on Barnes and Noble.com.

It is a fantastic movie, with a great story and setting. Connery and Caine: what a team!
 

Stoo

Well-known member
"God's Holy Trousers"

dr.jones1986 said:
They are an awsome duo. Have you ever seen this film Stoo?
Hi, '86.:hat: Most certainly and it's one of my top 10 favourite movies of all time. I own it, have the soundtrack and also have Rudyard Kipling's short story. A superb, perfect work which I could talk about for days on end. The story, the acting, the dialogue, the locations, the cinematography, the music, etc. everything about it is exceptional. I LOVE THIS FILM!

Without spoiling the ending for anyone, it's hard to believe Connery actually did that stunt himself and Huston chose not to show his face! Until I saw the documentary on the late '90s VHS release, I always thought it had been done by a stuntman.

If you enjoyed the movie, reading the original Kipling story is highly recommended.(y)
 

Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
Stephen Jared said:
there is a review of The Man Who Would Be King in the Indy Influences section.
Excellent piece, Stephen. Finally saw it. Save for a few lingering shots of 1000+ extras (which slow down all the sword and sandal epics) it's excellent throughout. Plus some great snow scenes! Anyone seeking an anachronistic Sean Connery fix should watch The Name of the Rose and this. Now on blu.

And what became of Peachy? Spoiler:
The next day the narrator sees him crawling along the road in the noon sun, with his hat off and gone mad. The narrator sends him to the local asylum. When he inquires two days later, he learns that Carnehan has died of sunstroke ("half an hour bare-headed in the sun at mid-day..."). No belongings were found with him.
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Moedred said:
...it's excellent throughout.
Moedred, I'm pleased that you finally saw the film and thought it was excellent.(y) Too bad more Ravenheads don't have anything to say about this masterpiece.:(

This is one of those movies which I can recite line-for-line thanks to a VHS tape bought in the early '90s. Having never seen it in the theatre, finally watching it WIDESCREEN for the 1st time on DVD was a magical experience. I never realized there were such wonderful matte paintings during the snow scenes and seeing them increased the scope of an already-sprawling adventure. Being a lover of this flick, I was absolutely gobsmacked!

While the DVD is great...it's MISSING A SHOT AT THE END! A very special shot, I might add, for 2 reasons:
1) It is a special effects shot.
2) It adds a lot more depth to character & climax.
Unless it's been included on the Blu-ray, I'll never get rid of my VHS until this gets restored. (Can elaborate more if anyone is interested.)

Kipling trivia:
The scene at the Khyber Pass is a neat tip-o'-the-hat to other Kipling works; The sentry whom Danny tricks is Private Mulvaney, the main character from the collection of stories in "Soldiers Three". Danny also refers to him being 'that loud mouthed Mick from the Black Tyrones', which is a fictional regiment in several tales of "Barrack Room Ballads" (one of which Kipling is writing at the beginning of the film, "The Ballad of Boh Da Thone"). Referencing this poem has an underlying context for the end of the movie...so it isn't just some random nod.

Military trivia:
Throughout the film, Peachy & Danny keep referring to their part in the 1878 Battle of Ali Masjid, the first battle of the 2nd Afghan War, but the details they mention perfectly correspond to another battle in another pass (adjacent to the Khyber), the Battle of Peiwar Kotal, a week later.
Montana Smith said:
It is a fantastic movie, with a great story and setting. Connery and Caine: what a team!
dr.jones1986 said:
They are an awsome duo.
Right!(y) Sparks fly with these two together:

ManWhoWouldBeKing_02_zps043566f4.jpg

dr.jones1986 said:
I figured it would be well liked by the raven members.
You would think, eh?;)

To anyone who hasn't seen this yet: Treat yourselves to an engaging, superbly crafted yarn of ADVENTURE, camaraderie, exoticism & PURSUIT of GOLDEN RICHES, featuring the pair of Connery & Caine! (Plus, if you also like 'stuff' about Freemasonry, then this is the film for you.)

It's also the ultimate "buddy film".:)

ManWhoWouldBeKing_01_zps7dd226ec.jpg
 

WilliamBoyd8

Active member
This is a classic adventure film.

In the story, Alexander the Great had brought his army through the area in ancient times,
and that when the two British soldiers enter Kafiristan, the locals come to believe that
Daniel is a descendant of Alexander or "Sikander" and appoint him their king.

The soldiers are shown a treasure room and Daniel finds coins of Alexander.

<IMG SRC="http://www.brianrxm.com/posts/post_movie_manwhowouldbeking_01.jpg">

In the treasure room, Daniel holds up a coin

<IMG SRC="http://www.brianrxm.com/posts/post_movie_manwhowouldbeking_02.jpg">

The coin appears to be similar to an Alexander tetradrachm

Only the obverse of the coin appears in the film
The coin in the film is larger than an authentic coin, obviously a film prop coin.

:)
 

Stoo

Well-known member
WilliamBoyd8 said:
This is a classic adventure film.
Absolutely. I don't understand why other fans of the 'adventure genre' aren't expressing any interest in this fine piece of filmmaking. It's adventure through & through and doesn't get much better or classier than this. Check it out, folks!:whip:
WilliamBoyd8 said:
The coin appears to be similar to an Alexander tetradrachm

Only the obverse of the coin appears in the film
The coin in the film is larger than an authentic coin, obviously a film prop coin.
Care to post an image of the coin it's based on?

---
Also of note is the movie, "The Wind and the Lion", which was released just 2 months before "Man Who Would Be King". (Funny how 2 Huston/Connery films were released so close to one another.) I saw it in the theatre as a kid back in '75 and loved it.

Starring Sean Connery (as an Arab) and the great, John Huston as Teddy Roosevelt (Young Indy connection, y'all), it's a highly embellished take on an historical event in 1904 Morocco but this exaggerated tale makes a good action-adventure movie.
 

HenryJunior

New member
During my visit to Washington D.C. a few years back, the Maryland AFI Movie Theater was doing a spotlight on Michael Caine. I got to see The Man Who would be King and Sleuth on the big screen which made for absolutely incredible screening experiences.

I only saw it the one time in the theater so my memory is a bit fuzzy, but TMWWBK is a classic. Certain movies are just made for being seen in the theater. It's a great movie for clearing your head of the typical modern Blockbuster noise and seeing something that's really beautiful.
 

WilliamBoyd8

Active member
The prop coin in the film is based on a Lysimachus Tetradrachm:

post_alexander_tet_lysimachus.jpg


Lysimachus Tetradrachm Amphipolis Thrace
Obverse: Head of Alexander the Great wearing the Horn of Ammon
Reverse: Athena left on throne, resting left arm on shield
Struck around BC 288-281 at Amphipolis, Macedonia (Greece)
Silver, 30mm, 17.14gm
Lysimachus was one of Alexander's bodyguards, a successor, and later ruler of Macedonia.

:)
 

00Kevin

Indyfan
Looks like it's all been said here, but allow me to second what everyone else here said. Just a real treasure of a film with good writing, characters, acting etc. One of those films I always revisit every so often
 
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