John Huston’s 1975 adventure tale almost defies
description. It so filled with important themes (power corrupts absolutely,
British imperialism in India was a huge mistake, loyalty to any dogma - religious,
historical, political - is dangerous, an adventurous spirit can overcome any
obstacle), magnificent scenery (filmed in Morocco), fantastic acting
(Christopher Plummer, Sean Connery, Michael Caine), intelligent exposition
(John Huston’s script) and great adventure (Rudyard Kipling’s original story)
that it almost seems like one is talking about multiple movies. In a sense that
is appropriate, because director Huston put everything he had into this film.
All his abilities as a storyteller and visual artist are at their zenith for
the making of this epic picture. Each scene is a stunning set piece of
beautiful landscapes; sympathetic lighting and music; and plot or character
development. The Man Who Would Be King is dense with all the details that
make for great movies, and it is an enormously entertaining and
thought-provoking cautionary tale as relevant today as it was when Kipling
wrote it (1888). In many ways it is a summation of Huston’s career, which was
already extraordinary by anyone’s reckoning.
Taking place in turn of 19th century
India, Christopher Plummer plays young journalist Rudyard Kipling, who
befriends two con-men who, when decommissioned from the British army, find
themselves adrift and looking for adventure. They strike upon a plan to travel
to Kafiristan (mountainous Afghanistan) where they will befriend local tribal
leaders, help them vanquish their enemies, and then themselves subvert power
and become kings of this primitive land. Huston leads them through an
escalating series of adventures, filmed with genuine skill and on-location
panache, landing them finally in remote tribal areas. The years since September
11, 2001 have only lent a greater element of risk and mystery to this region of
the world making it seem even more likely to contain secrets unknown to the Western
world. Amazingly, the two adventurers (Connery as Daniel Dravot and Caine as
Peachey Carnehan) actually start to realize their far-fetched plan. Through a
series of unlikely but believable coincidences the local pagan tribespeople
accept Daniel Dravot as their king, and eventually as the second coming of
their God Sikander (who turns out to have been Alexander The Great). On the
verge of getting away with the largest treasure on earth, Dravot starts to
believe his own hype. He first asks Peachey to bow before him like all the
other tribespeople (“just for appearances”) and before long, he has convinced
himself that he is indeed some kind of reincarnation of Alexander and that he
will eventually gain his rightful place as one of the great rulers of earth. 
It certainly doesn’t take a genius to figure out
that this is going to go horribly wrong, and it does in spectacular fashion. As
power clouds Daniel’s vision, his ego takes the lead position and begins to
drive the whole train off the cliff (figuratively and literally). The last half
hour of the film unfolds in such a precise reading of human failing that it
almost feels as if it is in slow motion. We wince as Daniel falls prey to his
own weakness. Not that either of the lead characters have projected much
humanity. They are, for the most part, despicable thieves who get precisely
what they deserve. It is a tribute to both actors that these characters are
simultaneously compelling and humorous while embodying all that is detestable
in human nature. There are shocks and surprises aplenty, so it is best to stop
the plot summary and encourage you to see it…on as big a screen as you can
find. I hadn’t seen this movie in over a decade, but scene after scene came
back to me as though they were slide shows of my own life: so indelible are
Huston’s images. In today’s world of computer-generated, outer space scenery,
it is entirely thrilling to remember what great film making was all about. John
Huston plies his craft with such confident expertise that it is literally
breathtaking. His story takes in the scope of human ambition and failure and he
tells it with the visual majesty of nature itself. It is as big and great as
movie-making gets.
-
Paul
Epstein
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