Marco the Magnificent
| La Fabuleuse Aventure de Marco Polo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Denys de La Patellière, Noël Howard |
| Written by | Raoul Lévy, Jacques Rémy, Jean-Paul Rappeneau |
| Based on | The Travels of Marco Polo by Rustichello da Pisa |
| Starring | Horst Buchholz Anthony Quinn |
Release date | 1965 |
| Countries | France Italy Yugoslavia Egypt Afghanistan |
| Languages | French Italian English |
La Fabuleuse Aventure de Marco Polo or Marco the Magnificent is a 1965 international co-production (Afghanistan, Yugoslavia, Egypt, France, Italy) adventure film directed by Denys de La Patellière and Noël Howard. Raoul Levy committed suicide after losing most of his fortune financing this film.[1]
Plot[edit]
Marco Polo (Horst Bucholz) is idling around in Venice when Pope Gregory commissions him to take a message of peace and understanding to the Emperor of China on the presumption that a young courier might stand a better chance of reaching China.
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On the journey his escort is attacked and killed leaving Marco Polo on his own. He meets with The Old Man of the Mountain; braves all varieties of climatic conditions; is captured by the Mongols and witnesses a sort of "Miss China" competition in order to provide the Emperor with an Empress.[2]
Cast[edit]
- Horst Buchholz as Marco Polo
- Anthony Quinn as Kublai Khan, Mongol Emperor of China
- Omar Sharif as Sheik Alla Hou, 'The Desert Wind'
- Orson Welles as Akerman, Marco's tutor
- Akim Tamiroff as the Old Man of the Mountain
- Elsa Martinelli as the woman with the whip
- Robert Hossein as Prince Nayam, a Mongol rebel leader
- Grégoire Aslan as Achmed Abdullah
- Massimo Girotti as Niccolò, Marco's father
- Folco Lulli as Spinello, a Venetian merchant
- Guido Alberti as Pope Gregory X
- Lynne Sue Moon as Princess Gogatine (credited as Lee Sue Moon)
- Bruno Cremer as Guillaume de Tripoli, a Knight Templar
- Jacques Monod as Nicolo de Vicenza, a Knight Templar
- Mića Orlović as Matteo, Marco's uncle
Production[edit]
Rotislav Doboujinsky worked on the design of the clothes and caparacons for the men, horses and elephants - the living figures - of the chess game.[3]
References[edit]
- ^ Scheuer, Philip K. (13 July 1964). "Marco Polo Filming Ended by Buchholz". Los Angeles Times. p. IV-18 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "At The Films" column; Gibraltar Chronicle newspaper; 25/08/1969; Page 3
- ^ Jean-Louis Perrier (June 28, 2000). "Rotislav Doboujinsky". Le Monde.
External links[edit]
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- 1965 films
- 1960s historical adventure films
- French epic films
- French historical adventure films
- Italian epic films
- Italian historical adventure films
- Yugoslav drama films
- Egyptian drama films
- Afghan drama films
- 1960s French-language films
- 1960s Italian-language films
- Films directed by Denys de La Patellière
- Films set in the 13th century
- Films set in the 14th century
- Films set in the Yuan dynasty
- Films set in China
- Films set in Italy
- Films about Marco Polo
- Cultural depictions of Kublai Khan
- Films with screenplays by Jean-Paul Rappeneau
- 1960s English-language films
- English-language French films
- English-language Italian films
- English-language Yugoslav films
- English-language Egyptian films
- English-language Afghan films
- Films set in the Mongol Empire
- 1960s Italian films
- 1960s French films
- 1960s Italian film stubs
- Historical film stubs