The Man Who Would Be King
A 1975 film directed by John Huston and starring Sean Connery and Michael Caine about the glorious and awful sides of European Imperialism. This film follows former non-commissioned officers of the British Raj on a journey into the wilds beyond the Khyber Pass and into the lands of Kafiristan on a mission to become kings or die trying.
Based on a short story by Rudyard Kipling, the movie is very faithful and differs from the story only in the ending.
This film contains examples of:
- Alas Poor Yorick: The end.
- Ancient Conspiracy: Peachy and Danny are members of the Freemasons. When this is found out, it marks them as the descendants of Alexander the Great to the Holy Men.
- Audience Surrogate: Kipling.
- Awesome Moment of Crowning: Danny gets a very humble one.
- A God Am I: Danny develops this attitude.
- Battle Interrupting Shout: Priests walk across the battle field and the War stops.
- Book Ends
- Celibate Hero: Subverted.
- Chased By Angry Natives: After the wedding.
- Crazy Homeless People: Peachy appears to be one at the start of the film.
- Con Man: Both of the protagonists.
- Cunning Linguist: Billy Fish.
- Dueling Stars Movie: Sean Connery and Michael Caine.
- Feud Episode: Brought on by the A God Am I trope.
- Final Speech: At the end of the film, as they face death, the protagonists join together in singing a rousing Protestant hymn, "The Son of God Goes Forth To War", which is sung to the tune of "Minstrel Boy"
- Fun With Foreign Languages: Kafiristan means "Land of Infidels".
- God Guise: The basis of most of the plot.
- Heroic Vow: The Contract.
- Heterosexual Life Partners: Peachy and Danny.
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Daniel Dravot: "Peachy, I'm heartily ashamed for getting you killed instead of going home rich like you deserved, on account of me being so bleeding high and bloody mighty. Can you forgive me?" |
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- I Choose to Stay: Subverted.
- I'm a Doctor Not A Placeholder:
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Billy Fish: After refusing his chance to escape in a horse: Gurkha is foot soldier, not cavalry. |
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- In Medias Res: Of the How We Got Here variety.
- It Has Been an Honour: Peachy and Danny stuck in the Hindu Kush, where they think they will freeze to death.
- And Billy Fish, refusing his chance to escape.
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"Gurkha foot soldier, not cavalry. Rifleman Majendra Bahadur Gurung wishing you many good lucks." *Draws kukri and charges the mob* "Ayo Gurkhali!" |
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- Karma Houdini: The High Priest of Kafiristan.
- Kick the Dog: Not performed by a villain, but by one of the protagonists, who throws an eager-to-please Indian out of a moving train at the start of the film.
- Lean and Mean: The High Priest of Kafiristan.
- Loveable Rogue: The protagonists.
- Mentors: Kipling.
- Mister Danger: Peachy and Daniel in spades.
- Nubile Savage: Roxanne and a woman who attempts to seduce Peachy at one point in the film.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Danny masquerades as a 'poor, harmless priest' in order to gain safe passage through Afghanistan.
- Ominous Latin Chanting: Not quite, but omnious tribal music during the wedding sequence lets the audience know something is up...
- Pocket Protector: Used to stop an arrow with a bandolier.
- Prophetic Names: Roxanne, who shares the name of one of the wives of Alexander the Great.
- Real Life Relative: Roxanne is played by Shakira Caine, Michael's wife.
- Scenery Porn: The remote region of Kafiristan.
- Sinister Minister: The High Priest of Kafiristan.
- Sole Survivor: Billy Fish of a mapping expedition years before Danny and Peachy set out.
- Tempting Fate: Danny.
- Thwarted Escape: The end of the film.
- Training the Peaceful Villagers: Peachy and Danny do a lot of it in order to build up their Kingdom.
- Unreliable Narrator: Averted at the end, when Peachy proves the tale was true by taking Danny's head out of a bag with the crown still on it.
- Very Loosely Based On a True Story: The film is based partly on the travels of American adventurer Josiah Harlan and James Brooke, the English "white Raja" of Sarawak in Borneo.
- What Could Have Been: This was originally going to be made in the 1950s, starring Humphrey Bogart as Peachy and Clark Gable as Danny.
- Huston initially approached Paul Newman and Robert Redford to play the leads. Redford said the parts should be played by British actors, and suggested Connery and Caine instead.
- White Mans Burden: One of the main themes.