"Wife is watching colonial movies, what next?" Topic

So I managed to get my wife to watch Khartoum
which she enjoyed,(liked both the Mahdi and Gordon). So she then agreed to watch the
Wind and the Lion, which she really enjoyed, Loved the dialog.
So what next?

The Man Who Would Be King, Shout at the Devil

The Four Feathers for a "story" type of movie. Zulu for a "war" movie.

Edit: The Man Who Would be King is an excellent choice.

55 days at Peking

Beau Geste

Zulu Dawn

Last of the Mohican

Lawrence of Arabia

The 1938 VERSION of The Four Feathers

The 1936 version of Last of the Mohican's (or the 1990's version w/DD Lewis), not the '50's version.

Gunga Din…rip-roaring storytelling, great action in both the beginning and end.

Geoff Murphy's Utu, about the Maori wars, is one of the very best & least known of these movies.

A second vote for 55 Days in Peking

One of the greats

River Queen

Charge of the Light Brigade

These are all excellent suggestions.

I would like to second The Four Feathers suggestion, but I think it was actually a 1939 movie. Please don't bother with the remake that was done in 2002! It does not measure up!

I also second Zulu, Beau Geste, and Gunda Din; those are essentials.

One that I like very much, and it is one that gets overlooked, is "Lives of a Bengal Lancer." Very entertaining Northwest Frontier movie with Gary Cooper and Franchot Tone. If you can find it somewhere.

The Drum anyone?

The West German movie "Fitzcarraldo" set in Peru in the early 1900s. Imperial colonialist attempt to introduce technology into the jungle in an attempt to exploit its riches.

link

The Drum is another excellent suggestion. Sabu is great in that one. I think that one might be hard to find though.

I read somewhere that they wanted Sabu to play Gunga Din but they could not get him, I think he would have been a great Gunga Din. I'm not suggesting that Sam Jaffe wasn't though.

Paint up a Victorian era miniature version of her.

The Man who would be King is the next one you should do.

Gotta go with The Man Who Would Be King for adventure. ZULU for an actual war movie. Never, repeat, never will I ever watch again "Charge of the Light Brigade". It makes me sick to my stomach knowing how many of those horses were killed outright or shot after the charge scene. Disgusting. Pissed off Errol Flynn so much he had a big hand in getting the ASPCA into movies. I just can't watch that movie…

The African Queen

imdb.com/title/tt0043265

Shout at the Devil – underated film.

Flame Over India/Northwest Frontier (1959) is another overlooked film, with Lauren Bacall. Cool train,too.
Gunga Din is a good choice--what female could resist Cary Grant AND Douglas Fairbanks,Jr.? Assuming of course she likes black and white movies. I know,this sounds crazy,(what,no Casablanca?),but the aversion is more common than you think--heck,I knew a guy who didn't like movies,period.

Curious what type of figure you'd choose--Victorian Lady or Victoria Hawkes type?

March or Die
YouTube link

The 1968 version of "Charge of the Light Brigade" is the historically accurate version, and WAY ahead of it's time in term of attitude and presentation.

It was a major flop upon release--was deemed too "anti-Britain-Empire-Army" and more than a little Red in its view of society, etc.

However, it's not really any of those, and in the post Monty Python age, so much that just seemed out of left field (not the Political Left) seems perfectly at home with our current sensibilities.

For example, the frequent--and magnificent!--use of animated, "period" political cartoons (a technological impossibility and anachronistic in the 1850's) are perfectly appreciated now, and would have been by British movie audiences of the 1930's and 40's, but not on Victorian Era subjects. Again, a bit mind shredding, and perhaps part of the reason the film didn't find it's audience in 1968.

For we war gamers, the action scenes are outstanding, the uniforms to die for (Boris Mollo on top of that detail), the cast and performances top notch, the subtle ironies, symbols, and outrageous--but authentic--characterizations are all worth the price of admission.

The ladies portrayed in the film include the flibbertigibbet Fanny Dubberley--and her twit husband, the Captain ("Ooh! Wussians! Wussians!") who has some wonderful bits, including a priceless extramarital romp with Lord Cardigan that must be seen to be believed.

No damned CGI, no 12 guys shot 6 different ways to look like 72 (the action was shot in Turkey, of all places, with the bloody Turkish Army providing the troops and cavalry in abundance), this is the kind of film that will never be made again, and was greatly under appreciated at the time.

Very much available on YouTube, but do your Wife and self a favor--spring for the DVD and watch it on the biggest screen you can find. You'll be glad you did.

While very much a war gamer's movie, and perfect for "the club" to watch as a group activity one night (it has OUR kind of laughs aplenty), it is honestly filled with genuine Victorian sensibilities (Captain Nolan's pre-war romance, for example) that it truly has something any war gamer's wife can appreciate, too. The manners, costume, language--it's rather like a "Pride And Prejudice" with "Wussians", cholera, and Case Shot.

Just the way we like it!

TVAG

Fitzcarraldo, god yes, its years since I saw it, simply wonderful, slowly chugging up the (?) Amazon playing Caruso to the natives on a wind up gramophone, magical.

Blood Alley and Sand Pebbles, although a little more modern.

I'll second Northwest Frontier/Flame Over India.

Directors wanting to make war movies in the late 60s had to make them as anti-war movies. Admittedly,the Crimean War was a good choice of war!

Fitzcarraldo if your wife finds the myth of Sisyphus entertaining. For more Herzogian dourness and Kinski craziness,get that other colonial gem, Cobra Verde. Or going back in time,Aguirre,Wrath of God--existential nightmares of the Conquistadors.

Nobody mentioned Royal Flash.

RE figures--that new Hinterland camel rider looks pretty spectacular!

Royal Flash.
YouTube link

Watch "My living doll" and you will see what next

"Accidentally" leave a copy of "The Sword and the Flame" rules where she will find it.

Young Winston and Breaker Morant.

Does Sword and the Flame use d6 or d20?

Young Winston.

D6 AND D20

"Geoff Murphy's Utu, about the Maori wars, is one of the very best & least known of these movies.

The US/UK cinema release was very different from the one we saw in New Zealand. Not as good.

Anothny quinn and oliver reed in the 1981 movie called "lion of the desert" Italy invades libya
Yul brenner. 1967? Movie "the long duel"

I may be the only one but I actually LIKE the 2002 remake of The Four Feathers, (but I like the 1938 version too).

Carry on up thy khyber from the carry on crew

Or for a shorter one,the "Dad's Army" episode "The Two and-a-Half Feathers".

Possibly a little out of period, but 'Lawrence of Arabia' and 'The African Queen'.

For a more modern take on colonial doings, then of course 'The Wild Geese', as well as the less well known 'The Last Grenade' – not one of Mr Connery's finest films but hey, it has wood furnished SLRs, and you don't see those in films very often. I enjoyed 'Blood Diamond' too.

'The English Patient' might be considered a colonial film.

Brian Smaller--the chopped version of Utu was the one I saw in the theater in the early 80s,but the original was released on DVD in the US about 15 years ago,IIRC; I ordered a copy through my local Borders. The back cover copy claimed the film distributor had cut out scenes deemed "too violent",odd,considering that the Splatter film genre was going full spate at the time.

At least,I think it's the original--it did restore about 15 minutes of material,some not violent at all,like the scenes of Lt. Scott training his "commando" troop.

Unfortunately,the DVD is out of print--the cheapest copy I see on line is $140. USD BUT there was supposed to be a new edition, Utu Redux,released last year. It supposedly "premiered" in NZ--maybe you could say more about this. The various sites I searched seem to conflict about a DVD or Blu-ray release.One site said the new version is only 128 minutes long,because the original negative no longer exists,sad,if it's true.

One hopes the "Old" DVD will eventually be rereleased--must viewing for any colonialist.

NB: IMDb cites as a "goof" one character's line,"Something wicked this way comes",saying he's anachronisticlly quoting the title of the Ray Bradbury novel. The writer is apparently blissfully unaware that Bradbury himself was quoting a line from Macbeth,a play which runs as a subtext through the film. Wonder what he made of the "Birnam Wood" crack?

Who writes this stuff?

Hi hafen
I live in nz as well so i have tried the following local websites but alas no joy
Jbhifi.co.nz
Thewarehouse.co.nz
Mightyape.co.nz
Trademe.co.nz
Havent checked out marbecks yet or whitcoulls but will try later. I live between palmerston north and levin in the north island so when i have an opportunity i will check out the warehouse in thse two places. Sometimes u get lucky and find stuff in their bargin bins. I will search for utu on dvd and bluray for u and get back to you in due cause
Regards
Stephen

Thanks,Stephen,but I get the impression from what I've read that there may not have been a DVD release at all.Anyway, I'm pretty satisfied with my copy of the "original",if that is what it is, and the "new", truncated version would mainly be a curosity.
But by all means,if you've never seen it,seek it out.Well worth tracking down,at least for rental--don't think I'd be willing to shell out $140 USD for a copy

Utu redux has a facebook page and for an excellent review try stack.net.nz search movies utu blood for blood

Have seen utu several times and also river queen enjoyed both. There was also a docomentuary called the new zealand wars aired here on tv in thd late 90s and i think its available on dvd

Zulu & Zulu Dawn

Hi Stephen,thanks again. There was also an older black and white(and possibly silent?)film, I believe about Titokuwaru,can't

recall the name, somebody's Last Battle, I think it was.

There are some good movies waiting to be made.

Lives of a Bengal Lancer shows up on TCM every now and then.
Also available from Amazon:
link

Hi hafen I think the moive you mention above was called rewi last stand. Produced in 1924 (silent movie) and remade in 1940. Its about chieftan rewi maniapoto at the battle of Orakau in the waikato region of the north island of nz. Involved a federation of tribes know as the Kigitanga movement fought from july 1863 to april 1864 the main tribe Tuhoe land was consficated also know as part of the land wars. There is enough nz history about pakeha and maori conflict to make several good movies
For instant the war chieftan you mention Riwha Titokowaru and Gustavus Von Tempsky's forest rangers which was an irregular force would be a great movie. Hmm sir peter jackson? Geoff murphy??

Opps that kingitanga movement

Yes,that's the one--had no idea there were two versions,hence the conflicting reports. Haven't seen either.
I was probably thinking of Monday's Warriors;that I'd like to see! Not sure about the clipped dialog,though--reports always comment on the eloquence of Maori leaders.

PJ? All due respect,but no thanks,not unless you want sandworms at Gate Pa,or equivalent.

And I think we're on the verge of hijacking D6's topic,unless his wife is really,REALLY,into Maoris(and why shouldn't she be?)

Perhaps it's time for a new topic: "Why Aren't There More Maori Movies?

After all,if you can't be a Klingon,---!

Will put hafen but got one more for you a recent release called "dead lands" in its in maori! Havent hired it out yet from my local dvd store but have seen the trailer