Review of The Wind and the Lion (1975) by Grant S — 27 Mar 2015

In Tangier/Morocco 1904 an American woman named Eden Pedecaris (Candice Bergen) & her two young children Jennifer (Polly Gottesman) & William (Simon Harrison) are kidnapped by a gang of men lead by Moroccan rebel Mulay Hamid El Raisuli (Sean Connery) the Lord of the Rif, Sultan to the Berbers & the last of the Barbary Pirates. Word of the kidnapping gets back to President Theodore Roosevelt (Brian Keith) who decides to use the situation as a show of American power and strength and therefore issues the ultimatum 'Pedecaris alive or Raisuli dead'. As the struggle for power in the Middle East & Morocco wages between the Europeans, the Americans and the Moroccan people, Raisuli & Pedercaris become pawns, symbols of war and what to fight for or against in the Middle Eastern crises...

"The Wind and the Lion", written & directed by John Milius, is loosely based on real events and the tone in this historical adventure carriers marks of classic lavish epic adventure dramas such as "Lawrence of Arabia", but doesn´t reach the heights of the latter. I think the plot line and editing is a mish mash and there seems to be no clear direction. Milius drags out the scenes and squeezes the air out them until there´s nothing left and we as the viewers gets dizzy from not enough oxygen. The flow is missing and there´s too much philosophising from both Roosevelt and El Raisuli that really leads nowhere. The pace and tone is also uneven. The cinematography, the sets, production design, costumes and locations are however all fine in my point of view. Sean Connery is ok as El Raisuli (even if the character is a bit outside of the normal roles we have seen him in over the years), but he adds to the character with his charisma and experience. Candice Bergen is somewhat lost in her role and she doesn´t really convince the way she normally does. But, she is as radiant as ever. The movie received considerable industry recognition, including Academy Award nominations for Best Original Score and Best Sound Mixing. Jerry Goldsmith's score was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media and the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music. Additionally, the Writers Guild of America nominated Milius' screenplay. The film was also a financial success, though Steven Spielberg's film Jaws distracted attention from it. Shortly after its release, the film was screened for U.S. President Gerald Ford and his staff, who reportedly loved it. The film has also gained considerable recognition in the Islamic world for its accurate, detailed, and sympathetic depiction of Berber and Islamic culture.