Rating: 
Summary: Release This on DVD, Please
Review: My all time favorite movie and the best movie you've never seen is "The Wind and the Lion" (1975). Written and directed by John Milus (who later wrote "Apocalypse Now" and directed "Conan The Barbarian"), it stars Sean Connery, Candice Bergen, Brian Keith, and John Houston. Connery is a Berber chief, Risuli the Magnificent, who kidnaps American Candice Bergen in Morocco in 1906 (or so). Connery wants to force the European powers out of Morocco, which at that time is occupied by the British, French, and Germans, each with different interests. Brain Keith is President Teddy Roosevelt (and he really is) who sends the Marines to Morocco "to get respect." In the end, the Americans and Connery's Berbers make common cause against the Germans. For me, Brian Keith as Teddy is worth the price of admission all by himself. This movie is well-written, funny, has great line after great line, super characters, and some rousing battle scenes. Plus, the kids can watch it. You really can't go wrong with "The Wind and the Lion." I only wish they'd release it on DVD...
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece
Review: A completely original and totally captivating film, from first frame to last. (The first frame as I recall is horses' hooves pounding through the side-streets of Tangier, as "wild Moroccan bandits" invade a polite upper-crust garden-party and kidnap Mrs. Pedicaris and her young son.) The movie never lets go of you. Of particular excellence: the portraits of Teddy Roosevelt and his advisor (played by John Huston) -- extremely compelling period portraits. The part where the Marines move in on Tangier is hypnotizing. Highly recommended. If you haven't seen this, you're missing something.
Rating:
Summary: Connery Magnificent in Milius Masterpiece!
Review: 'The Wind and the Lion' is, simply put, one of the greatest adventure films ever made, a classic that helped break the 'James Bond' stereotype for Sean Connery, solidified Brian Keith's reputation as one of America's finest character actors, and gave action-oriented director John Milius his most 'audience-friendly' success. It is a sweeping epic in the tradition of 'Lawrence of Arabia', without the earlier film's subtexts of meglomania and sexual ambiguity. Here, the personalities are clearly defined; they start off on opposing sides, but through the nobility of their characters, their unspoken codes of honor, and a sense of old-fashioned chivalry in a modern world of betrayal and greed, by the film's climax, they become allies against a greater evil. An earlier reviewer attempted to link Theodore Roosevelt's world view in the film to the eventual debacle in Vietnam. That is unfair to both the film, and to Milius, who, if anything, admires and respects the 'big stick' idealism and machismo of our only true 'cowboy' President. (This respect led the director to film the excellent 'The Rough Riders', twenty-four years later, for TNT). Rest assured, potential buyer, 'The Wind and the Lion' is NOT a boring political treatise! The setting is Morocco in 1904, where an American woman (Candice Bergen, in perhaps her best screen performance), and her two children are kidnapped by Arab Sean Connery and his band, who are seeking restitution for a long political imprisonment by his family. In Washington, dynamic young President Teddy Roosevelt (brilliantly portrayed by Brian Keith) uses the incident to send in American marines, both to rescue the family, and influence the country's politics (much to the chagrin of Secretary of State John Huston!) Secretly, Roosevelt admires the Arab's courage and honor, and wishes the two could face off in a duel to resolve matters! As her captivity continues, Bergen learns that the real villain is not Connery, who is truly the 'Chosen' leader, but those who imprisoned him. The Americans discover this, too, as they see alliances being forged between the usurpers and greedy European powers, particularly Germany. Ultimately, this leads to a rip-roaring battle between the two forces, full of unforgettable images (Connery on horseback, at full gallop, snatching up a rifle offered by Bergen's son, is one of the great moments in film history!), and the film reaches a VERY satisfying conclusion! There are many wonderful aspects to this film, but Jerry Goldsmith's rousing score must be singled out; it is one of the finest of his long career, ranking with his soundtracks for 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture', and 'Patton'. 'The Wind and the Lion' is the kind of epic adventure "they don't make anymore". Happily, John Milius has proven that cliche wrong! This film is ABSOLUTELY essential in any Connery or action film collection! I HIGHLY recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: Can't Wait For The DVD
Review: I first saw The Wind and the Lion when it came out in theaters. Always a big fan of sweeping adventure stories, this one became an instant favorite. Though years have passed and movie action has become even more lavish and intense, nothing has ever dimmed this jewel in my eyes. In fact, the years have made the romance more poignant and the irony more telling. Forget history: Pedicaris was a man. Forget stereotypes: the Berber is the hero. This is a romantic adventure of the highest order: remember the little boy who dreams of becoming a Barbary Pirate. As that marvelous score swells up around you, and Sean Connery leans down from the galloping horse, grabbing not the boy, but the gun he is carrying, you can feel the boy's disappointment at not being carried along for the next adventure. There are many levels at work in this film. The genius of John Milius is such that the Roosevelt era of "gunboat diplomacy" can be seen as both the crowing of young America as it was forcing its way into World politics, and as a reflection of the debacle of Viet Nam that was the end result of such bullish behavior. In its examination of relationships between men and women, the human foibles of men looked upon as leaders, and the brutal reality of the human condition, this movie is right on target. But, in the end, it is a romance, a dream of what could be -- but usually isn't. The good guys survive, but they all show that they have paid a heavy price for having played the game. MGM will be doing all movie fans a favor when they bring this out on DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: I saw it when it first came out ...
Review: So, I really can't say that I saw the VIDEO ... BUT!!! Would someone PUL-EEEZE tell me where I can get the sound track??? I wore out my cassette 10 years ago and have never found it again in any format! Ms. Selletti says in her review that she went out and bought the cd ... where where where??? I loved the movie, but I really miss that Jerry Goldsmith sound track. Anybody?? It made the movie live!! I can see those tassels flying and those manes whipping even as I write this.
Rating:
Summary: Bully!
Review: A grand adventure movie with giant characters portrayed by a cast of greats at their best. Sprinkled with equal parts humor and drama, this movie captures an era and allows the viewer to share some of the heady nationalism Americans felt during the Roosevelt administration. When a pragmatic Arab points out to an American official that his plan to build a railroad across the desert is not practical due to drifting sand, the American merely states "We'll do it - we have men in America that can do anything!" Looking over American history since this story was set -Normandy, the Moon Shot, the technology revolution - how can one argue? While the event portrayed is super exaggerated from the truth, there are many gems of historical fact, and the story is well told enough that you may well decide to read one of the many excellent biographies on TR after viewing it!
Rating: 
Summary: Frankly, Miss America, you trouble me!
Review: This was supposed to be the typical East-meets-West romance epic story with a little history lesson attached to it. Not only it's none of those things; it is a sad reminder that old prejudices die hard and key historical lessons -if any- are never learned. First thing first: All Arabs are shown to be inept, barbarous and stupid. So stupid even a child can beat them (provided the kid is white, of course!). Their leaders are corrupt, lazy and childish; the rebels brutal but "honorable" (that's why they speak in fancy riddles so you'd think them 'deep', 'misterious', 'wiser-in-their-own-ways', 'different-from-us-in-their-thinking'), but to tell you the truth, their lines are so shallow and empty-headed, many Arabs walked out from the theatre in disgust back when I saw it for the first time in a London cinema, and with good reason too, for no one never quite really understands what is it the Raisulis is fighting for, why has he kidnapped Candice Bergen and her family in the first place or why he releases them in the end, except from the tiresome line "Mrs. Pedicaris, you trouble me!" (meaning 'You see,I've fallen for you, but we noble savages never say such things'). The final scene, when Connery and another "Arab" laugh out loud because they have lost everything (?) makes you wonder not about their "wisdom" but the screenwriter's! Second: Brian Keith shines as Teddy Roosevelt; his is the best characterization in the movie. Alas, instead of a critical portrait of the man, the film unashamedly applauds his gunboat diplomacy ("send the marines and give 'em a lesson!"). 'Yep, that's what America is all about; we should be doing these things more often, even if it leads to world war!' If that's the moral of the movie -IT IS!- frankly Mr. Roosevelt, you trouble me! But, to soften the arrogant brutality of it all, the Americans are portrayed as well-intentioned goofballs (both the U.S. ambassador to Morocco and the captain leading the commando are the more embarrassing examples), who are bewildered by their president's orders, but carry them out nevertheless. These guys come in as "comic relief (?)" in the movie, but in real life interventions there are no clowns like that around; check out the sinister names of Henry Lane Wilson and Frank F. Fletcher in your history books, and you'll see what I mean. Third: Since the movie needs stronger villains, the producers gratutiously invent ones: the Germans! Never mind they played no role whatsoever in the real "Pedicaris alive or Raisulis dead" affair (the one they were in was the Agadir crisis), they're thrown in to justify the American illegal presence in a defenseless country. To make things worse, the last reel is a bad ripoff of 'The Wild Bunch', where a couple of outnumbered American 'desperados' demand the release of a prisoner (the Raisulis, no less! ) from the Kaiser's army, ensuing an all-out gunbattle on a forgotten thirld world turn-of-the-century scenario, just like in the Peckinpah classic (even the music score is similar!), only with its relevance missing. Needless to say, every American kills at least ten of its foes before being slightly wounded! Last but not least: There was no Mrs. Pedicaris, but a MR. Pedicaris (who turned out to be a Greek citizen, not an American one after all), and I sincerely doubt he ever fell for the Raisulis. I also doubt the Raisulis and President Roosevelt were fond of each other, or that there ever was such a corny letter from the former to the latter! So, if you think Americans must be Superman, World Policemen carrying a Big Stick, promoting ill will and resentment towards you and your country from people you've never heard of, this is your dream movie. If, on the other hand, you like history for the things you might not want to be repeated, I doubt this will be your cup of tea.
Rating:
Summary: Epic
Review: The last of the great MGM classics. They don't make movies like this anymore. This is my all time favorite film, and it isn't hard to see why. By themselves, the stellar performances by Sean Connery, Candice Bergan and Brian Keith are enough to recommend this film to anyone. But add to this the expansive locations, the marvelous script and one of the most beautiful scores in movie history and you have a true gem. If you've never seen it before, don't hesitate another moment. See it today.
Rating:
Summary: The Great American Movie
Review: I don't know if this film means as much to other people as it does to me but this movie is all about what it's supposed to mean to be American. That's nothing to take away from the large Berber portions which are wonderful but the TR scenes are special. Someone needs to make a movie all about his life. There are elements of all kinds of different genre yes but the movie is more than that. Milius' writing really stands out among the older films as being one of the first attempts at turning the film genre into a bona fide art form with respect to the language.
Rating:
Summary: A 'must get' for every film music fan!
Review: Mr. Goldsmith did a great job in this piece of music by mixing his driving action themes ("Raisuli Attacks") with the more gentle 'love theme' music ("I Remember"). Take a listen to the sound clips, they're just a taste of the great music waiting for you on this CD! Includes some nice insert notes by Douglass Fake and a running time of almost 39 minutes. This album is one of my Goldsmith favorites, with the "Main Title" being one of those tracks that I can't get out of my head!
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