The Wind and the Lion (1975)

The Wind and the Lion (1975)
Director: John Milius
Writer: John Milius (writer)
Release Date: 26 October 1975 (UK) more
Genre: Action - Adventure - Drama
Runtime: 105 min


* Cast:

Sean Connery ... Mulai Ahmed er Raisuli
Candice Bergen ... Eden Pedecaris
Brian Keith ... Theodore Roosevelt
John Huston ... John Hay
Geoffrey Lewis ... Samuel Gummere
Steve Kanaly ... Capt. Jerome
Vladek Sheybal ... The Bashaw
Nadim Sawalha ... Sherif of Wazan
Roy Jenson ... Admr. French Ensor 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)


* Synopsis:

In 1904, Morocco is the source of conflict by the powers of Imperial Germany, France, and Great Britain, all of whom are trying to establish a sphere of influence in that country. Raissouni is the leader of a band of Berber insurrectionists opposed to Sultan Abdelaziz (Marc Zuber) and his uncle, the Bashaw (Pasha) of Tangier (Vladek Sheybal), whom Raissouni sees as corrupt and beholden to the Europeans. He kidnaps Eden Perdicaris and her children, William (Simon Harrison) and Jennifer (Polly Gottesman) from their home, after murdering Sir Joshua Smith (Billy Williams, the film's cinematographer), a British friend of Eden's.

Raissouni then issues an outrageous ransom, deliberately attempting to provoke an international incident in order to embarrass the Sultan and trigger civil war. Finally, Gummere, Chadwick and his aide, Marine Captain Jerome (Steve Kanaly), tire of the Sultan's perfidy and the meddling of the European powers and decide to engage in "military intervention" to force the Sultan to negotiate. Jerome's company of Marines, supported by a small detachment of sailors, march through the streets of Tangier, much to the surprise and chagrin of the European legations, and overwhelm the Bashaw's palace guard, taking the latter hostage and forcing him to negotiate. Under such coercion, the Bashaw finally agrees to give into the Raissouni demands, but during a hostage exchange, Raissouni is double-crossed and captured by German and Moroccan troops under the command of Von Roerkel (Antoine Saint-John), while Jerome and a small contingent of Marines are present to secure the Perdicarises.

While Raissouni's friend, the Sherif of Wazan (Nadim Sawalha), organizes the Berber tribe for an attack on the Germans, Eden convinces Jerome and his men to rescue the Raissouni. A three-way battle results, in which the Berbers and Americans team up to defeat the Germans and their Moroccan allies, rescuing Raissouni in the process. Back in the United States, Roosevelt is cheered for this great victory, and the Perdicarises arrive safely back in Tangier. At the end of the film, Roosevelt reads a letter he received from Raissouni, comparing the two men (thus explaining the title): "I (Raissouni), like the lion, must stay in my place, while you, like the wind, will never know yours."