The Wind and the Lion: Amazon.ca: DVD: DVD

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The up-and-down career of director John Milius had no finer moment than The Wind and the Lion, a dandy adventure tale. It's based on fact: An American (played by Candice Bergen) and her two children were kidnapped in 1904 Morocco by a Berber tribe, an international incident settled by President Theodore Roosevelt's "big stick" military muscle. The film's sweep and swagger are unabashedly old-fashioned, even as Milius occasionally pokes fun at the grand characters. Some of the peripheral material is sloppy, but as long as Milius keeps his sites locked on the two powerful protagonists, he's dead-on: Brian Keith makes a gutsy Roosevelt, and Sean Connery is in splendid form (with Scots accent in place--got a problem with that?) as the dashing Berber chieftain. Perhaps overshadowed by John Huston's The Man Who Would be King the same year (Huston plays advisor John Hay in this one), Wind makes a marvelous companion piece. --Robert Horton

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Customer Reviews

67 Reviews

5 star:		(56)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

Average Customer Review

4.6 out of 5 stars (67 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars well done, Jun 2 2011

By

Michael B. Neuman - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Wind and the Lion (DVD)

We had seen this movie on tv some time ago and thought it was a good story with excellent casting of the characters. For a topic that could have degenerated into a fully bloody presentation, we found that there was humour as well. Acting was first rate.

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3.0 out of 5 stars The DVD ruined the best scene, July 13 2004

By

klownboy "klownboy" (Minnesota - Where if its not mandated, its prohibited.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wind and the Lion (DVD)

First the good stuff. This is a pretty enjoyable movie. Connery's casting as the barbary pirate / lord of the Riff starts out as rather unbelievable, but it grows on you. Brian Keith is perfect as Theodore Roosevelt. Keith and the script do a great job of showcasing this man's beliefs, pretenses, and genuine nobility. My only complaint about the performances; It would've been nice if Candice Bergin had picked one accent and gone with it. The romance is a little forced, but hey, it's a movie.

"LOOSELY" based on a historical incident, it remains relevant even in today's world. The contrast between a slumbering but decisive America that is willing to negotiate to a point, but go it alone if it must to protect it's citizens, versus a self-absorbed charismatic leader who uses religion to justify his own desires for power and place. Sound familiar?

Based on the above, I'd give the movie itself a weak 4 star rating, but the DVD fumbles.

The pinheads in charge of subtitling this better than average film managed to screw up one of the finest depictions of 1900's era small unit actions in the history of cinema. This piece of film is (or was until recently) used in the training of US Marine Corps officers. They obviously used historical and technical experts to get the movie right, why couldn't they have talked to even an ROTC cadet to make sure that the command verbage in the subtitles was correct? Very shoddy, and unfortunately it is becoming typical of the level of quality in the DVD market. A minor point for most, but a notable and easily avoidable flaw.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Fantastic, July 7 2004

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Richard Bamberg (Huntsville, AL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wind and the Lion (DVD)

I saw this movie at the theater, many years ago, and was taken by the fantastic story of Theodore Roosevelt vs the Sheik. The main stars of this movie perform splendidly and the rest are just as entertaining. As someone who studied Teddy in school and later in life, I must add that I thought Brian Keith's portrayal was far and away the best likeness of Teddy that has ever been done in a movie. Sean Connery plays the Sheik masterfully and nobly and in this current time it is nice to see a balance approach to the "barbaric" Islam tribes. Connery plays the Sheik as honorable and worthy of respect. Definitely a must see movie.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars FABULOUS FILM THAT STILL HOLDS UP
"The Wind and the Lion" was a beautiful John Milius film and story, with a pulse-pounding sound track. Brian Keith plays Teddy Roosevelt, who orders U.S. Read more

Published on Jun 7 2004 by Steven R. Travers

2.0 out of 5 stars Saved from the bargain bin by history
Once a while a film re-surfaces or is come upon that proves to be somewhat effective and powerful through no fault of its own, not because of any specific aspect of its plot or... Read more

Published on April 20 2004 by Daniel Friedman