Customer Reviews

The Wind and the Lion

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This film was always one of my favorites from the time that it came out in 1975. I was curious as to how close the novelization was to the original- and if it would include any additional information not included in the film as shot. I found it to be extremely close to the film with a few minor exceptions. By reading the story you pick up plot and set details that you might otherwise miss. I have heard people call this film "flawed"- honestly I do not see where either it, or this book, has any obvious major flaws. They are true classics.

One other thing, coming back to this film after many years can change your perspective. When I first saw it in my younger days, the character of Theodore Roosevelt was my clear favorite. In fact, I resented what I saw as the parodying of him in a few scenes. My favorite details were the accurate depictions of historical ships, weapons, and uniforms. I found the unabashed imperialist theme to be thrilling and inspiring.

Now, watching the same film three decades later, it is the Raisuli and his people that I find to be the more interesting. The American and European characters seem somehow trivial and shallow in comparison. The Imperial "game" seems wasteful and pointless. On the other hand, the Raisuli is a man of depth. When he was young and foolish he thought that he could ignore or oppose the will of God. Then, in the living death of the dungeons of Mogador, he was reborn. Even the guards recognized that the Baraka was with him. He wandered alone into the mountains and became Lord of the Riff, true defender of the faith, by divine providence. This is a king in the truest, traditional sense- a man who is one with his people, his land, his God. He fights to free his land of the corruption of the profane outsiders, and those who would betray all in the name of mere money. He is the Lion that represents the heart of the land, fighting against the tide of the meaningless, relentless western wind. In comparison to this, all other characters are as childish, cardboard cutouts of true men.

This particular edition contains a large section on the making of the film in the back. Milius talks of his vision for it, and the difficulties in getting it made. There are some interesting anecdotes (like the problem in getting the actual U.S. Marine extras and the Spanish army extras to start off in the marching scenes on the same foot.) There are also individual biographies of the actors playing all the major characters, as well as that of the writer-director and producer. The cover art is based on the original poster art for the movie.

The movie is definitely a great addition to any film collection, the book not so much. I was hoping to read the story behind the movie, thinking it would be larger with expanded background, greater plot, additional motivation, etc... Not so. The book is basically the screenplay, a printed version of the movie with the same scenes, same characters, and same dialog. So what's the point? Buy or rent the movie, you won't be disappointed. The book is supurfluous. rdp

This is a good novelization of a great movie. There is plenty of good Milius dialogue to appreciate: "Why spoil the beauty of a thing with legality?", "Damn the legations!" and "...if we fail and are killed, I certainly hope the world does go to war."

The representaion of Teddy Roosevelt leaves little doubt that, were he president today, Iraq would have been a grease spot.

Basically this is everything you'd expect from a tie-in novel. The movie is a great piece of light entertainment; the book is a quick read but is more a curio than an entertaining work.

Milius has a fine prose style that serves him well. The opening scene, with the Raisuli's raid on Tangier, is as thrilling on the written page as it is on the screen, full of vivid and colorful descriptions and accounts of action. He knows a good phrase when he hears one and uses them very well to create atmosphere and emotion throughout. In this regard, the book is interesting; had this been an actual novel rather than a reworking of a script, Milius could perhaps have made a truly rivetting read.

Unfortunately, the book on the whole is predictably shallow and fairly by-the-numbers. The battle scenes in particular are rushed through; we read about epic clashes but these are described as happening, not depicted in any real depth. The movie provides little chance to examine the characters; characters are presented almost entirely through dialogue, without much credence given to their thoughts and actions. It reads like a slightly re-worked screenplay, nothing more, and ultimately it's more interesting than entertaining; indeed, it's too slight to really be entertaining. The film does a better job developing the characters and storyline, and much of the dialogue comes across much better spoken than written on the page.

The most interesting aspect of the book is the stuff that isn't in the film. Besides the siginificant differences in chronology, there are several scenes cut from the original: Roosevelt is first seen (well, after his introduction) rowing a boat in the Potomac; Consul-General Gummere watching triumphantly as the Atlantic Squadron sails into Tangier Harbor; Eden taking a luxurious bath at the Raisuli's palace and contemplating her predicament. These are all nice moments and it's a shame they didn't make it into the final film. The book also includes some making-of materials as an appendix, presumably from the film's press kit, which will be of interest to the film's fans.