Sandokan

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Sandokan was released in 1992 and broadcast in the United Kingdom on Channel 4. This children's animated show is loosely based on the novels from the famous author Emilio Salgari. In the show Sandokan is a usurped prince who travels the seas as a pirate seeking to reclaim his rightful throne from the Rajah of Sarawack.

The story begins with the discovery by Sandokan that the head spy of the Rajah, Nasumbada has been seen disembarking from a ship off the coast of Borneo. It turns out that Nasumbada is there to make an agreement with the evil Dayako tribe on the island to get rid of Sandokan and his men. Sandokan and his men sail to the island and capture the Dayako fortress through a secret passage and are able to get Nasumbada to tell them that the Rajah of Sarawack is hiding on the island of Kin-Baloo. Armed with this information they set sail for the island to reclaim Sandokan's rightful throne. On the journey we learn that all of Sandokan's men were driven from their homes by the Rajah's men and suffered injustice and that was why they joined Sandokan. We also learn that Sandokan's throne was stolen when the Rajah of Sarawack James Brook betrayed his father.

They reach the island to attack the Rajah but in the ensuing battle, Sandokan's ship is fatally damaged. Most of his men escape unharmed on the ship of his friend Yanez de Gomera but Sandokan himself (while searching for the ship's captain Giro-Bataal) is shot in the shoulder. He falls into the sea and clings to some wreckage while the Rajah's navy search for him. He manages to evade them and drifts on the ocean currents to the Isle of Labuan. There, his pain and dehydration cause him to hallucinate until he collapses on the ground.

We next see Sandokan in a house recovering from his wounds. Sandokan learns that he has been taken in by Lord James Guillonk, the British governor of the island. Knowing that Lord James has often opposed him in the past Sandokan pretends to be Prince Saba of the Isle of Rabah. While recuperating in Lord James's house, Sandokan also falls in love with Lord James' neice Lady Mariana. This is unsurprising as she is known by the natives as the 'Pearl of Labuan'. However, one of Lord James's lieutenants (Baron William) is hoping to be married to Mariana and is consumed with jealousy for Sandokan. The turning point comes when Sandokan defeats Baron William in a tournament for Lord James's birthday. Lord James and Baron William are then able to obtain a picture of Sandokan from the Rajah's naval commandant and realise Sandokan's deception. Through his intelligence and skill with a sword and disguises, Sandokan is able to evade Lord James's patrols but doesn't leave without promising to return for Mariana.

Outside the walls of Lord James's house, Sandokan discovers that Giro-Bataal is also on the island and has prepared a boat for them to escape in. They row out into the ocean and evade the Rajah's patrols and make it back to Mompracem. They receive a hero's welcome as Sandokan's men thought that they must have been dead.

However, Sandokan knows that the British and the Rajah's navy will soon be coming to Mompracem to capture the island and Sandokan and his men. Realising that his men will be too heavily outnumbered to defeat his enemies, Sandokan uses ingenious dummies to fool them when they attack Mompracem and escapes from the far side of the island. In the escape, Yanez's ship is damaged and they sail to the island of Pangutarang which belongs to Sandokan's friend Tremal-Naik to repair it. When they reach the island they encounter Tremal-Naik's lieutenant Tangusa being chased by the Dayakos that live on the island. After rescuing him they learn that the Dayakos are laying siege to Tremal-Naik's fortress and that Tangusa had fled seeking aid. They immediately act to rescue him and the Dayakos are defeated. Once the damage to Yanez's ship is repaired they head for Labuan so that Sandokan can claim Mariana as his bride.

Out on the open seas the ships of Sandokan and Yanez are caught in a terrible storm which threatens to sink them. This precludes any attempt to land on Labuan but Sandokan is so desperate to see Mariana again that he and Yanez go ashore in a fishing boat. More to follow.

Contents 1 Sandokan novels 2 See also 3 DVD 4 External links

[edit] Sandokan novels

Sandokan is a pirate known as "the tiger of Malaysia" or "the tiger of Mompracem." He is the lead protagonist of a series of novels by the Italian author Emilio Salgari. The adventures of Sandokan and his trusted friend and lieutenant Yanez de Gomera were also captured on the small screen in the television series Omonima. This programme from 1976, starred Indian actor Kabir Bedi as the eponymous pirate. Sandokan is the perfect hero lacking any in faults in his personality. Motivated by his consuming hatred for the British, Sandokan fights with every ounce of his strength for the independence of his small kingdom, the island of Mompracem. The island is threatened, invaded, and finally destroyed by his enemies. A noble person and prince, Sandokan is a formidable, brave fighter until the very end. He is pitiless with his enemies but generous and faithful with his friends. To counterbalance these features, Salgari placed side by side with Sandokan his faithful companion, the Portuguese Yanez de Gomera. Yanez is, in Sandokan's words, "my regulator". With an ironic take to life and an amusing personality, Yanez complements Sandokan perfectly with an eternal cigarette in his mouth and another ready to be smoked. These characters and many others that adorned Salgari's swashbuckling adventure stories ensured his reputation as one of Italy's greatest authors.

[edit] See also

• Emilio Salgari

[edit] DVD

Currently 3 volumes of Sandokan the animated series is available in the UK [1]

[edit] External links

• BRB International There is an catalogue link on this website relating to Sandokan
• Images from the BRB series.