The Man Who Would Be King
Adventure in all its glory!
Country
Production
Budget
$8 000 000
Box office
$12 678
Director
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)
All actors and roles (10)
Scenario
Producer
John Foreman
Camera operator
Oswald Morris
Composer
Artist
Alexandre Trauner
Audition
Boaty Boatwright
Editing
Russell Lloyd
Whole Team (39)
Whole Team (39)
Short description
Tired of life as soldiers, Peachy Carnehan and Danny Dravot travel to the isolated land of Kafiristan, where they are ultimately embraced by the people and revered as rulers. After a series of misunderstandings, the natives come to believe that Dravot is a god, but he and Carnehan can't keep up their deception forever.
What's left behind the scenes
- During filming, Sean Connery performed a risky stunt himself: falling from a rope bridge into an abyss. The scene was filmed in a deep gorge; Sean plummeted about a hundred feet before landing on a large pile of cardboard boxes. The episode was filmed several times, and not every take required a deep fall. In the documentary footage of the production, it is clearly visible how Connery, in one of the takes, falls from the bridge into a rope net after dropping about 15 meters.
- For 103-year-old Karrum Ben Bouikh, who played the high priest Kafu-Selim, this role became the first and last of his life.
- Karrum Ben Bouikh was a caretaker of an olive grove located near the filming location. He was invited to appear in the movie after a chance encounter with John Huston. After the centenarian fell asleep several times during filming, it was discovered that he was still working as a caretaker—filming during the day and guarding the olive grove at night. Huston explained to him that Ben Bouikh no longer needed his old job, as he would be well paid for his role in the film.
- 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.
- After filming "The Man Who Would Be King," Sean Connery and Michael Caine were to receive 5% of the profits. Allied Artists studio cheated Connery and Caine, underpaying them by $110,000 each. They decided to file a lawsuit against the studio, despite the fact that if they failed, they could lose an amount incomparably larger than what they were claiming. It was a matter of principle, as the proud Scotsman Sean declared. Allied Artists immediately issued a statement accusing Caine and Connery of publishing false, slanderous statements that defamed the company. In the subsequent war of words, Connery struck back by telling the New York Times about the corruption prevailing in Hollywood. This was followed by Allied Artists serving him with a $21 million lawsuit for libel; additionally, both actors were served with $10 million lawsuits for disparaging the company.
- 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.
- 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), played by Reginald Sheffield. Kipling as a film character can also be seen in Irving Rapper's 'The Adventures of Mark Twain' (1944), played by Paul Scardon.
- Rudyard Kipling's story "The Man Who Would Be King" was based on the true story of Josiah Harlan, the first American to set foot on Afghan soil. Born in Pennsylvania and an adventurer by nature, Harlan traveled to Afghanistan in the early 19th century. The Emir of Kabul, Dost Mohammed Khan, noticing Harlan's military talent, appointed him commander-in-chief of the entire Afghan army.
- 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.
- 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.
- For 103-year-old Karum Ben Buikh, who played the high priest Kafu-Selim, this role was his first and last in his life.
- Director John Huston and producer John Foreman chose Morocco for filming because the country is home to a vast number of different peoples and languages, including Arabic, African, French, and Berber. Additionally, it offered a variety of landscapes to film, 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’ “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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Visual effects creator Albert Whitlock took only six hours to paint the interiors of the Sikandargul fortress.
- It took visual effects creator Albert Whitlock only six hours to paint the interiors of the Sikandergul fortress.
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Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
