KING OF THE WIND
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1996 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): * 1/2
KING OF THE WIND (1989) is set in North Africa in the year 1727. As the show starts, an Arabian colt is being born. The horse, known as Sham, has a birthmark that the superstitious people of that time think is a bad omen so they want to kill him immediately.
A stable boy named Agba (Navin Chowdhry) convinces the stable master Achmet (Nigel Hawthorne) not to kill the horse. Achmet is fond of the stable boy and takes extra care of him because he is mute. It is probably this love for him that causes him not to follow his natural superstitions.
Eventually, Sham, which is owned by the Bey of Tunis (Ian Richardson from Masterpiece Theater's excellent series, "House of Cards", "To Play the King", and "The Final Cut"), is made part of a group of horse to be sent to the King of France as a gift. This crushes Agba's heart because he loves the horse so. The Bey is so touched that he agrees that Agba can accompany Achmet with the horses on the sea journey to the King.
The people on the ship utter one racial epithet after another and treat the Arabs and their horses with no respect. On board the ship, disaster strikes, as it always does on board ships in stories like this.
Once in France, the horses are not very welcomed. Although they should be prime racing horses, the French find them inferior because they are afterall, smaller than normal. Eventually, they send them off to die in the army. Only Sham is saved so that he can do menial chores pulling a wagon. From there, you can write the rest of the story yourself. Pretty much what you think will happen does.
There are a lot of known actors in film including Richard Harris as King George II, Glenda Jackson as Queen Caroline, Anthony Quayle as Lord Granville, Peter Vaughan as the Captain, Paul Spurrier as King Louis XV, and Joan Hickson as Duchess of Marlborough. Nevertheless, the film is about Agba and Navin Chowdhry gives a miserable and lifeless performance as Agba.
The direction by Peter Duffell and the screenplay by Phil Frey and Leslie Sayle based on the novel by Marguerite Henry takes no risks. This is a movie that tries first and foremost to be wholesome. It succeeds. On the other hand, as compelling entertainment, it does not deliver. Even my amiable son Jeffrey (age 7), who tends to like every single movie he sees, found it kind of boring. If you want to see a great story about horses, try BLACK BEAUTY (1994).
KING OF THE WIND runs 1:43. It is rated PG, but it is really more a G film. I am not quite sure why it got the PG rating. It would be fine for any kid, but I suspect the slow pace and the lack of an involving story may lose the attention of most children. I can not recommend this show whose only claims to fame are that it is about horses and that it is for whole family. I give it * 1/2.
**** = One of the top few films of this or any year. A must see film. *** = Excellent show. Look for it. ** = Average movie. Kind of enjoyable. * = Poor show. Don't waste your money. 0 = One of the worst films of this or any year. Totally unbearable.
REVIEW WRITTEN ON: May 18, 1996
Opinions expressed are mine and not meant to reflect my employer's.
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