THE WIND AND THE LION Movie Review
1975 John Milius
John Milius's rousing adventure is a direct cinematic descendant of Gunga Din and Charge of the Light Brigade, refracting history through a severely distorted cinematic prism. Think of it as a Republican historical fantasy inspired by real events. As such, it is escapism, not American History 101, and it is particularly well-crafted escapism.
In 1904, the reigning superpowers (to use a thoroughly anachronistic term), France, Germany, and the United States (apparently there wasn't room in the film's budget to include the British), are jockeying for influence in Morocco. For political reasons of his own, the Berber chieftain Mulay el-Raisuli (Sean Connery) kidnaps an American woman, Eden Pedecaris (Candice Bergen) and her two children, and demands an outrageous ransom. For political reasons of his own, Theodore Roosevelt (Brian Keith) adopts a get-tough policy. “Pedecaris alive or Raisuli dead!” he thunders at campaign whistle stops. His Secretary of State John Hay (John Huston) thinks it's an excellent strategy, though he's afraid that his candidate may believe his own bluster.
While all of that is working itself out in the background, Mrs. Pedecaris is redefining “feisty” in her dealings with her charismatic kidnapper, and her kids are having a dandy time, particularly William (Simon Harrison) who thinks that this is about the coolest thing that could ever happen to a 10-year-old. The opening scene, where the Raisuli's men come galloping through the streets of Tangiers on their beautiful horses, trampling the French flag, and leaping through latticework, is grandly staged. The scene is matched later with an equally impressive march by U.S. Marines through the same streets. The two other big action scenes are a mounted “rescue” at the midpoint, and a climactic shoot-out based on the end of The Wild Bunch. Throughout, however, the levels of violence are kept well within the limits of a PG rating, and that is a mistake. The story would have been better served with a more direct and honest approach.
As long as he's dealing with physical action, director Milius is on solid footing. He makes excellent use of Spanish exteriors to turn his deserts into magical places, and the equestrian scenes are among the best ever put on film. He also gets excellent performances from his leads. Connery and Keith seem to be having a splendid time. In her Gibson Girl hairdo, with seldom more than a strand or two out of place no matter how dreadful the situation, Candice Bergen is every bit the equal of her male co-stars. While those central characters are sympathetically, if cartoonishly drawn, the rest of the Arab characters are treated as gibbering, lecherous, predatory stereotypes.
As a writer, Milius gives the political discussions a combination of seriousness and humor, at least near the beginning. But as the story progresses, Milius appears to accept his sophomoric Manifest Destiny flapdoodle as genuine insight. (Years later, he would let his right-wing fantasies run wild in the abysmal Red Dawn.) The director is careful to compare and to equate the two leaders in ways that are both obvious and subtle. In two campsite scenes, for example—one in Morocco and one in Yellowstone—Milius unobtrusively places the same hand-operated barbecue spit. Again, that is dubious history but fine entertainment.
It's easy enough to ignore the posturing and inaccuracies—the real Pedecaris was a middle-aged man who was released almost immediately—and to enjoy the film on its own lightweight merits.
Cast: Sean Connery (Mulay el-Raisuli), Candice Bergen (Eden Pedecaris), Brian Keith (Theodore Roosevelt), John Huston (John Hay), Geoffrey Lewis (Gunmere), Steve Kanaly (Capt. Jerome), Vladek Sheybal (The Bashaw), Nadim Sawalha (Sherif of Wazan), Roy Jenson (Adm. Chadwick), Larry Cross (Henry Cabot Lodge), Simon Harrison (William Pedecaris), Polly Gottesmann (Jennifer Pedecaris), Marc Zuber (The Sultan); Written by: John Milius; Cinematography by: Billy Williams; Music by: Jerry Goldsmith. Producer: Herb Jaffe, Phil Rawlins, MGM/UA Entertainment Company. Awards: Nominations: Academy Awards '75: Best Sound, Best Original Score. MPAA Rating: PG. Running Time: 120 minutes. Format: VHS, Beta, LV, Letterbox.