Reviews for The Man Who Would Be King
Review - Man Who Would Be King, The
Rudyard Kipling is working in India as a reporter when he meets two former English soldiers, Daniel and Peachy, off on an adventure. They intend to travel to remote Kafiristan and become kings. Kipling tries to stop them at first, but then sends them on their way, partly because they are fellow-Masons and partly because it makes a good story.
The two disguise themselves as natives and make their way across the mountains by guile and guts. When they finally arrive, they start their campaign by helping a local chief defeat a neighboring tribe. They train the natives as riflemen and set off for another village. During the battle, Daniel takes an arrow in the chest. It lodges in his ammunition belt and he is unharmed. When the natives see this, they think he is the long-awaited son of Alexander the Great, and therefore immortal. More and more men join their forces and they proceed across the country. As their reputation advances, cities begin submitting without battle. Finally they are contacted by the priests from the capital city. The head priest doesn’t think Daniel is a god, but when he sees the Mason signature, similar to the seal Alexander left behind, he changes his mind. Daniel and Peachy are given all the gold of the country, and Daniel is crowned king. He dispenses justice and begins to like the power.
His downfall comes when he decides to marry Roxanne, the beautiful girl he saw in a village. Gods aren’t supposed to marry mortals, so the priests begin to suspect. Peachy decides he’s had enough and loads his half of the gold on mules. He sticks around for the marriage ceremony. When Roxanne bites Daniel and draws blood, the priests realize he’s just a man. They begin chasing him. Daniel and Peachy try to run away with their rifleman, but all are caught. Daniel is sent across a bridge over a chasm. The ropes are cut and he falls to his death. Peachy is crucified, but when he lives, he is set loose. He takes a year to get back to India, and visits Kipling. Peachy is scarred and broken. He tells Kipling of his adventure, then leaves, but not before setting the remains of Daniel’s head, with his crown, on the table.
• Director John Huston had failed to cast the role of Roxanne before shooting started. During filming, at a small dinner party for some cast and crew, Huston was asked if he had yet filled the part. When he answered no, all heads turned toward Shakira Caine, the wife of star Michael Caine. Huston cast her on the spot.
• Karroom Ben Bouih, who played the high priest Kafu-Selim, was 103 years old when he made his first and only film appearance. When he saw some of the footage he declared that now he would live on forever.
Billed as a great buddy film, and the friendship of Daniel and Peachy is the strength of the movie (the two actors are friends in real life). Still, it somehow failed to really move me, probably because instead of being a straight-forward adventure tale, it was a moral lesson on the corruption that comes with power.
The two disguise themselves as natives and make their way across the mountains by guile and guts. When they finally arrive, they start their campaign by helping a local chief defeat a neighboring tribe. They train the natives as riflemen and set off for another village. During the battle, Daniel takes an arrow in the chest. It lodges in his ammunition belt and he is unharmed. When the natives see this, they think he is the long-awaited son of Alexander the Great, and therefore immortal. More and more men join their forces and they proceed across the country. As their reputation advances, cities begin submitting without battle. Finally they are contacted by the priests from the capital city. The head priest doesn’t think Daniel is a god, but when he sees the Mason signature, similar to the seal Alexander left behind, he changes his mind. Daniel and Peachy are given all the gold of the country, and Daniel is crowned king. He dispenses justice and begins to like the power.
His downfall comes when he decides to marry Roxanne, the beautiful girl he saw in a village. Gods aren’t supposed to marry mortals, so the priests begin to suspect. Peachy decides he’s had enough and loads his half of the gold on mules. He sticks around for the marriage ceremony. When Roxanne bites Daniel and draws blood, the priests realize he’s just a man. They begin chasing him. Daniel and Peachy try to run away with their rifleman, but all are caught. Daniel is sent across a bridge over a chasm. The ropes are cut and he falls to his death. Peachy is crucified, but when he lives, he is set loose. He takes a year to get back to India, and visits Kipling. Peachy is scarred and broken. He tells Kipling of his adventure, then leaves, but not before setting the remains of Daniel’s head, with his crown, on the table.
• Director John Huston had failed to cast the role of Roxanne before shooting started. During filming, at a small dinner party for some cast and crew, Huston was asked if he had yet filled the part. When he answered no, all heads turned toward Shakira Caine, the wife of star Michael Caine. Huston cast her on the spot.
• Karroom Ben Bouih, who played the high priest Kafu-Selim, was 103 years old when he made his first and only film appearance. When he saw some of the footage he declared that now he would live on forever.
Billed as a great buddy film, and the friendship of Daniel and Peachy is the strength of the movie (the two actors are friends in real life). Still, it somehow failed to really move me, probably because instead of being a straight-forward adventure tale, it was a moral lesson on the corruption that comes with power.
Reviewed by Roger on 2008-07-25 13:13:55