The Wind and the Lion (1975)

My Review

“The Wind and the Lion” is the story of President Teddy Roosevelt’s attempt to deal with the kidnapping of an American citizen and her two children by a Moroccan sheikh, based on a true story. Director-screenwriter John Milius (“Dillinger” 1973) put together a decent action-adventure film with a good cast, superior production values, and location shoots in the marvelous scenery of Spain (cinematography by Billy Williams).

There are outstanding performances by Sean Connery as Raisuli, Candace Bergen as Eden Pedecaris, and Brian Keith as President Theodore Roosevelt. Co-stars include John Huston, Geoffrey Lewis, Steve Kanaly, Roy Jenson, Darryl Fetty, Marc Zuber, Nadim Sawalha, and Deborah Baxter as Alice Roosevelt. The watchable epic historic drama “The Wind and the Lion” was a success in theatrical release, despite being released in the same time period as the Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster “Jaws.”

The film is a production of Herb Jaffe Productions and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, distributed by United Artists and Columbia Pictures. It was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Original Score (Jerry Goldsmith) and Best Sound.