WIND & THE LION (DVD/WS/FR&SP-SUB) DVD

The Wind and the Lion
In the early 1900s, an American businessman was kidnapped by a rebellious Arab chieftain, principally as a means to embarrass the sultan of Morocco. This abduction sparked the threat of armed intervention by President Theodore Roosevelt, which was never carried out. In The Wind and the Lion, the unattractive male captive is replaced by the gorgeous female Mrs. Pedecaris, an American widow played by Candice Bergen. The ruthless but essentially decent Arab chief Raisuli is portrayed by Sean Connery, while Teddy Roosevelt is depicted as a jingoistic blowhard by Brian Keith. The film's main theme -- that of America's emergence as a world power -- is largely secondary to the growing mutual-respect relationship between Mrs. Pedecaris and Raisuli. After releasing his hostage, Raisuli is himself captured by German forces, who at the behest of the Kaiser are seeking out methods of laying the groundwork for what would evolve into World War I. Mrs. Pedecaris must then help Raisuli escape. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast Sean Connery as Raisuli the Magnificent Candice Bergen as Eden Pedecaris Brian Keith as Theodore Roosevelt John Huston as John Hay Geoffrey Lewis as Gummere Steve Kanaly as Capt. Jerome Vladek Sheybal as The Bashaw of Tangier Nadim Sawalha as Sherif Roy Jenson as Admiral Chadwick Polly Gottesman as Jennifer Pedecaris Jack Cooley as Roosevelt Child

Crew Miguel Pedregosa - Coordinator Richard La Motte - Costume Designer John Milius - Director Phil Rawlins - Second Unit Director Robert Wolfe - Editor Jerry Goldsmith - Composer (Music Score) Gil Parrondo - Production Designer Billy Williams - Cinematographer Phil Rawlins - Producer Herb Jaffe - Producer Roy Charman - Sound/Sound Designer Harry W. Tetrick - Sound/Sound Designer Terry J. Leonard - Stunts Coordinator John Milius - Screenwriter

The Wind and the Lion
Once a while, a film resurfaces or is come upon that proves to be incredibly effective and powerful not because of any specific aspect of its plot or characters, but because during the passage of time, history has proven the film to be either prescient or an eerie parallel to current events. Produced in the mid-'70s, The Wind and the Lion, when viewed through the prism of today, is practically a mirror image of goings-on in the Middle East. The film, written and directed by John Milius, tells the true story (with some adjustments) of an American woman (Candice Bergen) and her children, who are abducted in Morocco by a Berber chieftain played by Sean Connery. This act leads to an overblown military response by the Americans, led by President Theodore Roosevelt and Secretary of State John Hay played incredibly effectively by Brian Keith and John Huston, respectively. Keith in particular captures the spirit of Roosevelt to a tee. In their desire to assert the power of America across the globe in a re-election year for Roosevelt, the Marines invade Morocco and take over. Insert Bush for Roosevelt and Osama bin Laden for the Connery character, and it's downright creepy. It's to the film's benefit that modern viewers can draw these parallels, because there are a lot of holes that are covered over by them. Bergen's character goes through a change that isn't really very believable, and Connery as the chieftain loses some authenticity every time he speaks with his usual Scottish accent. It gives off the aura of a sort of low-budget epic. The sets and costumes are all impressive, but the overall look of the film seems muted. The ending in particular is rather powerful, and Milius puts dialogue in the mouths of his actors that sends chills down the spine when one is reminded that history is more or less repeating itself. ~ Dan Friedman, All Movie Guide
 

Aaron Rochin: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Sound (nominated) Harry W. Tetrick: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Sound (nominated) Jerry Goldsmith: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Original Score (nominated) Roy Charman: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Sound (nominated) Wiliam L. McCaughey: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Sound (nominated)

General Specifications: Language Options: English, French Subtitle Options: English, French, Spanish Sound Processing: DD5.1: Dolby Digital w/ sub-woofer channel DD1: Dolby Digital Mono Additional Features: Soundtrack remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 Commentary by writer/director John Milius Vintage making-of featurette Theatrical trailer DVD Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1: Cinemascope MPAA Rating: PG DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 119 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 1. Credits [2:00] 2. Raid on Tangier [2:55] 3. Hostages [3:13] 4. Do Not Laugh [2:31] 5. What America Wants [3:08] 6. Great Deal of Trouble [5:16] 7. Diplomatic Lions [2:30] 8. Not a Barbarous Man [5:40] 9. American Interests [2:24] 10. Sleeping Arrangements [2:58] 11. Raisuli's Plan [:02] 12. Bears and Americans [5:26] 13. Audience With the Sultan [3:01] 14. American Wind [5:41] 15. American Grizzly [4:06] 16. Military Intervention [3:39] 17. Night Escape [4:34] 18. Prisoners Again [3:08] 19. One-Man Attack [3:19] 20. Both Bluffers [3:44] 21. Invasion Force [2:15] 22. Dangerous Occupiers [4:51] 23. Admirable Enemies [3:55] 24. Campfire Tales [3:55] 25. Respect in Decline [3:02] 26. Exchanging Names [4:23] 27. Quite Outnumbered [3:58] 28. Her Intention [6:09] 29. Battling the Germans [3:38] 30. I'll See You Again [4:36] 31. The Wind and the Lion [4:05] 32. End Credits [3:26]