The Wind and the Lion (1975)

70% of critics liked it
(10 reviews)
70% of users liked it
(4,603 ratings)

In the early 1900s, an American businessman was kidnapped by a rebellious Arab chieftain, principally as a means to embarrass the sultan of Morocco. This abduction sparked the threat of armed intervention by President Theodore Roosevelt, which was never carried out. In The Wind and the Lion, the… More In the early 1900s, an American businessman was kidnapped by a rebellious Arab chieftain, principally as a means to embarrass the sultan of Morocco. This abduction sparked the threat of armed intervention by President Theodore Roosevelt, which was never carried out. In The Wind and the Lion, the unattractive male captive is replaced by the gorgeous female Mrs. Pedecaris, an American widow played by Candice Bergen. The ruthless but essentially decent Arab chief Raisuli is portrayed by Sean Connery, while Teddy Roosevelt is depicted as a jingoistic blowhard by Brian Keith. The film's main theme -- that of America's emergence as a world power -- is largely secondary to the growing mutual-respect relationship between Mrs. Pedecaris and Raisuli. After releasing his hostage, Raisuli is himself captured by German forces, who at the behest of the Kaiser are seeking out methods of laying the groundwork for what would evolve into World War I. Mrs. Pedecaris must then help Raisuli escape. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 59 min.
Directed By: John Milius
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Classics

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1975 Wide
On DVD: Jan 6, 2004
Studio: MGM Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
An 'incoherent text' headier than any screen Kipling adaptation
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A bogus history lesson that's a mixture of fact and fiction.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
A kind of big-budget, all-star extravaganza the equivalent of which we really don't have today -- and for which mainstream movies are a little worse off.
Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central
The marriage of epic romance and the epic romanticization of brutality.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Ken S

The action is great, the dialog crackles, and how can you not live a young Candice Bergen. Also watching Sean Connery playing Mulay Achmed Mohammed el-Raisuli the Magnificent with a Scottish accent is hilarious. But, I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel about all the… More
The action is great, the dialog crackles, and how can you not live a young Candice Bergen. Also watching Sean Connery playing Mulay Achmed Mohammed el-Raisuli the Magnificent with a Scottish accent is hilarious. But, I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel about all the characters. I mean this is a movie where we almost start WW1 over a girl and her two kids. It's a movie where I'm supposed to sympathize with a guy who beheads two guys almost directly after we meet him. Still great fun. And I believe this is the first instance of blood splattering on the camera lens, to the best of my knowledge.
xGary X

Based on actual events, The Wind And The Lion is the story of a banished Moroccan chieftan who kidnaps an American woman and her two children in an attempt to rid his country of its occupying European forces resulting in a stand off between he and president Roosevelt. Written and… More
Based on actual events, The Wind And The Lion is the story of a banished Moroccan chieftan who kidnaps an American woman and her two children in an attempt to rid his country of its occupying European forces resulting in a stand off between he and president Roosevelt. Written and directed by John Milius who was responsible for scripts as diverse as Apocalypse Now and Conan The Barbarian, this film contains his typically clever dialogue and political subtext as well as a healthy dose of rousing action. There is a satirical commentary on colonialism in general as well as America's role as self-appointed world policeman; Roosevelt is shown as a man more interested in self-aggrandisement and bluster than justice, all too ready to send in the troops to stamp his will on the rest of the world (the American's glorious "victory" is against a hugely inferior and unprepared force. Plus ca change...) His opponent is played by Sean Connery at his most charismatic, and Candice Bergen ably fills a role originally intended for Katherine Hepburn as the kidnapped woman who grows to understand the man and realises he is no savage, but an honourable and educated leader of men. Add a great supporting cast and a rousing score, it's in turns funny, clever and exciting making this adventure from the old school at it's most stirring.

Cast

            Sean Connery as Raisuli the Magnificent

            Candice Bergen as Eden Pedecaris

            Brian Keith as Theodore Roosevelt

            John Huston as John Hay

            Geoffrey Lewis as Gummere

            Steve Kanaly as Capt. Jerome

            Vladek Sheybal as The Bashaw of Tangier

            Nadim Sawalha as Sherif

            Roy Jenson as Admiral Chadwick

            Polly Gottesman as Jennifer Pedecaris

            Jack Cooley as Roosevelt Child

            Chris Aller as Kermit Roosevelt

            Luis Barboo as Gayaan the Terrible

            Deborah Baxter as Alice Roosevelt

            Charlie Bravo as Decapitated Arab

            Anita Colby as Station Woman

            Larry Cross as Henry Cabot Lodge

            Ricardo Palacios as Torres

            Aldo Sambrell as Ugly Arab

            Antoine St. John as Von Roerkel

            Ben Tatar as Sketch Artist

            Bill Williams as Sir Joseph

            Marc Zuber as The Sultan

            Darrell Fetty as Dreighton

            Alex C. Weldon as Elihu Root

            Shirley Rothman as Edith Roosevelt

            Charles Stalnaker
            
            Juan Cazalilla as Chef

            Howard Hagan as Diplomat

            Harrison Simon as William Pedecaris

            Akio Mitamura as Japanese General

            Carl Rapp as Station Man

            Allen Russell as Aides

            Felipe Solano as Pock-faced Arab

            James Mitchell as Gummere's Aide
See full cast