Sandokan

When I was growing up in Spain, this was a must see for kids. I went to an all girl school, and we would recreate the episodes during our recess. I have never seen the mini series again, as I think it would tarnish the wonderful memories it holds. I always remember the TV promos: "Kabir Bedi, Sandokan" which served to permanently bond the names together. To this day to think of one is to think of the other. The "Tigre de Bengala" must have been our first collective crush, as we always commented on how handsome and valiant he was. Even the nuns would watch the series and comment on the adventures. It brings back fond childhood memories.

Emilio Salgari is a famous non-English language adventure novelist of the Dumas/Anthony Hope/Rafael Sabatini school. The Sandokan books is one of his great series. This Italian mini-series, which I watched twice dubbed in Spanish, captures the entire scope and flavour of the first and best books of the Sandokan saga. It has pirates, tiger hunts, intrigue, escapes, loyalty, treachery, and, of course, a great romance. Sandokan and Yáñez and the lady Marianne and all other characters are featured. It is sad that the Salgari books have never been translated to English and that, indirectly because of this, this great mini-series has probably not been shown in American television nor transferred to video. I still hope some day to see it collected.

Its is over 4.5 hours long and spell-binding.

After sailing the seas with Sandokan, you might wonder what life on earth still has to offer us. Sandokan's charismatic and heroic behavior is brought to us with colorful exotic images and the most beautiful soundtrack, combining sitars with steady seventies grooves. I watched this series with a four year old kid, who can't read and doesn't understand a word Italian, but he was screaming along with me Sandokan!, whenever the title song started again. The fighting and the many exotic animals are also enjoyable for the very young, though I can imagine not for the most sensitive of them. Some people get killed pretty nasty. To nowadays standards the speed is slow, but that's OK, so you have more time to enjoy the eastern environments. This series must be inspired by Serge Leones spaghetti western moods and I know that the writer of the Sandokan story was a favorite of Ché Guevara. Sandokan is against the western imperialism, a fighter for freedom... and nice to watch with the kids on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Originally this mini-series was also on Dutch television , somewhere around 1976.It was a major success; almost divine pictures and a true romantic story. I looked for Sandokan, first on Video much later also on DVD. When I found it, all the stores on the internet could not deliver this item. Finally got my new copy through Ebay; the whole series , plus the '63 release of the young Sandokan, and the '96 return of Sandokan.

for those of you not remembering all; He does get away in the end together with Yanes de Gomera and three other loyalist... In the return, 20 years later (both Kabir Bedi and Philippe Leroy are still the same!!!)they fight their way back to Mompracem...

Watching this series again made me feel proud to not be an Englishman.

Sandokan was one of the most successful TV series of the italian television of the 70s An entire generation of children growed up singing it's main theme I can be biased but I remember it was a pretty good movie