1975 epic historical adventure film by John Huston
The Man Who Would Be King is a 1975 epic historical adventure film directed by John Huston, adapted by Huston and Gladys Hill from Rudyard Kipling's 1888 novella. It stars Sean Connery and Michael Caine in the leading roles, two rogue ex-soldiers who set off from late-19th-century British India in search of adventure and end up in faraway Kafiristan, where one is taken for a god and made their king. The supporting cast includes Saeed Jaffrey, Shakira Caine and Christopher Plummer as Kipling (giving a name to the novella's anonymous narrator).
An adaptation of Kipling's novella was a longtime passion project for director Huston, with development beginning in the late-1950s, and Clark Gable and Humphrey Bogart in mind for the leading roles. Shooting took place on-location in Morocco and France, and at Pinewood Studios in England. The musical score was composed by Maurice Jarre.
The Man Who Would Be King premiered at the 1975 Tehran International Film Festival, and was released in the United States on December 17. It received positive reviews from critics, who praised Huston's direction and the performances of Connery and Caine. It was also a commercial success.
The film was nominated for four Oscars at the 48th Academy Awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay. Both Connery and Caine have considered the movie their favorite of all they had worked on.
Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.