The Wind and the Lion
The Wind and the Lion
PG | 22 May 1975 (USA)
The Wind and the Lion Trailers

At the beginning of the 20th century an American woman is abducted in Morocco by Berbers, and the attempts to free her range from diplomatic pressure to military intervention.

Reviews
Nonureva Really Surprised!
Konterr Brilliant and touching
Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
Yazmin Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.
DKosty123 Mid 1970's - Sean Connery, Candice Bergen, Brian Keith- formula for action and romance? Nope, there is plenty of action, but only the slightest hint of romance. That is because Candice Bergen is already a Murphy Brown in development in this movie. This is a great movie because of the script and the action. When the CIA started tinkering in the middle east they should have watched this movie to better understand what they were getting into. John Milius script addresses a few issues we are quite acquainted with now only the film is set in the time of Teddy Roosevelt. Brian Keith get kudos here for his role as Teddy. The script was nominated and should have won an award. Connery plays the Sultan of Morrocco, a violent sort. Years before Isis came along, he beheads at least 2 people in this movie. He and his small army kidnap Bergen and family. This makes Teddy Roosevelt upset.Connery, the Sultan then shows her what he does with his enemies when he beheads 2 of his enemies. Luckily all he is after from Roosevelt is gold for their return. Bergen starts giving him a consult at one point and he gets upset and retorts "I usually don't take any consults from women, and your not even one of my wives." That ends the Murphy Brown discussion.He does mention Jihad a few times in the movie but in the end of this one, they finally negotiate a settlement with Teddy Roosevelt to release his hostages. The release turns into quite an event with the US Marines that are sent in to pick the family up. This is a film which gives the viewer an idea that Middle East turmoil is no where near new.The trouble is this Sultan is much more intelligent than the Sophomore Isil people who are now beheading people. He only kills for a reason, not just to do it for their own pleasure. He has pride and justice in his make up. This film does a fine job getting into this, and the battle sequences and locations used look great on film. I thought at one point they borrowed the beach location used in Grease, but I might have been seeing things.
slightlymad22 I'm not entirely sure what this movie was aiming to be, I enjoyed it when I was younger, but watching it now it is very uneven and has no real flow to it. Plot In A Paragraph: Morocco 1904. Raisuli, Sheriff of the Berbers (Sean Connery, who appears to be having a great deal of fun) kidnapped an American Widow, named Mrs Pedecaris (A gorgeous looking Candice Bergen) and her two children. He offers to ransom then in exchange for rifles, money and sovereignty. American President Theodore Roosevelt (A Brilliant Brian Kieth) looks to improve his election chances, issued an ultimatum "Mrs Pedecaris alive or Raisili dead" and sent in the marines. Three good performances from Connery, Bergmen and Keith are not enough to paper over the cracks in this muddled movie. The movie is violent at times and camp at others, neither sit well with it. This movie blends historic facts into a fictional adventure story (The real Perdicaris incident involved the kidnapping of a middle-aged man and his stepson.) Im guessing the sex was changed to have a romance develop between Connery and Bergman.Connery looks fantastic (giving a great performance in a clichèd role) but sounded awful. Watching Conery talk about Allah spouting things like "I am but a servant of his will" in his usual Scottish accent is awful, and something I never wish to see again.Connery is as watchable as ever, but these are not two of his better hours. Thankfully he followed this with the brilliant "The Man Who Would Be King"The Wind & The Lion opened the same weekend as blockbuster Jaws, but still managed to gross $9 million at the domestic box office, on a budget of $4 million.
alangalpert "The Wind and the Lion" is undoubtedly great entertainment, but it takes regrettable liberties with the truth. I strongly object to movies that pretend to be historical, but set aside unexciting facts in favor of more dramatic fictions. In reality, a man was kidnapped, not a widow and her two children. Only the kidnapping victim's last name was retained when his story became the basis for the movie.Such is the power of good acting and writing that most IMDb users seem to regard Raisuli (Connery) as a noble character. How quickly these users forget that in the opening scene, Raisuli and his men gallop through Mrs. Pedecaris' (Bergen) estate, slaughter her servants and a house guest, and carry her and her children off to parts unknown. (We learn later that he does all of this just to spite his brother.) In another scene, Raisuli summarily beheads two unfortunate nomads who had the audacity to drink from his well. Not only have IMDb users forgotten these atrocities, but apparently Mrs. Pedecaris herself forgot about them, because at the end of the movie she is willing to risk her life and her children's lives in order to rescue him. I couldn't imagine a more preposterous ending.Besides Brian Keith's justly praised portrayal of Teddy Roosevelt, and Sean Connery's convincing turn as Raisuli, the real stars of the movie may be cinematographer Billy Williams and composer Jerry Goldsmith.
TheLittleSongbird I saw this film at school and absolutely loved it. Based on a true story, this is an absolutely splendid masterpiece of a film. Seriously, I couldn't find anything wrong with it. One definite plus is how it was filmed. Set in Morrocco in 1904, the Wind and the Lion is filled with stirring images like the Great Raisuli on horseback especially. The cinematography was faultless, the editing was crisp, the costumes were gorgeous and the scenery was breathtaking. And I have to mention the music from Jerry Goldsmith, it was phenomenal. I have used this phrase a lot recently, but Goldsmith ain't my favourite film composer for nothing. His score here is so rousing and exciting, it shows the man's true musical genius, and this gem of a score should be up there with Goldsmith's best scores with Legend, Rambo:First Blood, Patton and The Secret of NIMH.The action is exhilarating and the screenplay is intelligent and sophisticated. The direction is sensitively handled too. The performances were astounding as well, with Sean Connery, ever the picture of charisma and suavity, magnificent as the Great Raisuli, he almost dominates the entire picture on his own. He is joined by a feisty Candice Bergen, a wily John Huston and a captivating Brian Keith in one of his more understated performances. The history is fairly accurate, perhaps flimsy in some areas, but with the acting, music and visuals so good I am past caring. 10/10 Bethany Cox
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