The Man Who Would Be King

The Man Who Would Be King (1975)

Timing: 2:9 (129 min)

7.496/10
608

7.765/10
4401

7.7/10
55000

All about film

Video 2

Photo 30

Actors and characters

Release date

1975-12-03

Country

United Kingdom

Production

Persky-Bright Productions, Devon

Genre

Adventure, Drama

Budget

$8 000 000

Revenue

$12 678

Website

Director

John Huston

Actors

Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Christopher Plummer, Saeed Jaffrey, Doghmi Larbi, Jack May, Karroom Ben Bouih, Mohammad Shamsi, Albert Moses, Paul Antrim
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

John Foreman

Operator

Oswald Morris

Composer

Maurice Jarre

Artist

Audition

Boaty Boatwright

Editing

Russell Lloyd
All team (19)

• Rudyard Kipling's story, “The Man Who Would Be King,” was based on the real story of Josiah Harlan, the first American to set foot on Afghan territory. Born in Pennsylvania, the naturally adventurous Harlan traveled to Afghanistan in the early 19th century. Emir Dost Mohammad Khan of Kabul, noticing Harlan's military talent, made him commander-in-chief of the entire Afghan army.
• After filming "The Man Who Would Be King," Sean Connery and Michael Caine were supposed to receive 5% of the profits. Allied Artists studio cheated Connery and Caine, underpaying them $110,000 each. They decided to sue the studio, despite the risk of losing an amount far greater than what they were claiming. It was a matter of principle, as the proud Scotsman Sean stated. Allied Artists immediately issued a statement accusing Caine and Connery of publishing false and defamatory statements damaging to the company. In the ensuing verbal war, Connery struck back, telling the "New York Times" about the corruption prevalent in Hollywood. This was followed by the delivery of a lawsuit from Allied Artists to him for $21 million for defamation, and both actors received lawsuits for $10 million each for discrediting the company.
• During filming, Sean Connery personally performed a risky stunt: he fell from a rope bridge into a chasm. The scene was filmed in a deep gorge, and Sean fell about a hundred feet before landing on a large pile of cardboard boxes. The episode was shot several times, and not every time did he have to fall deep into the chasm. Documentary footage of the film's shooting clearly shows Connery falling from the bridge into a safety net in one of the takes, descending about 15 meters.
• Karum Ben Buikh was a watchman at an olive grove located near the filming location. He was invited to appear in the film after a chance encounter with John Huston. After the centenarian fell asleep several times during filming, it was discovered that he still worked as a watchman, filming during the day and guarding the olive grove at night. Huston explained to him that Ben Buikh no longer needed his old job, as he would be well paid for filming the movie.
• For 103-year-old Karum Ben Buikh, who played the high priest Kafu-Selim, this role was his first and last in his life.
• Several kilometers from Tanaghout, an hour's drive from Marrakech, the filmmakers built the fairytale Sacred City of Sikandergul on one of the hills. Ultimately, 30 different locations in the vicinity of Marrakech and Ouarzazate were used for filming.
• Director John Huston and producer John Foreman chose Morocco for filming because the country features a vast number of different peoples and languages, including Arabic, African, French, and Berber. In addition, it was possible to film various landscapes, including deserts, plains, forests, hills, lush countryside, and mountains.
• Christopher Plummer plays Rudyard Kipling in the film. Kipling, as a character in his own works, first appeared in George Stevens' film 'Gunga Din' (1939); he was played by Reginald Sheffield. Kipling as a film character can also be seen in Irving Rappers' 'The Adventures of Mark Twain' (1944); Paul Scardon played him in that role.
• It took visual effects creator Albert Whitlock only six hours to paint the interiors of the Sikandergul fortress.
• Christopher Plummer plays Rudyard Kipling in the film. Kipling, as a character in his own works, first appeared in George Stevens’ “Gunga Din” (1939), played by Reginald Sheffield. Kipling as a film character can also be seen in Irving Rappers’ “The Adventures of Mark Twain” (1944), portrayed by Paul Scardon.