The Wild Geese
Directed by	Andrew V. McLaglen
Produced by	Euan Lloyd
Written by	Reginald Rose
Starring	Richard Burton Roger Moore Richard Harris Hardy Krüger Stewart Granger Frank Finlay Jack Watson Kenneth Griffith
Distributed by	Rank
Released	1978
Running time	134 m
Language	English
IMDb profile

The Wild Geese is a 1978 film about a group of mercenaries in Africa. It stars Richard Burton, Roger Moore, Richard Harris and Hardy Kruger. The film was the result of a long-held ambition of its producer Euan Lloyd to make an all-star adventure film similar to The Guns of Navarone. Image File history File links Wild_Geese_DVD.jpg Summary http://ec1. ... Andrew V. McLaglen is an American film director. ... Euan Lloyd (1923 - ) is a British British film producer. ... This article or section is missing needed references or citation of sources. ... Richard Burton in the movie Cleopatra (1963) Richard Burton CBE (November 10, 1925 – August 5, 1984) was a Welsh actor. ... Moore and Curtis in The Persuaders! (1971/72). ... There are more than one Richard Harris: Richard Harris (actor) Richard Harris (correspondent) Richard Harris (prospector) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Born Franz Eberhard August Krüger, April 12, 1928 in Berlin-Wedding, Germany. ... Stewart Granger (May 6, 1913 – August 16, 1993) was an English film actor, mainly associated with heroic and romantic leading roles. ... Frank Finlay, CBE (born on August 6, 1926 in Farnworth, Lancashire, England, UK) is a Roman Catholic British actor of English, Irish and Scottish extraction. ... Kenneth Griffith (sometimes credited as Kenneth Griffiths) is a character actor and documentary film-maker, born on October 12, 1921 in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales. ... The Rank Group Plc was established on December 22, 1995 as a public limited company in England and Wales and in October 1996 it became a holding company owning all the outstanding shares of the Rank Organisation. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... // Events February 1 - Bob Dylans film Renaldo and Clara, a documentary of the Rolling Thunder Revue tour premieres in Los Angeles, California March 1 - Charlie Chaplins coffin is stolen from a Swiss cemetery 3 months after burial March - Leigh Brackett completes the first draft for Star Wars Episode... Mercenary (disambiguation). ... Africa is the worlds second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia. ... Richard Burton in the movie Cleopatra (1963) Richard Burton CBE (November 10, 1925 – August 5, 1984) was a Welsh actor. ... Moore and Curtis in The Persuaders! (1971/72). ... There are more than one Richard Harris: Richard Harris (actor) Richard Harris (correspondent) Richard Harris (prospector) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Born Franz Eberhard August Krüger, April 12, 1928 in Berlin-Wedding, Germany. ... Euan Lloyd (1923 - ) is a British British film producer. ... The Guns of Navarone is a 1957 novel about World War II by British thriller writer Alistair MacLean that was made into a film in 1961. ...

The film was based on an unpublished novel titled The Thin White Line by Rhodesian author Daniel Carney. The film was re-named The Wild Geese and Carney's novel was subsequently published under that title by Corgi Books. This article is about the break-away colony of (Southern) Rhodesia , today Zimbabwe. ...

The novel was based upon rumors and speculation following the 1968 landing of a mysterious airplane in Rhodesia, which was said to have been loaded with mercenaries and "an African President" believed to have been a dying Moise Tshombe. Moise Kapenda Tshombe (November 10, 1919 - June 29, 1969) was a Congolese politician. ...

The Story

Allen Faulkner (Richard Burton), a British mercenary, is hired by Sir Edward Matherson (Stewart Granger), leader of a group of industrialists, to land in a central African country, and rescue Julius Limbani, its former leader, who is due to be executed by the military dictator who overthrew him. Industrialist mainly refers to a person who takes a leading or visionary role in the process of building up an industry over a long time. ...

Faulkner recruits 50 other mercenaries including a pilot, Shaun Fynn; Pieter Coetzee; and Rafer Janders, who plans the mission. The fictional country is said to lie on the border with Burundi; Rwanda and Zambia are also mentioned as being close by. They train in Swaziland which is where the plane takes off from.

The group successfully infiltrate Zembala, and rescue Limbani. However, the bankers backing the project, led by Sir Edward Matherson, reach an agreement with the Zembalese government, and betray the mercenaries. The aeroplane due to collect them is recalled and the soldiers are left in hostile territory. The group then fight their way across the country pursued by the Zembalese army. Pieter is killed while trying to save Limbani. An Irish missionary alerts them to the presence of an ageing transport plane, a DC3 'Dakota', which the mercenaries commandeer. As the Zembalese armed forces arrive, many of the mercenaries are killed, including Rafer, who, wounded and not able to reach the plane, implores Faulkner to shoot him, before the aircraft eventually takes off and heads for neutral Rhodesia. For other uses, see Bank (disambiguation). ... A missionary is a propagator of religion, often an evangelist or other representative of a religious community who works among those outside of that community. ... The Douglas DC-3 is a fixed-wing, propeller-driven aircraft which revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s, and is generally regarded as one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made (also see Boeing 707 and Boeing 747). ... National motto: Sit Nomine Digna (Latin: May she be worthy of the name} Official language English Capital Salisbury Political system Parliamentary system Form of government Republic - Last President John Wrathall - Prime Minister Ian Smith Area  - Total  - % water 390 580 km² 1% Population  - 1978 est. ...

Faulkner then returns to London to exact revenge on Sir Edward Matherson.

Comparing the Versions

Producer Euan Lloyd contacted American screenwriter Reginald Rose to write a script based on the unpublished manuscript. Rose made several significant changes, and a number of differences between the novel and the movie deserve notice. This article or section is missing needed references or citation of sources. ...

• For the film version, Rose eliminated a romantic sub-plot and removed the character of Jeremy Chandos, whose character blended into Shaun Fynn's.

• The sub-plot where Rafer was hunted by the Mafia is also given to Fynn, while Rafer has become a single father who joins Faulkner as they come to Fynn's rescue.

• When Hardy Kruger was signed, his character was changed from a Rhodesian to a Boer, thus explaining away his German accent.

• In the novel, the contract for the Hercules cargo plane specifies that the airport be fully under control of the mercenaries before they can be picked up, because of the risks to the aircrew and their multi-million-dollar plane. When local soldiers begin to shoot at the plane after it has landed, the pilots are forced to leave with a brief "Sorry. Orders. Good luck to you." In the film, the plane leaves because of a double-cross by Matherson, who no longer needs Limbani and who can save thousands of pounds by abandoning the mercenaries to their fate.

• Another major change is that in the film Faulkner survived, while in the novel he refuses to abandon the wounded and dying RSM Sandy Young. This leaves Chandos (he's the one who shot Janders in the novel) and Fynn as the surviving officers. Fynn, seriously wounded, is described as "slumped in the seat ... searching deep within himself for the strength to live", immediately after landing the survivors in Rhodesia.

• In the film, Limbani died of his wound after he and the remaining mercenaries managed to escape Zembala, while in the novel he lived until the plane landed in Rhodesia (though whether or not he lived much longer with his heart condition was left unknown).

• The greatest difference is the addition in the film of the final confrontation between the treacherous Matherson and Faulkner. Apparently taking place weeks or months after the mission, this meeting ends with Faulkner killing Matherson then being driven away by Fynn (whose fate is unclear in the novel but who in the film has evidently recovered from his wounds).

The Mafia, also referred to in Italian as Cosa Nostra (Our Thing or This Thing of Ours), is an organized criminal secret society that evolved in mid-19th century Sicily. ... Born Franz Eberhard August Krüger, April 12, 1928 in Berlin-Wedding, Germany. ... National motto: Sit Nomine Digna (Latin: May she be worthy of the name} Official language English Capital Salisbury Political system Parliamentary system Form of government Republic - Last President John Wrathall - Prime Minister Ian Smith Area  - Total  - % water 390 580 km² 1% Population  - 1978 est. ... Boer is the Afrikaans (and Dutch) word for farmer which came to denote the descendants of the Afrikaans-speaking migrating farmers of the expanding eastern Cape frontier. ...

Production

Principal filming took place in South Africa, with additional studio filming at Twickenham Film Studios in Middlesex, England. Twickenham is a leafy, affluent suburb in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in the south-west of London. ... Middlesex is one of the 39 historic counties of England. ...

United Artists were enthusiastic about the film, but insisted Lloyd give the director's job to Michael Winner. Lloyd refused and instead chose Andrew V. McLaglen, a British-born American previously known mainly for making westerns. The finance for the film was raised partly by pre-selling it to distributors based on the script and the names of the stars who were set to appear. This would later become a more common practice in the film industry, but was unusual at the time. The current United Artists logo (also used during the 1980s). ... Michael Winner (born October 30, 1935 in London, England) is a British film director and producer. ... Andrew V. McLaglen is an American film director. ... Broncho Billy Anderson, from The Great Train Robbery The Western movie is one of the classic American film genres. ...

The music, by Roy Budd, originally included an overture and end title music, but both of these were replaced by "Flight of the Wild Geese", written and performed by Joan Armatrading. All three pieces are included on the soundtrack album, as well as the song "Dogs of War" (which was included in the movie without the vocals). The soundtrack was originally released by A&M Records then later released under license as a Cinephile DVD. Roy Budd (14th March, 1947 - 7th August, 1993) was a British jazz musician and film composer. ... Joan Anita Barbara Armatrading (born in Basseterre, Saint Kitts on December 9, 1950) and brought up in Birmingham, England is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist. ... A&M Records is a record label formed in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss. ... Cinephile is a trip-hop band famous for the song What Becomes of Us, which was played during an episode of CSI. Other standout songs include Comatose and Urban Angel. ...

Casting

Although Lloyd had both Richard Burton and Roger Moore in mind for their respective roles from a relatively early stage, other casting decisions were more difficult. As the mercenaries were mostly composed of military veterans (some of whom had fought under Faulkner's command before), it was necessary to cast a number of older actors and extras into these physically demanding roles. A number of veterans and actual mercenary soldiers were in the film. Richard Burton in the movie Cleopatra (1963) Richard Burton CBE (November 10, 1925 – August 5, 1984) was a Welsh actor. ... Moore and Curtis in The Persuaders! (1971/72). ...

Irish actor Stephen Boyd, a close friend of Lloyd's, was originally set to star as Sandy Young, the Sergeant Major who trains the mercenaries before their mission. However, Boyd died shortly before filming commenced and Jack Watson was chosen as a late replacement. He had previously played a similar role in McLaglen's film The Devil's Brigade (1968). Stephen Boyd Stephen Boyd (born William Millar, July 4, 1931 – June 2, 1977) - was an Irish actor, born in Glengormley in Northern Ireland, who starred in over fifty films. ... The Devils Brigade is a 1966 book written by World War II combat pilot, novelist, and historian Robert H. Adleman in conjunction with Col. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ...

Lloyd had offered the part of the banker Matherson to his friend Joseph Cotten. However, scheduling difficulties meant that he also had to be replaced, this time by Stewart Granger. This was Granger's first film part since 1967. Joseph Cotten, circa 1956. ... Stewart Granger (May 6, 1913 – August 16, 1993) was an English film actor, mainly associated with heroic and romantic leading roles. ... // Events December 26 - The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour airs on British television. ...

Burt Lancaster originally hoped to play the part of 'Rafer Janders', but wanted the part substantially altered and enlarged. The producers instead chose Richard Harris. Burt Lancaster Burt Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American film actor. ... There are more than one Richard Harris: Richard Harris (actor) Richard Harris (correspondent) Richard Harris (prospector) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Hardy Krüger was not the first actor considered for the role of 'Pieter Coetzee'. Producer Lloyd originally thought of Peter van Eyck and even Curd Jürgens, but felt that "Hardy seemed to fit." Krüger was also impressed by the script scenes played with Limbani. Born Franz Eberhard August Krüger, April 12, 1928 in Berlin-Wedding, Germany. ... Jürgens in a scene from Der Kommissar (1973) Curd Jürgens (December 13, 1915 - June 18, 1982) was a German stage and motion-picture actor. ...

Lloyd hesitated before offering the role of Whitey (the homosexual medic) to his longtime friend Kenneth Griffith, due to the controversial nature of the role. When finally approached, Griffith said "Some of my dearest friends in the world are homosexuals!" and accepted the part. Kenneth Griffith (sometimes credited as Kenneth Griffiths) is a character actor and documentary film-maker, born on October 12, 1921 in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales. ...

Percy Herbert, who played the role of 'Keith', was a veteran of World War II, in which he had been wounded in the defense of Singapore, then captured by the Japanese Army and placed into a prison camp. Japans honor guard often marches to greet the arrival of foreign dignitaries. ... Prisoner of War camps Contents // Categories: Substubs | Prisons and detention centres ...

Ian Yule, who played 'Tosh Donaldson', had been a real mercenary in Africa in the 1960s and 70s. He was cast locally in South Africa. He then brought his former commanding officer, Michael "Mad Mike" Hoare, who had led the actual Wild Geese mercenary troops in the Congo War of the 1960s, to be the technical advisor for the film. Thomas Michael Hoare 1920- is a mercenary leader known for his exploits in Africa and the Indian Ocean. ...  Republic of the Congo  Democratic Republic of the Congo Congo is a name shared by two neighbouring countries in Central Africa, largely drained by the Congo River, and usually distinguished by their full official names and occasionally by adding their capital cities; the name is also used in prior political...

Rosalind Lloyd, who plays Heather in the film, is Euan Lloyd's daughter.

Jane Hylton, who plays the character Mrs Young, is Euan Lloyd's wife.

Reception

The film was a considerable commercial success in Britain and other countries worldwide, but was hit by the collapse of its American distributor Allied Artists. As a result, the film was only patchily distributed in the United States.

The production was also the subject of controversy because of the decision to film in South Africa during the Apartheid regime. A segregated beach in South Africa, 1982. ...

Cast

• Richard Burton (Colonel Allen Faulkner)
• Roger Moore (Lieutenant Sean Fynn)
• Richard Harris (Captain Rafer Janders)
• Hardy Kruger (Lieutenant Pieter Coetzee)
• Stewart Granger (Sir Edward Matherson)
• Winston Ntshona (Julius Limbani)
• John Kani (Sergeant Jesse Blake)
• Jack Watson (RSM Sandy Young)
• Frank Finlay (Fr. Geoghagen, the Priest)
• Kenneth Griffith (Arthur Whitey)
• Barry Foster (Thomas Balfour)
• Ronald Fraser (Jock McTaggart)
• Ian Yule (Tosh Donaldson)
• Patrick Allen (Rushton)
• Percy Herbert (Keith)

Richard Burton in the movie Cleopatra (1963) Richard Burton CBE (November 10, 1925 – August 5, 1984) was a Welsh actor. ... Moore and Curtis in The Persuaders! (1971/72). ... Richard Harris as Marcus Aurelius in Gladiator. ... Born Franz Eberhard August Krüger, April 12, 1928 in Berlin-Wedding, Germany. ... Stewart Granger (May 6, 1913 – August 16, 1993) was an English film actor, mainly associated with heroic and romantic leading roles. ... Winston Ntshona (born 6 October 1941 in Port Elizabeth ) is a South African actor. ... John Kani (1943 -) is a South African actor, director and playwright. ... Frank Finlay, CBE (born on August 6, 1926 in Farnworth, Lancashire, England, UK) is a Roman Catholic British actor of English, Irish and Scottish extraction. ... Kenneth Griffith (sometimes credited as Kenneth Griffiths) is a character actor and documentary film-maker, born on October 12, 1921 in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales. ... Barry Foster born in Beeston, Nottinghamshire on 21 August 1931, died 11 February 2002, of a heart attack while being cared for at the Royal Surrey Hospital in Guildford. ... Ronald Fraser, known as Ronnie, (born 11 April 1930) was a British actor who was part of the 1950s and 1960s film scene in the UK. The numerous film credits to his name include two versions of Pygmalion, Trial of the Pink Panther, the raunchy Come Play With Me, The... Patrick Allen (born March 17, 1927) is a British actor and voice actor. ...

Additonal crew

• Cinematography Jack Hildyard
• Music Roy Budd
• "The Flight of the Wild Geese" (theme) written and performed by Joan Armatrading
• Production design Syd Cain
• Editor John Glen
• Titles Maurice Binder
• 2nd unit director John Glen

Jack Hildyard (1908-1990) was a British cinematographer who worked on more than 80 films during his career. ... Roy Budd (14th March, 1947 - 7th August, 1993) was a British jazz musician and film composer. ... Joan Anita Barbara Armatrading (born in Basseterre, Saint Kitts on December 9, 1950) and brought up in Birmingham, England is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist. ... Syd Cain is a British production designer who has worked on more than 30 films, including three in the James Bond series in the 1960s and 1970s. ... This article is about the English film director. ... Maurice Binder (August 25, 1925 - April 4, 1991) is a famous title designer best known for his work on 14 James Bond films beginning with the first, Dr. No in 1962 and ending with Licence to Kill in 1989. ... This article is about the English film director. ...

Wild Geese II

Wild Geese II
Directed by	Peter Hunt
Produced by	Euan Lloyd
Written by	Reginald Rose
Starring	Scott Glenn Edward Fox Laurence Olivier
Distributed by	Thorn EMI, Universal
Released	1985
Running time	125 m
Language	English
IMDb profile

After 7 years the makers were persuaded to mount a sequel Wild Geese II. This time the main character, Allen Faulkner, is engaged to break Nazi war criminal Rudolf Hess out of Spandau Prison. The script was again written by Reginald Rose, with Peter Hunt directing, and Laurence Olivier was cast as Hess. The film, however, was not a success, mainly because of the death of its star Richard Burton almost two weeks into filming. He was replaced by Edward Fox and the character was changed to Alex Faulkner, Allen's brother. Image File history File links Wild_geese_ii. ... Peter Hunt could refer to: General Sir Peter Hunt is a former Chief of the General Staff of the British Army. ... Euan Lloyd (1923 - ) is a British British film producer. ... This article or section is missing needed references or citation of sources. ... Image:Scott Glenn. ... Edward Fox (born 13 April 1937) is an English stage, film and television actor. ... Laurence Olivier, as photographed in 1939 by Carl Van Vechten Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM (22 May 1907–11 July 1989) was an Oscar winning English actor and director, regarded by many critics as the greatest actor of the 20th century. ... The EMI Group is a major record label, based in Hammersmith, London, in the United Kingdom and with operations in over 25 other countries. ... Universal has several meanings: Universalism - properties of universality in concepts or application For the concept of a universal in metaphysics, see Universal (metaphysics). ... This article is about the year. ... National Socialism redirects here. ... Rudolf Hess Not be confused with Rudolf Hoess (Höß in German) Walter Richard Rudolf Hess (Heß in German) (April 26, 1894 – August 17, 1987) was a prominent figure in Nazi Germany as Adolf Hitlers deputy in the Nazi Party. ... Spandau Prison from the air Spandau Prison was a purpose-built prison situated in the borough of Spandau in western Berlin, constructed in 1876. ... Peter Hunt could refer to: General Sir Peter Hunt is a former Chief of the General Staff of the British Army. ... Laurence Olivier, as photographed in 1939 by Carl Van Vechten Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM (22 May 1907–11 July 1989) was an Oscar winning English actor and director, regarded by many critics as the greatest actor of the 20th century. ... Richard Burton in the movie Cleopatra (1963) Richard Burton CBE (November 10, 1925 – August 5, 1984) was a Welsh actor. ... Edward Fox (born 13 April 1937) is an English stage, film and television actor. ...

The Sea Wolves

The success of The Wild Geese prompted Euan Lloyd to bring most of the cast and crew back together in 1980 for another action film, this time more light-hearted in tone and more obviously indebted to The Guns of Navarone. The Sea Wolves (1980) featured many of the same actors as The Wild Geese, but (according to information on the DVD), Burton was influenced by family members not to appear. His place was taken by Gregory Peck. 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... The Sea Wolves is a 1980 war film starring Gregory Peck, Roger Moore and David Niven. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Gregory Peck at Cannes, 2000 Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an Oscar-winning American film actor. ...

Based on actual events, this film only slightly fictionalizes the last adventure of the Calcutta Light Horse, a British reserve cavalry unit which, over the years, had devolved into more of a social organization than a fighting force. They are put back into active service with a special mission -- to eliminate a German spy ship which is transmitting intelligence information from a neutral port.

Trivia

• Euan Lloyd had to sell his car, his wife's fur coat and mortgage his house to raise initial financing for the film.

• Much of the team behind The Wild Geese had come from the James Bond series, including editor John Glen, designer Syd Cain, title designer Maurice Binder and star Roger Moore.

• Roger Moore celebrated his 50th birthday during filming. Himself a military veteran, he helped some of the other actors learn the "military look", teaching them to march and salute.

• The manga series Hellsing includes a troop of mercenaries known as the Wild Geese, who are largely based on the Wild Geese in the film, although their leader is Pip Bernadotte.

• The computer game Escape Velocity Nova features a group of mercenaries called the Wild Geese.

The James Bond 007 gun logo James Bond, also known as 007 (pronounced double-oh seven), is a fictional British spy created by writer Ian Fleming in 1953. ... For other uses, see Manga (disambiguation). ... Hellsing is an anime and manga series by Kouta Hirano. ... A computer game is a game composed of a computer-controlled virtual universe that players interact with in order to achieve a defined goal or set of goals. ... Escape Velocity Nova (EV Nova) is a computer game by Ambrosia Software, in collaboration with ATMOS. It is the third game in the Escape Velocity series. ...

External link

• The Wild Geese at The Internet Movie Database