The Wind and the Lion (1975)
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70% of critics liked it
(10 reviews) -
70% of users liked it
(4,697 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
- 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
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Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
An 'incoherent text' headier than any screen Kipling adaptation
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A bogus history lesson that's a mixture of fact and fiction.
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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.
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Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central
The marriage of epic romance and the epic romanticization of brutality.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Featured Audience Ratings
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Cast
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Sean Connery
as Raisuli the Magnificent
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Candice Bergen
as Eden Pedecaris
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Brian Keith
as Theodore Roosevelt
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John Huston
as John Hay
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Geoffrey Lewis
as Gummere
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Steve Kanaly
as Capt. Jerome
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Vladek Sheybal
as The Bashaw of Tangier
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Nadim Sawalha
as Sherif
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Roy Jenson
as Admiral Chadwick
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Polly Gottesman
as Jennifer Pedecaris
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Jack Cooley
as Roosevelt Child
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Chris Aller
as Kermit Roosevelt
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Luis Barboo
as Gayaan the Terrible
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Deborah Baxter
as Alice Roosevelt
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Charlie Bravo
as Decapitated Arab
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Anita Colby
as Station Woman
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Larry Cross
as Henry Cabot Lodge
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Ricardo Palacios
as Torres
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Aldo Sambrell
as Ugly Arab
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Antoine St. John
as Von Roerkel
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Ben Tatar
as Sketch Artist
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Bill Williams
as Sir Joseph
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Marc Zuber
as The Sultan
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Darrell Fetty
as Dreighton
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Alex C. Weldon
as Elihu Root
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Shirley Rothman
as Edith Roosevelt
- Charles Stalnaker
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Juan Cazalilla
as Chef
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Howard Hagan
as Diplomat
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Harrison Simon
as William Pedecaris
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Akio Mitamura
as Japanese General
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Carl Rapp
as Station Man
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Allen Russell
as Aides
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Felipe Solano
as Pock-faced Arab
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James Mitchell
as Gummere's Aide

