Film fulfils producer’s 20-year dream

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34128, 14 April 1976, Page 14

Film fulfils producer’s 20-year dream

John Huston had wanted to bring Rudyard Kipling’s classic story, “The Man Who Would Be King,” to the screen for more than 20 years, Christopher Plummer portrays Rudyard Kipling himself, at the time of the story a young journalist in his late twenties who works as local correspondent for the “Northern Star’’ in Lahore. After discovering accidentally that

Dravot and Carnehan are brother-Freemasons, Kipling develops a strange affection for the pair, and it is to him that the adventurers outline their plan to trek to Afghanistan. Saeed Jaffrey plays the role of the cheerful, exGurkha soldier known as Billy Fish, who becomes another enthusiastic “lieutenant” to Dravot when he reaches the dizzy heights of “kingship.” Michael Caine’s wife, Shakira, portrays Roxanne, a sensual but strangely remote girl, who catches the attention of Dravot after he has been hailed as a king and a god. Director-writer-actor John Huston is one of the cinema's most distinguished film-makers, as well as being a colourful personality in his own right. His films have included "The Maltese Falcon,” "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” “Key Largo,” “The Asphalt Jungle,” “The Red Badge of Courage,” “The African Queen,” “Moulin Rouge,” “Beat the Devil,” “Moby Dick,” “The Misfits,” “The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean,” “Fat City” and “The Macintosh Man.” His most recent acting appear-

ances have been In ’’Chinatown” and “The Wind and the Lion.” John Foreman has produced two previous motion pictures directed by John Huston: “The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean” and “The Macintosh Man.” After becoming co-founder of Creative Management Associates, Foreman went on to form a new company with Paul Newman, and this company has since made, with Foreman producing, II films, including “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” Apart from winning international recognition and popularity for his memorable portrayal of secret agent 007 James Bond in a number of successful films, Sean Connery has starred in such other motion pictures as “The Hill,” “The Anderson Tapes,” “Zardoz,” "Murder on the Orient Express” and “The Wind and the Lion.” Michael Caine, one of the screen’s busiest actors, has appeared in such films as “Zulu,” “The Ipcress File,” “Alfie,” “The Wrong Box,” “The Battle of Britain,” “Too Late the Hero,” “Get Carter,” “Sleuth” and “The Wilby Conspiracy.” In 1973, he received an

Academy , Award nomination for his preformance opposite Sir Laurence Olivier in "‘Sleuth.” Christopher Plummer, apart from his widelyhailed Shakespearean roles on the stage in Canada, the United States and Britain, starred in “The Fall of the Roman Empire,” “The Sound of Music, ” “Inside Daisy Clover,” “The Battle of Britain,” “The Royal Hunt of the Sun,” “Waterloo” and “The Return of the Pink Panther.” Tndia-born Saeed Jaffrey has appeared in several London and New York stage productions and on British and American television plays and series. His most recent films include “The Horseman” with Omar Sharif, and “The Wilby Conspiracy” with Sidney Poitier, Michael Caine" and Nicol Williamson. “The Man Who Would Be King” marks a first screen role for Shakira Caine. The wife of Michael Caine, she is a former Miss Guiana and runner-up in the 1967 Miss World contest. After that beauty pageant, she won recognition as a leading photographer’s model before her marriage to Michael Caine.