Caravans (film)

Last updated
Caravans
Caravans (1978).jpg
Directed by James Fargo
Screenplay by Nancy Voyles Crawford, Thomas A. McMahon and Lorraine Williams
Based on Caravans
by James A. Michener
Produced by Elmo Williams
Starring Anthony Quinn
Behrouz Vossoughi
Michael Sarrazin
Christopher Lee
Jennifer O'Neill
Cinematography Douglas Slocombe
Edited by Richard Marden
Music by Mike Batt
Production
company
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release date
Running time
127 minutes
CountriesUnited States
Iran
LanguagesEnglish
Persian
Budget$10 million [2]
Box office$1.965 million (US-Canada rentals) [3]

Caravans is a 1978 Iranian-American adventure drama film directed by James Fargo based on the 1963 novel by James A. Michener. Nancy Voyles Crawford wrote the screenplay. This film represents people of Afghanistan and their tradition in Qandahar, Badakhshan cities in that time and the Kochi people of Afghanistan. The film was shot in Afghanistan and Iran and starred Anthony Quinn, Jennifer O'Neill, and Michael Sarrazin.

Contents

Plot

The story is set in the fictional Middle Eastern country of Zadestan in 1948. Mark Miller is stationed at the American Embassy in the fictional city of Kashkhan and is assigned to investigate the disappearance of a young woman, Ellen Jasper, the daughter of a United States senator, who vanished after her marriage to Colonel Nazrullah several months previously. Nazrullah is desperate to find her and becomes defensive when Miller asks about her. By law, Ellen has given up her rights as a US citizen by becoming his wife. Miller traces her to a band of nomads led by Zulffiqar who are illegal gun-runners. She doesn't want to leave, being estranged from both her parents and her husband. Miller doesn't want to return without proof she's alive and well, which she refuses to give. Nazrullah lures the gun-runners into a trap. He separates Miller from the nomads and asks his wife to return to him but she refuses. Ellen at last gives Miller a note for her family. As the nomads leave, Nazrullah orders his troops to fire on them and Ellen is killed trying to rescue a child. A heartbroken Nazrullah carries away the body of his dead wife.

Cast

Production

In the MGM Lionpower featurette in 1967 it was advertised as one of many coming attractions in development at the time. MGM later dropped out of the film's distribution. The film later was distributed by Universal.

Changes from the source novel

The film was not well received by James Michener as it strayed wildly from the plot of his book, even eradicating its main character, a Nazi war criminal on the run who falls in love with the female lead character. This omission and other story changes caused Michener to take legal action.[ citation needed ]

Music

Mike Batt wrote the score, which has been the most successful element of the film, the album remaining a bestseller for many years after the film's release. The main instrumental theme "Theme From Caravans" has been widely used in media, for example by East German ice-skating star Katarina Witt in her World Championship-winning routine. The vocal song "Caravan Song" was written by Mike Batt and sung by the British singer Barbara Dickson. It peaked at No. 41 in UK charts and was included on her album All for a Song .

Reception

Harold C. Schonberg of The New York Times panned the film as a "fake epic," adding. "It has a fabricated plot, based on the James Michener novel, it has bad acting, it has unbelievably inane dialogue, and it has every cliché in the books, including an ending with the caravan silhouetted against the sunset. Even so reliable an actor as Anthony Quinn looks idiotic; he displays his macho by grunts and muttering, and occasionally there is a peculiar look on his face that suggests what he really thinks of all this nonsense." [1] Variety wrote, "The main trouble with 'Caravans' isn't the Iranians, it's Hollywood. Almost every fake moment in the film, and there are lots of them, has the touch of Hollywood laid on with a heavy coating. Take away the Americans, of course, and you wouldn't have such a slick film, but you might have a more honest one." [4] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 2 stars out of 4 and wrote that it was "slow and obvious, and at the end rather pointless," but "if you're facing a slow Sunday afternoon with a lot of time before the roast is done, 'Caravans' could, in its own way, be fun." [5] Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film 1 star out of 4 and called it "a thoroughly laughable desert adventure" with the relationship between Quinn and O'Neill getting "short shrift" and the movie lacking "an action scene of any merit. Only at the very end is there a battle of sorts. But director James Fargo ... shoots these scenes in boring medium shots. They are as exciting as if they had been shot with models in a sandbox." [6] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called the film "a stirring romantic epic on a grand scale marred by patches of truly terrible dialogue. As a result, despite all that this Universal release has going for it in the way of visual splendor and high adventure, it is likely to be entertaining only for the least discriminating (or most indulgent)." [7] Gary Arnold of The Washington Post wrote, "'Caravans' will be lucky if it's remembered as an expensive flop ... Ironically, the film's emptiness is magnified by the contrast between its drab, flimsy plot and vast, majestic landscapes. 'Caravans' is too inert to be salvaged by the photogenic advantages of impressive scenery." [8] Tim Pulleine of The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote that "Ellen's twofold defection remains resolutely undramatised and the gun-running sub-plot is mainly demoted to a few cryptic reference to off-screen action. The movie thus becomes a tiresome exercise in anti-climax." [9]

Related Research Articles

<i>Interiors</i> 1978 film by Woody Allen

Interiors is a 1978 American drama film written and directed by Woody Allen. It stars Kristin Griffith, Mary Beth Hurt, Richard Jordan, Diane Keaton, E. G. Marshall, Geraldine Page, Maureen Stapleton, and Sam Waterston.

Caravan or caravans may refer to:

<i>The Great Mouse Detective</i> 1986 American animated mystery film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation

The Great Mouse Detective is a 1986 American animated mystery adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 26th Disney animated feature film, the film was directed by John Musker, Ron Clements, Dave Michener, and Burny Mattinson. The main characters are all mice and rats living in Victorian London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gene Siskel</span> American film critic (1946–1999)

Eugene Kal Siskel was an American film critic and journalist for the Chicago Tribune. Along with colleague Roger Ebert, he hosted a series of movie review programs on television from 1975 until his death in 1999.

<i>Quintet</i> (film) 1979 film by Robert Altman

Quintet is a 1979 American post-apocalyptic science fiction film directed by Robert Altman. It stars Paul Newman, Brigitte Fossey, Bibi Andersson, Fernando Rey, Vittorio Gassman and Nina Van Pallandt.

<i>Zulu Dawn</i> 1979 film by Douglas Hickox

Zulu Dawn is a 1979 American adventure war film about the historical Battle of Isandlwana between British and Zulu forces in 1879 in South Africa. The screenplay was by Cy Endfield, from his book, and Anthony Storey. The film was directed by Douglas Hickox. The score was composed by Elmer Bernstein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Behrouz Vossoughi</span> Iranian actor

Khalil Vossoughi known professionally as Behrouz Vossoighi, is an Iranian actor. He has also worked in television, radio and theater. His work has earned him recognition at several international film festivals, including for Best Actor at the International Film Festival of India in 1974 and San Francisco International Film Festival in 2006.

<i>Caravans</i> (novel) Novel by James A. Michener

Caravans, a novel by James A. Michener, was published in 1963.

<i>The Chipmunk Adventure</i> 1987 animated film by Janice Karman

The Chipmunk Adventure is a 1987 American animated musical-comedy film based on the Saturday-morning cartoon series Alvin and the Chipmunks. Directed by Janice Karman and written by Karman and Ross Bagdasarian Jr., it stars the voices of Karman, Bagdasarian, and Dody Goodman, and follows the Chipmunks and the Chipettes as they go on a hot air balloon race around the world that is the cover for a diamond smuggling ring.

<i>The Sugarland Express</i> 1974 film by Steven Spielberg

The Sugarland Express is a 1974 American crime drama film directed by Steven Spielberg in his feature film directorial debut. The film follows a woman and her husband as they take a police officer hostage and flee across Texas while they try to get to their child before he is placed in foster care. The event partially took place, the story is partially set, and the film was partially shot in Sugar Land, Texas. Other scenes for the film were filmed in San Antonio, Live Oak, Floresville, Pleasanton, Converse and Del Rio, Texas.

<i>The Concorde ... Airport 79</i> 1979 American disaster film directed by David Lowell Rich

The Concorde ... Airport '79 is a 1979 American air disaster film and the fourth and final installment of the Airport franchise. Although poorly reviewed by critics and earning poorly in North America, the film was a huge hit internationally, for a total gross of $65 million on a $14 million budget.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Sarrazin</span> Canadian actor (1940-2011)

Michael Sarrazin was a Canadian actor. His breakout role was in the 1969 film They Shoot Horses, Don't They?.

<i>Beyond the Poseidon Adventure</i> 1979 film by Irwin Allen

Beyond the Poseidon Adventure is a 1979 American action-adventure disaster film and a sequel to The Poseidon Adventure (1972) directed by Irwin Allen and starring Michael Caine and Sally Field. It was a critical and commercial failure, and was the only Allen disaster film to receive no Academy Award nominations. Its box office receipts were only 20% of its estimated $10 million budget.

<i>Bloodline</i> (1979 film) 1979 thriller film directed by Terence Young

Bloodline is a 1979 thriller film directed by Terence Young from a screenplay by Laird Koenig, based on the 1977 novel of the same name by Sidney Sheldon. It was the only R-rated film ever made by its star, Audrey Hepburn.

<i>A Force of One</i> 1979 film by Paul Aaron

A Force of One is a 1979 American action martial arts film starring Chuck Norris, Jennifer O'Neill, Ron O'Neal, Clu Gulager and Bill Wallace. The film was directed by Paul Aaron and written by Pat E. Johnson and Ernest Tidyman and released by American Cinema Productions.

<i>The Postman</i> (film) 1997 film by Kevin Costner

The Postman is a 1997 American post-apocalyptic action adventure film produced and directed by Kevin Costner, who plays the lead role. The screenplay was written by Eric Roth and Brian Helgeland, based on David Brin's 1985 book of the same name. The film also features Will Patton, Larenz Tate, Olivia Williams, James Russo, and Tom Petty.

<i>The Greek Tycoon</i> 1978 film by J. Lee Thompson

The Greek Tycoon is a 1978 American biographical romantic drama film, of the roman à clef type, directed by J. Lee Thompson. The screenplay by Morton S. Fine is based on a story by Fine, Nico Mastorakis, and Win Wells, who loosely based it on Aristotle Onassis and his relationship with Jacqueline Kennedy. Mastorakis denied this, instead stating "We're not doing a film about Aristotle Onassis. It's a personification of all Greek Tycoons." The film stars Anthony Quinn in the title role and Jacqueline Bisset as the character based on Kennedy. Quinn also appeared in Thompson's picture The Passage, released the following year.

<i>The Iceman Cometh</i> (1973 film) 1973 film by John Frankenheimer

The Iceman Cometh is a 1973 American drama film directed by John Frankenheimer. The screenplay, written by Thomas Quinn Curtiss, is based on Eugene O'Neill's 1946 play of the same name. The film was produced by Ely Landau for the American Film Theatre, which from 1973 to 1975 presented thirteen film adaptations of noted plays.

Adrian Brett is a British flautist.

<i>The Loves and Times of Scaramouche</i> 1976 film

The Loves and Times of Scaramouche is a 1976 comedy film directed by Enzo G. Castellari.

References

  1. 1 2 "Arts". The New York Times . November 6, 1978. 54.
  2. "Caravans - History". AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute . Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  3. "Big Rental Films of 1979". Variety . January 9, 1980. 70.
  4. "Film Reviews: Caravans". Variety . November 8, 1978. 18.
  5. Ebert, Roger (January 30, 1979). "Caravans". RogerEbert.com . Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  6. Siskel, Gene (February 1, 1979). "'Caravans': Sandlot drama". Chicago Tribune . Section 2, p. 5.
  7. Thomas, Kevin (December 22, 1978). "Iranian Adventure in 'Caravans'". Los Angeles Times . Part IV, p. 16.
  8. Arnold, Gary (March 27, 1979). "Wandering 'Caravans'". The Washington Post . B1.
  9. Pulleine, Tim (February 1980). "Caravans". The Monthly Film Bulletin . 47 (553): 20.