Marco the Magnificent (1965)

Young Marco Polo travels to China to help Kublai Khan fight against rebels, headed by his own son, with a new invention: gunpowder.

Directors:

Denys de La Patellière, Raoul Lévy

Writers:

Noël Howard, Raoul Lévy (as Raoul J. Lévy)

Stars:

Horst Buchholz, Anthony Quinn, Akim Tamiroff

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Horst Buchholz	...	Marco Polo
Anthony Quinn	...	Kublai Khan, Mongol Emperor of China
Akim Tamiroff	...	The Old Man of the Mountain
Elsa Martinelli	...	The Woman with the Whip
Robert Hossein	...	Prince Nayam, Mongol Rebel Leader
Grégoire Aslan	...	Achmed Abdullah
Omar Sharif	...	Sheik Alla Hou, 'The Desert Wind'
Orson Welles	...	Akerman, Marco's Tutor
Massimo Girotti	...	Nicolo, Marco's Father
Folco Lulli	...	Spinello, Venetian Merchant
Guido Alberti	...	Pope Gregory X
Lynne Sue Moon	...	Princess Gogatine (as Lee Sue Moon)
Bruno Cremer	...	Guillaume de Tripoli, a Knight Templar
Jacques Monod	...	Nicolo de Vicenza, a Knight Templar
Mica Orlovic	...	Matteo, Marco's Uncle

Storyline

Il giovane Marco Polo, dopo le raccomandazioni ed i saggi consigli dell'anziano Akerman, parte alla volta della Cina per aiutare Kublai Khan nella lotta contro i ribelli, capeggiati dal proprio figlio, con una nuova invenzione : la polvere da sparo.

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Plot Keywords:

marco polo | kublai khan | travel | rebel | gunpowder | 

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Taglines:

Marco made the best of two worlds!

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Genres:

Adventure | Biography

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Details

Country:

Italy France Afghanistan Egypt Yugoslavia

Language:

French Italian

Release Date:

1965 (Yugoslavia)

Also Known As:

Marco the Magnificent

Filming Locations:

Belgrade, Serbia, Yugoslavia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Avala Film,Cine Custodia Film AG Zuerich,ITTAC

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although producer Raoul Levy spent a lot of money on assembling an all-star cast for this film (it was one of the most expensive French films ever), he did not take so much care in getting a workable screenplay. On arriving to film his scenes, Omar Sharif complained that he had virtually no part to play. Orson Welles, having already rewritten his own lines, obligingly wrote several scenes into the storyline for him.

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Quotes

Achmed Abdullah: My gift cannot share your couch, my dear friend, but I know how much you love animals.
[he gestures towards a tiger]
Achmed Abdullah: . Does she please you?
The Old Man of the Mountain: Ohhh... a well-matched exchange, worthy of two old friends who trust each other.
Achmed Abdullah: It is difficult to fully trust a friend whose face one never sees. I would consider it a friendly act if you removed your golden mask.
The Old Man of the Mountain: It is a friendly act that I do not remove it. All who see my face - die!
Achmed Abdullah: But your assassins
[gesturing towards them]
Achmed Abdullah: all see your face.
The Old Man of the Mountain: And all ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Les échos du cinéma: Episode #1.20 (1961)

User Reviews

Marco Polo was not lucky on the screen...

Immediate background:once upon a time there was a veteran called Christian -Jaque He had big ambitions: a production which would have no cause to be jealous of Hollywood.The highlight was to be a giant chess game (hence the previous title :"God's chessboard!").Alain Delon was Marco.Endless problems of production led Christian-Jaque to call it a day.

Hence this movie ,much less ambitious in scope ,which was made by the odd job man of the French cinema ,Denys de la Patellière .Delon was replaced by his German equivalent ,Horst Buchholz -the younger generation saw as the doctor in "la vita è bella"- and a cast of thousand was gathered:Orson Welles and Akim Tamiroff,Kirk Douglas's ex-protégée Elsa Martinelli,Anthony Quinn,Omar Sharif,Gregoire Aslan ...is that all? On his way to China ,Marco will meet wicked people (Tamiroff's "Old man in the Mountains" ) attractive ones (Venice's women with whom he cuckolds all the husbands;the woman with the whip);traitors (the Mongolian prince),but,as history books tell ,and tell it so well,he will succeed and occident will make friends with orient.

Thanks to the cast,and to a far-fetched but entertaining story,it's watchable.More than the version featuring Rory Calhoun (1961).