The Wind and the Lion (1975)

Director:

John Milius

Writer:

John Milius (writer)

Release Date:

26 October 1975 (UK)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama

Tagline:

Between the wind and the lion is the woman. For her, half the world may go to war.

Plot:

At the beginning of the 20th century an American woman is abducted in Morocco by Berbers. The attempts...

Plot Keywords:

Hostage | Military | Children | Barbarism | Orchestral Music Score

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 nominations

Cast

Sean Connery	...	Raisuli
Candice Bergen	...	Eden Pedecaris
Brian Keith	...	Theodore Roosevelt
John Huston	...	John Hay
Geoffrey Lewis	...	Gummere
Steve Kanaly	...	Capt. Jerome
Vladek Sheybal	...	The Bashaw
Nadim Sawalha	...	Sherif of Wazan
Roy Jenson	...	Admiral Chadwick
Deborah Baxter	...	Alice Roosevelt
Jack Cooley	...	Quentin Roosevelt
Chris Aller	...	Kermit Roosevelt
Simon Harrison	...	William Pedecaris
Polly Gottesmann	...	Jennifer Pedecaris (as Polly Gottesman)
Antoine Saint-John	...	Von Roerkel (as Antoine St. John)

Also Known As:

John Milius' The Wind and the Lion (USA) (complete title)
Vinden och lejonet (Finland: Swedish title) (Sweden) [sv]
Lion et le vent, Le (France) [fr]
Tuuli ja leijona (Finland) [fi]
Vento e il leone, Il (Italy) [it]
Viento y el león, El (Spain) [es]
Wiatr i lew (Poland) [pl]
Wind und der Löwe, Der (West Germany) [de]

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Mono (35 mm prints)

Certification:

USA:PG (certificate #24156) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Netherlands:12 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | Singapore:PG | UK:A (original rating) | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Almería, Andalucía, Spain

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

After receiving a list of BBFC requests to remove horse falls, director John Milius withdrew the film from intended UK video release in 1990 and claimed that no animal cruelty had taken place. His claim was supported by stuntman Terry Leonard who threatened to sue the BBFC for besmirching his professional reputation.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The Raisouli and his followers pray while the muezzin is calling. In fact, the actual praying is done after the muezzin finishes - it's his job to remind the faithful to go pray. This is a common mistake in Hollywood productions, possibly done for dramatic purposes.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Eden: Don't you agree that the most important part of the meal is the wine? Everything must follow the wine. And in this case, I should favor a Red Bordeaux.
Sir Joseph: A Red Bordeaux at lunch? Your late husband would never have approved.

Movie Connections:

References The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

Best T.R. ever !!!

As a long time fan of our 26th. President, I was blown away by Brian Keiths' portrayal of Theodore Roosevelt. What a treasure this film is. It's too bad Keith never reprised his T.R. in any other films, as he really brought him to life. I can imagine a film on the later part of T.R.s life, returning from Africa to find the man he entrusted the Presidency to had betrayed him. Forming his own third party, and the assassination attempt in Milwaukee. Losing one of his sons in WW1, and finally falling into political limbo before his untimely death. Keith would have probably won an Oscar for such a movie. But alas, we must mourn what might have been. We'll miss you Mr. Keith !!! Nobody else compares, although Tom Berenger was pretty good as a young Teddy Roosevelt in the Rough Riders. As for comedy relief John Alexander in "Asenic and old lace" is as good as it gets.