The Man Who Would Be King

[Stona_Chik420]

can anyone tell me of different strengths and weaknesses about this movie?



[ 24. May 2003, 19:36: Message edited by: DB7 ]

[DB7]

It's one of the best adventure/buddy flick films made so these observations are somewhat picky.

The films chief strong point imho is undoubtedly Rudyard Kiping's boys own story, supported by the exotic backdrop of Morocco. There's also an effective chemistry between Caine and Connery as the two soldiers of fortune - I can't see Gable and Bogart bettering their portrayal, and another proposed twosome of Redford and Newman might have made the film detrimentally jovial. Some may also say that Caine's narration is unnecessary and obtrusive, but he gives a presence of Kiplng over proceedings.


On the flipside, we are supposed to feel some fondness towards Caine and Connery yet their imperialist behaviour and cultural ignorance would sit uneasily with some in the age of political correctness - but that's countered by the films cautionary finale. Huston reportedly had financing difficulties so I have no idea if the finished film is parallel to what he originally intended 25 years earlier when first planning to capture Kiping's story on film.

[Polynikes]

I remember seeing the movie when it was first released in the cinema & being impressed but then I was only a boy and that is the target audience.



The story is pure boys owns adventure stuff and the film refects this.



The mood throughout the movie is very tongue in cheek - even at the very end when faced with certain death, Connery apologises to Caine for getting him killed instead of being a rich man and Caince accepts ...."Everything's all right then" says Connery.

Yeah right!



It is a buddy movie and copies the comic lines Newman kept throwing away in Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid.



Discerning adults aren't meant to like it, non-discerning kids are.

[moonfleet]

Is "The Man Who Woul Be King" a whorshiped film in Great Britain ??

[Steve Crook]

Is "The Man Who Woul Be King" a whorshiped film in Great Britain ??

I don't know about "worshipped", but I think it's highly respected by many people.

I certainly like it a lot



Steve

[moonfleet]

I don't know about "worshipped", but I think it's highly respected by many people.

I certainly like it a lot



Steve

Better than "Zulu" ??

[batman]

Better than "Zulu" ??

Not IMHO ... but it is a very good film.

[GRAEME]

A great double bill with Zulu!

[Grey Wyler]

Zulu is a complete masterpiece in every way. The Man Who Would Be King even though a brilliant film, just lacks a certain something that would put it in the same class.



But what a double bill it would be.

[batman]

Indeed .... one which I may treat myself to very soon!

[moonfleet]

I saw "Zulu" once, but "The Man Who Would Be King", let say...hundred times !

One off my favourite ever. Hopefully, Bogart and Gable weren't available...(rime!)



Moon.

[batman]

I saw "Zulu" once, but "The Man Who Would Be King", let say...hundred times !

One off my favourite ever. Hopefully, Bogart and Gable weren't available...(rime!)



Moon.

They were dead!



Huston actually wanted to film MWWBK with those two in the 50s, but Bogie's illness and subsequent death scuppered the idea.

[moonfleet]

They were dead!



Huston actually wanted to film MWWBK with those two in the 50s, but Bogie's illness and subsequent death scuppered the idea.

It would have been a totaly different film without Caine and Connery !!

[RAREFILMFINDER]

Strange how a film can so easily come into a conversation.Only the weekend I was talking about freemason's and the subject of "the man who would be king"came up.Hopefully a friend will be watching it this week because of the conversation.Great film ,without a doubt but I have to agree "Zulu" has that something special.

And yes what a Double Bill they would make.2 DVD set?



lenny

[moonfleet]

I red the short story, but I don't remember there is the freemasonry stuff in it....

[moonfleet]

Strange how a film can so easily come into a conversation.Only the weekend I was talking about freemason's and the subject of "the man who would be king"came up.Hopefully a friend will be watching it this week because of the conversation.Great film ,without a doubt but I have to agree "Zulu" has that something special.

And yes what a Double Bill they would make.2 DVD set?



lenny

I think the "something special" is in TMWWBK, the derision about imperialism, the link of freemasonry, their laugh that makes the mountain "ground"(sorry, too lazy to look in dictionary, I hope it's understandable!), the way they teach the "great game of war" to the villages people, and of course, this marvellous ending ....



Moon.

[Steve Crook]

It would have been a totaly different film without Caine and Connery !!

It was the interplay between them that makes it a great film



Steve

[LieutenantJohn]

From the upper echelon of boys own adventures comes.....,



The Man Who Would Be King



Two ex servicemen are lolling around colonial India, it's just the start of a journey that will see them in Kafiristan. Here the mountain dwellers believe the rouge white fellows to be Gods, and thus things are about to get very interesting indeed.



Written by master writer Rudyard Kipling, directed by behemoth John Huston, and starring British legends Sean Connery & Michael Caine, there really isn't any way this film could have failed, sure enough the picture exudes a classy structure that is coupled with deftly smart writing. The Man Who Would Be King was a project that John Huston had coveted for many a year {decade}, as far back as the 40s he was looking to adapt the Kipling short with Humphrey Bogart & Clark Gable in the leads, some time after it was mooted that he fancied Peter O'Toole & Richard Burton to play Messrs Dravot & Carnehan. Fast forward to 1975 and the eventual pairing of Caine & Connery now looks like a masterstroke of casting, and it really is impossible to imagine anyone else in the roles of the amoral scavenger duo of the piece, in short, the wait for the film was indeed worth it.



That the film is known as an adventure genre staple is a given, but it should be noted that in amongst its delightful fusion of fantasy and swashbuckling values, lies wonderful characterisation, cheeky sly glances at the power crazy, imperialism, greed, and pulsing a political beat. It's a smashing, highly entertaining picture that stands up really well ever more today in this new millennium age, i mean it's got Caine & Connery playing rapscallions for GODS sake !.



8/10

[moonfleet]

In my first view of this film, I didn't ever notice that Carnehan stole the watch a the station, it's fast (as a stealing must be !)

The scene with the "big" indian eating a watermelon, whom Carnehan throw out of the train, under Kipling's amazed face is very funny !!



Moon.

[moonfleet]

Looking for some stuff about John Huston, I found this nice "between the scenes" photo...