THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING

US, 1975, 129 minutes, Colour.
Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Christopher Plummer, Saeed Jaffrey.
Directed by John Huston.

The large scale action film was a feature of the 30s and 40s, with Errol Flynn as Captain Blood or leading the Charge of the Light Brigade. This film version of Rudyard Kipling's adventure story has some of the outlines of these past epics. It is large scale, tells a good story, portrays heroism in a way that is larger than life. Director John Huston has made a number of unusual and memorable films over the years ? The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The African Queen, Moby Dick, Fat City. (He also made The Bible, not so memorable). He has said that he wanted to make this film for years. As it is, he is served by excellent location photography and some best ever performances by Michael Caine and Sean Connery. Christopher Plummer is also very good in an uncharacteristic performance as Kipling himself.

While the plot and the adventure are most important, the film also has a lot to say (indirectly) about human nature, ambitions and fantasies. In fact, the film can bee seen as a gigantic masculine fantasy about wealth, power and achievement. It is a visualizing of wish-fulfilment on a large scale. Two very ordinary British soldiers in Empire India, bonded together by fraternity and the code of the Masonic Lodge, go on a wild adventure and become kings. But the dream turns into nightmare and wish fulfilment is seen as ultimately destructive. There are parable overtones to Kipling's adventure story.

1. How enjoyable was this film? As an action film, spectacle, romance?

2. The emphasis of the title? The indications of the themes? The fantasy overtones? The sense of achievement? The irony of the plot?

3. The value of widescreen, colour, atmosphere, Indian locations, detail of place and people? How important for themes and character?

4. The impact of Sean Connery and Michael Caine in such a film?

5. The value of the Kipling structure and audience involvement? The beginning and end, the flashback structure?

6. The portrayal of Kipling as a character? How interesting and authentic? Kipling as author, person, journalist, a man of India? The audience identifying with him and listening to Carnahan and the story with him?

7. The impact of the story itself? The fact that it was farfetched, real, possible? The romance ingredients of such a story? The quest and adventure? The fairy tale nature? Audience response to such stories? Their firing the imagination?

8. The initial impact of the character of Peachy? His stealing the watch, the encounter with Kipling, pushing the Indian out of the train, using of Kipling for a meeting with Danny?

9. The introduction of the theme of chance, luck? As interpreted by Peachy? By Danny? The development of this theme throughout the film? The acceptance of luck and chance? The using of it? Being dominated and destroyed by it? How profound the exploration of it?

10. The introduction to Danny? As found by Kipling, friend of Peachy, the comic touches, his enterprise?

11. The significance of the pact? Its meaning, the values in its codes, Masonic lodges, their decision to follow this out? The setting of the encounter with Kipling at his office?

12. The merging of Peachy and Danny into India? Their disguise, their feel for India. their feel for the people, the dangers?

13. Travel? Danny as the mute priest, Peachy and his help with the language? The joke at the Khyber Pass? The friendly relationships with the travellers?

14. The fact of passing through the desert to another world? Their insistence on going forward?

15. The different terrain of the snow and the mountains? Pursuing their goal, the chasm and chance? Danny's blindness? The luck of the avalanche and the irony of the laughter causing it?

16. How well did they enter into their new life? How real, romantic? The training of the men? The nature of the battles? The British code? Its success? The natives' appreciation of it?

17. The contrast of the motivations of the people? Clashes and conflicts? Dominance? The picturing of the individuals?

18. The sympathetic portrayal of the people? The luck of finding Billy and his interpreting? The English style as "Icing" on the reality of India? The comic mode of this? The leaders, the priests, Roxanne?

19. The importance of the story of Alexander? Raising the adventure to the level of myth? The irony of Roxanne?

20. Wealth and jewels? The fulfilment of dreams within their grasp? The reality of choosing between jewels and human response? The jewels finally going down the mountain?

21. The effect of ruling on Danny? His coronation? Pomp and splendour? Making Peachy one of his subjects? His decisions and proclamations? The good that he was achieving? The impact on him and his not wanting to go?

22. Marriage? The possibility of a future dynasty? The irony of marriage being Danny's downfall? The priests and their belief in images and symbols? Their disbelief in blood?

23. How well filmed was the climax? The reaction of the priests, Roxanne's horror. Peachy realising that the game was up? Their attempt to escape, the deaths? Billy's death and its tragedy?

24. The nobility of Danny's death, dying as a king? The significance of his singing and the minstrel boy's song as theme of the whole film? The visualising of his death? A grand thing?

25. Peachy coming home to tell the story? The effect on him?

26. Even though the film was mainly an enjoyable adventure, how well did it probe the reality of man, ambitions, dreams and their fulfilment?