Far from Perfect, Far from Terrible

It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

THE WIND AND THE LION is an Arabian epic directed by John Milius and made very much in the LAWRENCE OF ARABIA mould - in other words, it's all about stark desert landscapes, honour and loyalty, the East meets West vibe. It's a film that benefits from some great photography that makes the sight of Arab horsemen riding through wide vistas quite stunning, and although Sean Connery is an odd choice for hero, he surprisingly works very well (his salt and pepper beard might be responsible for that).I found the main characters of the mother and her kids to be a bit limited in scope, but their smaller story is bolstered by some interesting political stuff involving a flag-waving Theodore Roosevelt attempting to make his mark on the world. Some stalwart supporting actors add to the experience, as does the well-directed action, but it's Milius alone who makes this special (and who paves the way for his truly epic vistas in CONAN THE BARBARIAN).

Very loosely based on the Pedicaris Incident of 1904, this is an only intermittently entertaining action-adventure film. The writer- director John Milius has said that the film was inspired by "Boy's Own". This is certainly seen in the film but, unfortunately, more in the sense of the relentless, over the top imperialism and jingoism (albeit American as opposed to British) than in the sense of hugely entertaining derring-do. If the latter was the equal of the former in the film or surpassed it, the former would have been more tolerable. There are a few flashes of brilliance in the script but most of it is pretty banal and unconvincing with often perfunctory dialogue. The direction is mostly mediocre, particularly during the rather awkward and rather frequent battle scenes. The Spanish locations look great but a nice looking film which is generally badly written and directed is not worth much in my book.The film stars Sean Connery in a very good performance as Mulai Ahmed er Raisuli, a Berber brigand and the so-called last of the Barbary pirates who kidnaps a young widow named Eden Pedicaris and her two children William and Jennifer in Morocco on October 15, 1904. The real Pedicaris was a 64-year-old man named Ion and his fellow kidnap victim was his adult stepson Cromwell Varley but Milius chose to make the story more cinematic which was one of his more sensible moves. Candice Bergen is an excellent actress but her performance as Eden falls far short of her usual standard. I think that she was miscast, frankly. The audience is supposed to believe that she is a strong woman and there are a few signs of that in the script but the role is a generally underwritten one. Her relationship with Raisuli failed to convince me, particularly the more romantic side of it in the latter half of the film. However, the scene in which they play chess is excellent as it gives us a great deal of insight into Raisuli's character. He is shown to have a warped sense of morality and believes that he is an instrument of the will of Allah. People who attempt to justify their crimes on the basis that it is what their god wanted them to do are very dangerous and I wish that the film had treated this in more than a very superficial way.Brian Keith gives the best performance in the film as Teddy Roosevelt, who is accurately depicted as being a larger than life figure and an extremely intelligent man. Running for election to a term of his own after the assassination of his predecessor William McKinley in 1901, he sees the Pedicaris Incident as a chance to show the American people (and the international community) the strength of his resolve. As such, he orders the Marines to invade Morocco in order to rescue Mrs. Pedicaris in spite of the fact that the country is a hotbed of imperialist activity with France, Germany and Britain all attempting to gain control of it. My favourite scene in the entire film is the one in which Roosevelt gives an interview concerning a grizzly bear which he had killed in Yellowstone. He compares the grizzly bear to the American spirit: audacious but occasionally blind and reckless and destined to be alone, respected but not liked. If the rest of the film had taken a similarly intelligent and self-reflective tact to its expression of nationalism, I would have enjoyed the film quite a bit more. With a few exceptions such as John Huston as John Hay, Nadim Sawalha as the Sheriff of Wazan and Vladek Sheybal as the Bashaw of Tangier, the film has an unimpressive supporting cast of actors of middling ability. The worst performances come from Geoffrey Lewis as Samuel R. Gummere and Darrell Fetty as Richard Dreighton. Fetty seems incapable of delivering a line in a natural manner, meaning that his limited screen time felt about five times as long as actually was. Future "Dallas" star Steve Kanaly isn't great either as Captain Jerome but at least he seemed to be enjoying himself.Overall, this is a disappointing film which could have been a lot more fun than it ended up being.

Director John Milius' "The Wind and the Lion" is a show case for the directors love and interest of American history, Teddy Roosevelt, fire arms, stirred into an equal love and reverence for the films of David Lean ("Lawrence of Arabia), Sam Peckinpah ("The Wild Bunch"), Sergio Leone, and Akira Kurosawa ( "Seven Samuarai). An action romantic epic of the type that are rarely attempted by modern Hollywood, "The Wind and the Lion" excels on all cinematic levels. Great photography and editing, a memorable Jerry Goldsmith score, charismatic performances from Brian Keith ( Teddy Roosevelt) and Sean Connery. It should be noted, that in the age before digital special effects, this movie contains some of the most spectacular stunt man and horse scenes ever put on film, and that's saying a lot given the hundred years or so of that genre. Milius is noted for his obsessive veneration ( justifiably) of Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane". Like Welles, "The Wind and the Lion" is Milius peaking early in his career with an over looked masterpiece.

"The Wind and the Lion" is undoubtedly great entertainment, but it takes regrettable liberties with the truth. I strongly object to movies that pretend to be historical, but set aside unexciting facts in favor of more dramatic fictions. In reality, a man was kidnapped, not a widow and her two children. Only the kidnapping victim's last name was retained when his story became the basis for the movie.Such is the power of good acting and writing that most IMDb users seem to regard Raisuli (Connery) as a noble character. How quickly these users forget that in the opening scene, Raisuli and his men gallop through Mrs. Pedecaris' (Bergen) estate, slaughter her servants and a house guest, and carry her and her children off to parts unknown. (We learn later that he does all of this just to spite his brother.) In another scene, Raisuli summarily beheads two unfortunate nomads who had the audacity to drink from his well. Not only have IMDb users forgotten these atrocities, but apparently Mrs. Pedecaris herself forgot about them, because at the end of the movie she is willing to risk her life and her children's lives in order to rescue him. I couldn't imagine a more preposterous ending.Besides Brian Keith's justly praised portrayal of Teddy Roosevelt, and Sean Connery's convincing turn as Raisuli, the real stars of the movie may be cinematographer Billy Williams and composer Jerry Goldsmith.