Bad Movie Logo
"A website to the detriment of good film"
Custom Search
HOMEB-MOVIE REVIEWSREADER REVIEWSFORUMINTERVIEWSUPDATESABOUT
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Did you miss your activation email?
March 28, 2024, 03:28:16 PM
713361 Posts in 53058 Topics by 7725 Members
Latest Member: wibwao
Badmovies.org Forum  |  Movies  |  Good Movies  |  Sandokan the Great (1963) & Sandokan: Pirate of Malaysia (1964) « previous next »
Pages: [1]
Author Topic: Sandokan the Great (1963) & Sandokan: Pirate of Malaysia (1964)  (Read 4374 times)
Neville
Frightening Fanatic of Horrible Cinema
****

Karma: 142
Posts: 3050



« on: July 19, 2009, 12:56:11 PM »




Plot: Malasyan pirate Sandokan (Steve Reeves) accidentally learns that Lord Brook plots to obtain the crown of Malasya by kidnapping the legitimate rajah and his daughter and forcing them to abdict. He quickly gathers his best man and his lieutennant, Yañez, and launches a rescue operation.

Comments: The Sandokan novels by Emilio Salgari are easily among my childhood favorite readings. What they lack in historical background and character development they compensate with thick, sometimes terrifying atmosphere (specially in those books where Sandokan fights the Thugs), dynamic, often bloody, action and outlandish cliffhangers.

So when I heard Steve Reeves and Umberto Lenzi had filmed a series of two films about Sandokan, I was all anxious to see the results. Which are... well, different than I expected.

First thing first, watching the films feels nothing like reading the novels. The characters and the settings are here, as well as the villains, but Lenzi and company basically aim for a traditional pirate / adventure film, forgetting about the colorful characterisation and dynamic action that made Salgari's novels so great. Instead we get lavish settings (both films seem reasonably budgeted, and were filmed in the beautiful landscapes of Sri Lanka and Singapore) and decent, but just that, action.

One of my main issues with these films is that for a series that essentially deals with pirates, there's surprisingly little pirating or naval action to be found. Instead, Reeves and the other actors exchange fire with the British, chase or are chased (it's hard to tell, given how much the characters seem to care) throughout jungles and get in a few mass brawls / firefights.

Still, I feel I'm being too hard on these films. Steve Reeves proves he could remain clothed throughout an entire film and shows he had more talent than he ofen is credited for. Behaving like the strong, silent type and devoid of any visible conflicts, his Sandokan is not exactly the most engaging of heroes. But his charisma shines trough well enough, and Reeves gets to show some physical prowess durinf the brawls.

As for director Umberto Lenzi, later known for his horror films, he gives both adventures the adequate tone (I'll give him that, both films stay away from camp, unlike the later TV series with Kabir Bedi as Sandokan), keeps the action flowing at the right pace (specially in the second film, the most action packed of the two) and frames the countless extras and the beautiful scenarios with undeniable professionality.

But I still miss the passion.
Logged

Due to the horrifying nature of this film, no one will be admitted to the theatre.
BoyScoutKevin
Frightening Fanatic of Horrible Cinema
****

Karma: 277
Posts: 5030


« Reply #1 on: August 10, 2009, 04:35:22 PM »

I've seen Sandokan the Great, and liked it well enough, but I never knew it was based on a series of books. I'll have to keep that in mind. And thank-you for that bit of information Neville.
Logged
Neville
Frightening Fanatic of Horrible Cinema
****

Karma: 142
Posts: 3050



« Reply #2 on: August 13, 2009, 03:53:41 PM »

Yep, Sandokan was created by Italian XIX century writer Emilio Salgari. Salgari, together with Jules Verne is one of those authors who, for some reason, have ended up being labelled as "children friendly", and my parents had no problem with me reading their works.

Truth is, I have no idea what kind of audience Salgari had in mind. The characters and their conflicts are extremely simple, as if Salgari still had something of a child in him, but there's a lot of action, and it's both cinematic and bloody. And the stuff in the books where Sandokan fights the thugs makes "Temple of doom" look like a fairy tale.
Logged

Due to the horrifying nature of this film, no one will be admitted to the theatre.
Pages: [1]
Badmovies.org Forum  |  Movies  |  Good Movies  |  Sandokan the Great (1963) & Sandokan: Pirate of Malaysia (1964) « previous next »
    Jump to:  


    RSS Feed Subscribe Subscribe by RSS
    Email Subscribe Subscribe by Email


    Popular Articles
    How To Find A Bad Movie

    The Champions of Justice

    Plan 9 from Outer Space

    Manos, The Hands of Fate

    Podcast: Todd the Convenience Store Clerk

    Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

    Dragonball: The Magic Begins

    Cool As Ice

    The Educational Archives: Driver's Ed

    Godzilla vs. Monster Zero

    Do you have a zombie plan?

    FROM THE BADMOVIES.ORG ARCHIVES
    ImageThe Giant Claw - Slime drop

    Earth is visited by a GIANT ANTIMATTER SPACE BUZZARD! Gawk at the amazingly bad bird puppet, or chuckle over the silly dialog. This is one of the greatest b-movies ever made.

    Lesson Learned:
    • Osmosis: os·mo·sis (oz-mo'sis, os-) n., 1. When a bird eats something.

    Subscribe to Badmovies.org and get updates by email:

    HOME B-Movie Reviews Reader Reviews Forum Interviews TV Shows Advertising Information Sideshows Links Contact

    Badmovies.org is owned and operated by Andrew Borntreger. All original content is © 1998 - 2014 by its respective author(s). Image, video, and audio files are used in accordance with the Fair Use Law, and are property of the film copyright holders. You may freely link to any page (.html or .php) on this website, but reproduction in any other form must be authorized by the copyright holder.