King of the Sands
| King of the Sands | |
|---|---|
|
Promotional poster | |
| Directed by | Najdat Anzour |
| Starring | Fabio Testi, Bill Fellows and Marco Foschi |
| Country | Syria |
| Language |
English Arabic |
King of the Sands is a 2013 historical and biographical film, directed by Najdat Anzour, with the main characters starring Fabio Testi, Bill Fellows[1] in the title roles.
Story
King of the Sands is a biopic of Ibn Saud, an emir of the central Arabian Al Saud clan and founder of the present-day kingdom of Saudi Arabia.[2]
King of the Sands is presented as a 'landmark taboo-breaking film', depicting a 'dichotomous' story. It presents an impoverished prince in exile who reconquers his ancestral lands (Najd), and continues to expand his dominion until he controls the better part of the Arabian Peninsula. This accomplishment demanded "single-minded ruthlessness". He exterminated the rivaling Emirs of Ha'il. He later massacred his own shock troops, the Ikhwan (an irregular militia recruited from the main nomadic tribes), when they became a liability in the late 1920s and early 1930s. They had threatened the king’s relations with the British in Jordan and Iraq. This film also depicts Western imperialism as impinging on the monarch's independence, foreshadowing the kingdom's future entanglement in world affairs once the oil started to flow.
Cast
- Fabio Testi as Ibn Saud
- Bill Fellows as St John Philby
- Marco Foschi as Bin Saud (young)
- Mohammed Rafee
- Adnan Abdul Jalil as Judge
- Amjad Hussain
- Hamida Salim as Ibn Saud's assistant
Controversies
The film is controversial. The founder of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia draws criticism by the Saudi royal family[3] and some of the family's allies in the western countries.
Najdat Anzour who directed the film[2] is the son of the Syrian pioneer of Arab cinema, Ismail Anzour. Although Najdat's reputation rest primarily on the production of epic TV series about important episodes in Islamic and Middle Eastern history, he is also known for controversial political topics. His latest, King of the Sands, falls into that category.
At a press conference, on 18 April 2012, the director reported that he has already received threats of lawsuits by unidentified parties trying to prevent the film's release.
References
- ↑ King of the Sands at the Internet Movie Database
- 1 2 Nehad Ismail (16 September 2013). "King of the Sands". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
- ↑ "Wahhabi terrorism traced in ‘King of the Sands’: Director Anzour". Alalam. 17 December 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2014.