hkfilmbuff Of the handful or so films directed by John Frankenheimer that I have seen on big screen some 40 years ago, two of them had stuck in my mind. Grand Prix was, in my opinion, by far the best, and The Horsemen was a very close second.Both of these films can only be fully appreciated on BIG screen. It was so long ago, I don't remember all the details; but starting with the opening credits and the aerial shots, it was a captivating film. I remember recognizing Frankenheimer's name the very first time - I wasn't that much into the names of directors when I saw Grand Prix.The film had a raw, animalistic, beauty. The ethnicity and culture of the people reminded me of Taras Bulba. I would love to experience this film on big screen again.

Gloede_The_Saint This is a human condition action adventure that takes place in modern time( meaning 1971) Afghanistan. The film starts by showing how far back in time they are. Everybody is riding around on horses while planes are driving above them. In this country a proud (the best word would be prince but it doesn't exactly fit) Uraz (played by Omar Sharif, mostly known as that guy who had the lead in Doctor Zhivago) sets out to this weird horse tournament on the request of his father, a elderly clan leader and master of the sport played by the great Jack Palance.It's made obvious from the start that though this man might be proud and even quite noble (he always bets on the weakest), he is in fact cruel to servants and have a rather nihilistic view on life. When he manages to fall off his horse and break his leg he feels a great dishonor and sets out to find the hardest and deadliest road home. On the way everything that is good in humans are questioned! The film has a very different view of the world than most others, at least this early in cinema. Many of the characters are so shady it will almost make you sick. I must say that I did not like these people as humans, though I did like their characters, inhuman behavior and cruelty is something I take a huge interest in. For those of you who enjoy to travel to different worlds and can enjoy and love films even if they perhaps have a different stand than your world view, this is the film for you.I was quite taken by it I must say. My second favorite Frankenheimer picture to date, meaning that I thought it was better than great films such as The Manchurian Candidate, The Train and Seven Days in May. The colors are great and the mood and pacing is very intense. Most of the frames are quite beautiful. The acting is very good! And it's philosophy as a whole is rather good too but I will not give away anything about how this film turns out but I will say that I thought it was fabulous. A genius film! A masterpiece! You should definitely check it out. A true gem!

Nazi_Fighter_David Set in Afghanistan, John Frankenheimer's 'The Horsemen' is the story of a tribesman determined to rival his father at horsemanship… Uraz is sent by his father Tursen to win the traditional Royal Buzkashi on the field of Bagrami in the capital city of Kabul… Uraz on Jahil has to battle for control of a headless calf, carry it around a blue flag, and deposit it back in the 'Circle of Justice'… thus signifying that he wins the king's pennant… and remains as the master chapandaz of all Afghanistan… During the tournament, opposing horsemen use their whips to urge on their horses and to hit the rider for the chance to snatch the heavy carcass… The motion picture turns around five well drawn characters: an angered son eaten up with vanity; a brave father who knew something worse than danger; a nomad woman whose touch defiles; a once loyal servant lusted for an 'unclean woman;' and a wager from the high passes of the East where 'men know how to forge fine weapons and use them well'… Uraz (Omar Sharif) deliberately chose to bribe his devoted servant with the magnificent white stallion in order to increase the already terrible dangers which he hopes to conquer…Zareh (Leigh-Taylor Young) urges her man to kill his high blood master to secure for herself his horse and his money…Tursen (Jack Palance) know nothing but evil legends about an impossible road taken by his embittered son… His pain, remorse, and blood wept for a son lost through his fault… Mukhi (David de Keyser) forgets his humble and faithful world in the arms of the 'untouchable' woman who pushes him to murder the great prince…Hayatal (Peter Jeffrey) takes the challenge against 'the Prince Ram of the Valley' declaring openly to Uraz: 'What a one-horned ram can do, a one-legged chapandaz can do better!'To understand 'The Horsemen' you must understand the rage, the beauty, and the tradition of a mountainous and landlocked country, isolated and left outside the mainstream of civilization…Written by Academy Award winner Dalton Trumbo (The Brave One, Best Original Screenplay, 1956) 'The Horsemen' is a passionate film for men only… The film is a search that marks out the true concepts of honesty, integrity, loyalty, and trust

KumariDevi An excellent adaptation of the Book by Joseph Kessel; centered on the running of the first Buskashi in Kabul by the King of Afghanistan circa the 1950s. I have read the book in its English translation(1968) and seen the Movie on VHS.(1671) The movie is very fresh and not dated; and all the more compelling due to recent liberation from Arab control of that country. Footage of the Buskashi just has to be from a real game. The games were played at Bagram (Bagrimi) the plain above Kabul which was made an airport in recent years.The author, Kessel can be compared to Joseph Conrad and Hemmingway as he apparently lived what he wrote. The book has themes just as penetrating as "Heart of Darkness" or "the Old man and the Sea" and much has translated well to this Movie. The acting is well done and convincingly. Local color shots were done in the late sixties giving this film a truly timeless feeling with little motor traffic evident. One inspired scene has Jack Palance as Chief breeder and legendary Horseman, interrupted in his instructions to his team by the noise of a Jet; and looking up to see contrails above.This is a real treasure just begging to be on DVD.