Farewell to the King

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Farewell to the King
DVD cover for Farewell to the King
Directed by	John Milius
Produced by	Andre Morgan, Albert S. Ruddy
Written by	John Milius (screenplay) Based on the book by Pierre Schoendoerffer
Starring	Nigel Havers Frank McRae Gerry Lopez Nick Nolte
Music by	Basil Poledouris
Cinematography	Dean Semler
Editing by	Anne V. Coates, Carroll Timothy O'Meara
Distributed by	Orion Pictures
Release date(s)	March 3, 1989 (USA)
Running time	115 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	Unknown
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Farewell to the King is a 1989 film written and directed by John Milius. It stars Nigel Havers, Frank McRae, Gerry Lopez and Nick Nolte, and is based on the 1969 novel L'Adieu au Roi by Pierre Schoendoerffer. Longtime Milius collaborator Basil Poledouris composed the musical score. The film is marketed with the tagline "In the midst of war, one man vanished into the jungle, and emerged as king."

[edit] Plot summary

During World War II, American POW Learoyd escapes a Japanese firing squad. Hiding himself in the wilds of Borneo, Learoyd is adopted by a head-hunting tribe of Dayaks, who consider him "divine" because of his tattoos. Before long, Learoyd is the reigning king of the Dayaks. When British soldiers approach him to rejoin the war against the Japanese, Learoyd resists. When his own tribe is threatened by the invaders, however, the "king" deigns to fight for their rights.