Fairbourne: If you were a communist how could you be king?
Farewell to the King is from director John Milius based on the book L’Adieu Au Roi by Pierre Schoendoerffer. Although it is not really a bad movie, Farewell to the King feels like director/writer John Milius is taking crib notes from Joseph Conrad (Heart of Darkness), Rudyard Kipling (The Man Who Would be King), and even his own screenplay for Apocalypse Now (which also drew upon Heart of Darkness).
During World War II, Captain Fairbourne (Nigel Havers) and Sergeant Tenga (Frank McRae) parachute into the wilds of Borneo. They meet up with some seemingly friendly natives who say they are Comanche. Fairbourne and Tenga feel all is well until they’re captured and disarmed while they sleep. They’re brought before the tribe’s king who to their shock is a white man. Learoyd (Nick Nolte) tells the two men how he became king of this tribe. Learoyd and several others escaped when General MacArthur abandoned New Guinea, the Philippines, and Borneo.
The King and his two guests
The others were captured and killed by the Japanese but Learoyd escaped and was found by the tribe. Learoyd fights and defeats the current king, Lian the Magnificent (Choy Chang Wing), and becomes king of the tribe. Fairbourne’s mission is to organize the tribes to fight the Japanese since the Australians are preparing to invade. He wants Learoyd to help in the fight but he seems uninterested that is until a Japanese plane attacks the village.
However, he wants to have diplomats, official treaties, and the whole pomp and circumstance. Soon other soldiers arrive and begin to train the villagers in the art of war. Eventually Fairbourne goes to civilization to try and get what Learoyd wants from the pompous Colonel Ferguson (James Fox).
Ferguson seems reluctant but gets Fairbourne an audience with General MacArthur (John Bennet Perry) and he signs the treaties. Learoyd helps defeat the Japanese in Borneo, but at what price and will the treaties be upheld? Will it cost the king his kingdom and will Fairbourne stay true to his friendship to Learoyd?
Nick Nolte gives a very good performance, but it often feels as if Milius is making his version of Apocalypse Now - seemingly even shooting bits that appear to come directly from Coppola’s film. I don’t think Milius did this intentionally, but those scenes just happen to easily remind the viewer so much of those other films. I do suppose that Milius’ film has a happier ending than Apocalypse Now.
Farewell to the King is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and enhanced for widescreen televisions. Occasionally there is noticeable grain so I don’t think that any digital re-mastering has been done. Sadly, there are no special features included on the DVD - not even the theatrical trailer. A commentary from John Milius would’ve been most welcome.
Fairbourne brings the King the treaty
If you’re a fan of the film then, you’ll definitely want to buy this DVD since this is (I believe) the first time that it’s been available in its original aspect ratio. Casual fans of Milius or war movies may want to give it a rental.
Farewell to the King is available for pre-order at Amazon for a June 6th release. It is now available at AmazonUK . Visit the DVD’s database for more information.
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