Marco the Magnificent
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Denys De La Patellière
Horst Buchholz
Anthony Quinn
Orson Welles
Omar Sharif
Elsa Martinelli
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
In 1271 a young Venetian, Marco Polo, answers a request of Pope Gregory X to bring the philosophy of peace to the followers of the Mongol Prince, Kublai Khan of China. Accompanied by his father, his uncle, and two Templars, Marco sets off on his mission, a journey which will take him to the Holy Land, across the mountains of Asia, and through the Gobi desert to China. En route they are captured by the cruel "old man of the mountain," who puts one of the Templars to death in an ingenious glass bell torture chamber. Only through the intervention of Sheik Emir Alaou is Marco able to regain his freedom. He reaches Samarkand, where he is reunited with his father. He then escapes an ambush by Mongolian bandits with the help of the "woman with a whip," who sacrifices her own life to save his. After crossing the Gobi desert, Marco escapes from the enemies of Kublai Khan by hiding in the river junk of Gogatine, a princess traveling to China to attend a ceremony at which a bride will be selected for Kublai Khan. Once in China, Marco learns of the dispute between the peaceful Khan and his war-minded son, Nayam, who threatens to usurp his father's power by force. Nayam's rebel forces are quickly routed in a battle in which gunpowder is used for the first time. Marco Polo remains in China for 17 years before returning home to write a book on his travels.
Cast
Horst Buchholz
Anthony Quinn
Orson Welles
Omar Sharif
Elsa Martinelli
Akim Tamiroff
Grégoire Aslan
Robert Hossein
Massimo Girotti
Folco Lulli
Lee Sue Moon
Bruno Cremer
Jacques Monod
Mica Orlovic
Mansoureh Rihai
Guido Alberti
Virginia Onorato
Crew
Noëlle Balenci
Madeleine Billeaud
Mario Bua
Roscoe Cline
Colette Crochot
Robert Florent
Jacques Fonteray
Georges Garvarentz
Pierre Goumy
Maurice J. Helison
Wladimir Ivanov
Albert Jurgenson
Denys De La Patellière
Jean Labussière
Jean-michel Lacor
Raoul J. Lévy
Raoul J. Lévy
Cliff Lyons
Rosalba Menichelli
Jean Neny
Jean-paul Rappeneau
Jacques Rémy
Claude Renoir
Jacques Saulnier
Jacqueline Thiédot
Armand Thirard
Serge Vallin
Georges Valon
Walter Manley Enterprises
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
The film was started in 1962 by Christian-Jaque with Alain Delon, Dorothy Dandridge, Michel Simon and Bernard Blier. The filming was interrupted due to inadequate funding and was started again in 1963.
The film was started in 1962 by Christian-Jaque with Alain Delon, Dorothy Dandridge, Michel Simon and Bernard Blier. The filming was interrupted due to inadequate funding and was started again in 1963.
Notes
Filmed in Yugoslavia, Africa, and Asia. Opened in Paris in August 1965 as La fabuleuse aventure de Marco Polo. Released in Italy in 1966 as Le meravigliose avventure di Marco Polo; running time: 115 min. Yugoslav title: Marko Polo. Working titles: L'échiquier de Dieu and Lo scacchiere di Dio. The film began production in 1963 with Christian-Jaque as director. Only one source credits Albert Jurgenson as film editor.
Miscellaneous Notes
Christian-Jaque was taken off the production in 1962, after shooting had already commenced.
c Eastmancolor
Alain Delon was originally attached to play the title role.
Franscope
