The Man Who Would Be King (film)

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The Man Who Would Be King
original film poster
Directed by	John Huston
Produced by	John Foreman
Written by	Rudyard Kipling (story) John Huston Gladys Hill
Starring	Sean Connery Michael Caine Christopher Plummer Saeed Jaffrey
Music by	Maurice Jarre
Cinematography	Oswald Morris
Distributed by	USA: Allied Artists Pictures Corporation non-USA: Columbia Pictures
Running time	129 minutes
Language	English
IMDb profile

The Man Who Would Be King is a 1975 film adapted from the Rudyard Kipling story of the same title. It was adapted and directed by John Huston and starred Sean Connery as Daniel Dravot, Michael Caine as Peachey Carnehan, Saeed Jaffrey as Billy Fish , and Christopher Plummer as Kipling (giving a name to the story's anonymous narrator).

The Kipling story tells the tale of two rogue British ex-soldiers who set off from 19th century British India in search of adventure, and end up as kings of Kafiristan. The story is believed to have been inspired by the travels of American adventurer Josiah Harlan.

Shot on location in Morocco, Huston had planned to make the film since the 1950's: originally with Humphrey Bogart and Clark Gable, then Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas, and then Robert Redford and Paul Newman — Newman suggested Connery and Caine. Like much of his writing, Kipling's original story is overtly imperialist; in Huston's telling, both East and West have their faults and virtues. In a retrospective review, the New York Times remarked "Gloriously old-fashioned in its approach – right down to the characters' politically incorrect attitudes toward anyone who isn't one hundred per cent British – The Man Who Would Be King is pure entertainment in the grand tradition of Gunga Din."

Michael Caine has maintained that if any film of his is remembered after his death, it would be The Man Who Would Be King because it is the sort of film that everyone says, even when the film came out, "No-one makes pictures like this any more."

Although the film was shot in North Africa, the ethnic clothing and dancers in the background are clearly not middle-eastern. Maurice Jarre scored the film and invited classical Indian musicians to participate in the recording sessions with a traditional European symphony, blending the musical styles for the melodies, based around the hymn "The Minstrel Boy", (although the lyrics are those of Reginald Heber's "The Son of God Goes Forth to War"), which figures in the plot. Sean Connery and Michael Caine are heard singing on the LP and CD of the film music.

[edit] Synopsis

While at the offices of the Northern Star newspaper, Kipling is approached by a ragged, seemingly crazed derelict, who reveals himself to be his old acquaintance Peachy Carnehan. Peachy tells Kipling the story of how he and his companion Danny Dravot traveled to remote Kafiristan, became gods, and ultimately lost everything.

After meeting Kipling at his newspaper office a few years earlier and signing a contract pledging mutual loyalty, set off on an epic overland journey North beyond the Khyber Pass, beyond any explored regions into the unknown land of Khafiristan (Literally, "Land of Strangers"). Here, they chance upon a Ghurka who uses the English name Billy Fish, given him by his regiment as being more pronounceable, the only survivor of a mapping expedition years before. Billy speaks perfect English, as well as the local tongue, and it is he, acting as translator of the language and interpretor of the customs and manners, who is able to smoothe the path of Peachy and Danny as they begin their rise to royalty, first offering their services as military advisors, trainers and battle leaders. Carnehan and Dravot muster an army from the natives of a Kafiristan village. In their first battle, the natives decide that Daniel is a god after he is shot with an arrow in the chest but continues fighting. In fact, the arrow has struck a bandolier beneath his clothing and become lodged in it, but the natives don't know this. When they arrive in the holy city of Sikandergul, the natives recognize the Masonic medal given to Danny by Kipling as a symbol of Alexander the Great (the story perpetuates the myth of masonic antiquity, naming Alexander as being a "builder" and the tribesmen reveal heirlooms from Alexander displaying masonic symbols) in a cargo cult context and declare the men to be gods.

Danny has delusions of grandeur. Acknowledged as Sikander come again by the Holy men of the City, Danny sets himself up as high king of Khafiristan, and begins to enforce laws and judgements, while making plans to civilise the land into a modern country, aided by Billy Fish, who has fallen into the role of translator and privy counsellor. As the months turn, Peachy wants to sneak out of the city with chests of gold and jewels before the winter passes are closed. Danny is against it, trying to point out how ruling the land takes precedence over treasure now he is king. He goes as far as to suggest that Peachy should bow to him like the others. Disgusted, Peachy decides to leave with as much treasure as he can carry, with his old friend's blessing. Danny, however, decides to take a wife from among the natives, to cement the royal line, much against Peachy's advice; he chooses Roxanna (played by Michael Caine's wife Shakira), and Peachy waits until after the wedding- "For old time's sake"- before leaving. Roxanna fears no woman can live if they consort with a god, and so tries to escape from Daniel, biting him in the process. The bite draws blood, and when the natives see it they realise Daniel is human after all, and pursue him and Peachy through the streets of his erstwhile kingdom. Trapped, Billy tries to buy time by holding back the mob single handedly, but the pair are captured and revealed as mortal men. Danny is killed when forced to walk to the middle of a rope bridge over a deep gorge; the ropes supporting it are cut and he falls to his death. Peachy is horribly crucified, but later released after surviving on the cross for several days. At the end of the film, as Peachy finishes his story, he presents Kipling with Danny's decaying head or what's left of it, still wearing its Kafiri crown.

[edit] Trivia

• The movie has Carnehan first meeting Kipling after Carnehan steals Kipling's watch—-which he returns after he realizes it has masonic symbols upon it; Carnehan tries to blame an Indian for stealing the watch—-but Kipling is not fooled.
• Billy Fish is accurately depicted as a Ghurkha Rifleman, from the uniform to the Khukri knife. Billy's attempt to buy Peachy time to escape by fearlessly charging an armed mob (and killing several before being overcome by weight of numbers) is typical of his warrior strain. His battle-cry, "AIHO GHURKHALI!" ("I am a Ghurkha!" - and everything that implies) is in fact the ancient war-cry is still in use.
• The movie is largely faithful to the original story, except at the end which has the half-insane Carnehan leaving Dravot's head on Kipling's desk. In the original story Carnehan takes Dravot's head with him; two days later the unnamed narrator has Carnehan taken to an insane asylum where Carnehan dies of exposure to sunstroke. No belongings are found with Carnehan. There are also variations in the use of masonic detail - for more information on this see the entry for Daniel Dravot.

[edit] External links

• The Man Who Would Be King at the Internet Movie Database