Sandokan the Great | |
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Directed by | Umberto Lenzi |
Produced by | Solly V. Bianco[1] |
Screenplay by | |
Based on | Sandokan the Great by Emilio Salgari[1] |
Starring | |
Music by | Giovanni Fusco[1] |
Cinematography |
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Edited by | Jolanda Benvenuti[1] |
Release date |
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114 minutes[1] | |
Country |
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Emilio Salgari was born in Verona to a family of modest merchants. From a young age, he had a desire to explore the seas and studied seamanship at a nautical technical institution in Venice, but his academic performance was too poor, and he never graduated. Sandokan the Great (Italian: Sandokan, la tigre di Mompracem) is a 1963 Italian adventure film, directed by Umberto Lenzi and starring Steve Reeves. It is the first film in a film series about Sandokan, the pirate. During the reign of Queen Victoria, British forces led by Lord Hillock occupy Tapuah, subduing its population through mass.
Sandokan the Great (Italian: Sandokan, la tigre di Mompracem) is a 1963 Italian adventure film, directed by Umberto Lenzi and starring Steve Reeves.[2][3] It is the first film in a film series about Sandokan, the pirate.
- 6References
Plot[edit]
During the reign of Queen Victoria, British forces led by Lord Hillock occupy Tapuah, subduing its population through mass murder. Among their victims are the mother and brothers of Sandokan, and he in reprisal organizes a revolutionary band. When Hillock attempts to entrap the rebel by threatening to hang his father, the Sultan of Mulaker, Sandokan penetrates Hillock's home, taking as hostage the Englishman's niece, Mary Ann. Although initially indignant, Mary Ann comes to love her captor. Following an encounter with headhunters, Sandokan and his men are surrounded by Hillock's forces, and an armistice is negotiated according to which Sandokan and his gang will be exiled in return for Mary Ann's release. Hillock immediately violates the agreement, however, imprisoning the rebels and planning for their immediate execution. Escaping, the insurgents, joined by Mary Ann, combine with the army of the native chieftain Tuang Olong to free their homeland from British domination. Hillock is allowed to leave unharmed (the officers directly responsible for the deaths of Sandokan's family members are killed in the final battle). To the horror of her uncle, Mary Ann opts to remain with Sandokan and be his bride.
Cast[edit]
- Steve Reeves as Sandokan
- Geneviève Grad as Mary Ann
- Andrea Bosic as Yanez
- Rik Battaglia as Sambigliong
- Mario Valdemarin as Tenente Ross
- Leo Anchóriz as Lord Guillonk
- Antonio Molino Rojo as Tenente Toymby
- Enzo Fiermonte as Sergente Mitchell
- Nazzareno Zamperla as Hirangu
Production[edit]
Giovanni Cianfriglia was the stunt double for Steve Reeves.[4] The film's exterior scenes were filmed in Spain.[5]
Release[edit]
Sandokan the Great opened in Italy in December 1963 under the title of Sandokan, la tigre di Mompracem (Sandokan, the Tiger of Mompracem) at 115 minutes, in Madrid in March 1964 under the title of Sandokan, and later in Paris in December 1964 as Sandokan, le tigre de Bornéo (Sandokan, the Tiger of Borneo).[5] It was released in the USA in 1965 as Sandokan the Great.[5]
Reception[edit]
In a contemporary review, the Monthly Film Bulletin reviewed a dubbed 89 minute version of the film.[1] The review referred to the film as 'sagily and fairly stodgily directed by Umberto Lenzi' with an 'adequate but anonymous performance by Steve Reeves'.[1] The review concluded that the film was 'fine for anyone particularly partial to children's adventure stories. The scenes in the swamp and jungle are pleasingly photographed in authentic story-book colours.'[1]
References[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
- ^ abcdefghijkl'Sandokan, La Tigre di mompracem (Sandokan the Great)'. Monthly Film Bulletin. Vol. 32 no. 372. British Film Institute. 1965. pp. 77–78. ISSN0027-0407.
- ^Curti 2013, p. 296.
- ^Curti 2013, p. 297.
- ^Hughes 2011, p. 39.
- ^ abc'Sandokan the Great'. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
Sources[edit]
- Curti, Roberto (2013). Italian Crime Filmography, 1968-1980. McFarland. ISBN0786469765.
- Hughes, Howard (2011). Cinema Italiano - The Complete Guide From Classics To Cult. London - New York: I.B.Tauris. ISBN978-1-84885-608-0.
External links[edit]
- Sandokan the Great on IMDb
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