The Battle of the Three Kings (film)

Last updated
The Battle of the Three Kings
The Battle of the Three Kings (film).jpg
Directed by Souheil Ben-Barka
Uchkun Nazarov
Written bySouheil Ben-Barka
Guido Castillo
Produced byAlo Khodzhlev
Leo Pescarolo
Jaime Oriol
Starring Massimo Ghini
Ángela Molina
CinematographyGirolamo La Rosa
Music byAnvar Ergashev
Vladimir Martynov
Release date
  • 1990 (1990)
LanguageEnglish

The Battle of the Three Kings (Russian : Bitva tryokh koroley, Italian : La battaglia dei tre tamburi di fuoco, Spanish : La batalla de los tres reyes, also known as Drums of Fire) is a 1990 Soviet-Italian-Spanish-Moroccan historical adventure-drama film directed by Souheil Ben-Barka and Uchkun Nazarov and starring Massimo Ghini and Ángela Molina. It depicts real life events of the Saadi Sultan of Morocco Abd el Malek I. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

The film tells the story of the Saadi dynasty prince Abdelmalek, exiled from Morocco by his brothers. Since his exile, he will live twenty adventurous years: fight the Spanish Inquisition, take part in the Battle of Lepanto, be incarcerated in Alicante prison, and assist in the Conquest of Tunis. Eventually, he returns to Morocco to fulfill his destiny.

Plot

Episode 1

In 1568, Morocco is liberated from Portuguese rule, but internal conflicts arise among the Arab leaders. Prince Abdelmalek is forced to flee to Ottoman-controlled Algeria. There, he joins maritime raids led by his father-in-law Agat-Mor, delivers weapons to the rebelling Moriscos of Granada, and defends Cyprus from Spanish forces. Captured during one of his missions, Abdelmalek escapes with the help of Genoese merchant Carlo di Palma. In Andalusia, he meets Faiza, the sister of rebel leader Akalay ben-Umayyah. However, Faiza is taken into the harem of the Turkish sultan, where she gains his favor. Despite this, she manages to maintain contact with Abdelmalek during his visits to Istanbul. After Sultan Selim II’s death, Faiza is exiled, cutting off their connection.

Episode 2

The Turkish Sultan’s forces drive the Spanish out of Tunisia, after which the Sultan grants Abdelmalek an army to reclaim Morocco. The country’s previous ruler, Mulay Mohammed, flees to Portugal, promising King Sebastian I coastal territories in exchange for military support. Meanwhile, the Turks begin to question Abdelmalek’s loyalty. The Portuguese army lands on Morocco’s shores, capturing several ports. However, the newly established Sultan Abdelmalek skillfully exploits the young King Sebastian's vanity, forcing him into a decisive confrontation. The infamous Battle of the Three Kings ensues, sealing the fate of the region.

Historical context

The movie is loosely based on the real life Battle of the Three Kings on Aug. 4, 1578. King Sebastian of Portugal wanted to convert Muslim Morocco to Christian rule. Allied with the Moroccan sultan, al-Mutawakkil, and his brother Aḥmad. The Muslim forces, though not as well equipped as the Portuguese, outnumbered the Portuguese 5:2 (with 50,000 soldiers and cavalry). The Muslim forces forced the Christians to retreat to Larache on the coast.

Cast

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sebastian, King of Portugal</span> King of Portugal from 1557 to 1578

Sebastian was King of Portugal from 11 June 1557 to 4 August 1578 and the penultimate Portuguese monarch of the House of Aviz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Alcácer Quibir</span> 1578 battle in Morocco

The Battle of Alcácer Quibir was fought in northern Morocco, near the town of Ksar-el-Kebir and Larache, on 4 August 1578.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ksar el-Kebir</span> City in Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, Morocco

Ksar el-Kebir, also known as al-Qasr al-Kabir, is a city in northwestern Morocco, about 160 km north of Rabat, 32 km east of Larache and 110 km south of Tangier. It recorded a population of 126,617 in the 2014 Moroccan census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik I Saadi</span> Moroccan Saadi Dynasty ruler from 1576 to 1578

Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik I, often simply Abd al-Malik or Mulay Abdelmalek, was the Saadian Sultan of Morocco from 1576 until his death right after the Battle of al-Kasr al-Kabir against Portugal in 1578.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saadi Sultanate</span> 1510–1659 state in Morocco and Northwest Africa

The Saadi Sultanate, also known as the Sharifian Sultanate, was a state which ruled present-day Morocco and parts of Northwest Africa in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was led by the Saadi dynasty, an Arab Sharifian dynasty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ahmad al-Mansur</span> 7th Ruler of Saadi Dynasty

Ahmad al-Mansur (Arabic: أبو العباس أحمد المنصور, Ahmad Abu al-Abbas al-Mansur, also Ahmad al-Mansur al-Dahabbi, and Ahmed al-Mansour was the Saadi Sultan of Morocco from 1578 to his death in 1603, the sixth and most famous of all rulers of the Saadis. Ahmad al-Mansur was an important figure in both Europe and Africa in the sixteenth century. His powerful army and strategic location made him an important power player in the late Renaissance period. He has been described as "a man of profound Islamic learning, a lover of books, calligraphy and mathematics, as well as a connoisseur of mystical texts and a lover of scholarly discussions."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wattasid dynasty</span> 1472–1554 Berber dynasty ruling Morocco

The Wattasid dynasty was a ruling dynasty of Morocco. Like the Marinid dynasty, its rulers were of Zenata Berber descent. The two families were related, and the Marinids recruited many viziers from the Wattasids. These viziers assumed the powers of the Sultans, seizing control of the Marinid dynasty's realm when the last Marinid, Abu Muhammad Abd al-Haqq, who had massacred many of the Wattasids in 1459, was murdered during a popular revolt in Fez in 1465.

The military history of Morocco covers a vast time period and complex events. It interacts with multiple military events in a vast area containing North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula.

Abdul Malik is an Arabic male given name and, in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words Abd, al- and Malik. The name means "servant of the King", in the Christian instance 'King' meaning 'King of Kings' as in Jesus Christ and in Islam, Al-Malik being one of the names of God in the Qur'an, which give rise to the Muslim theophoric names.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loukkos River</span>

The Loukkos River is a major river in northern Morocco. Although it is relatively short, the river is the third largest in Morocco with an average flow of 50 m³/s. The Loukkos river's source is located in the Rif Mountains and flows into the Atlantic Ocean in the city of Larache; the city's port is on the river. The Loukkos river basin is 3,730 km2 and contains one of the most fertile and productive agricultural lands in the country. One of the river's tributaries, Oued Makhazine, bears great historical importance since it witnessed one of the most decisive battles in the history of Morocco: the Battle of Alcácer Quibir. In the battle on 4 August 1578, the joint army of deposed Moroccan monarch Abu Abdallah Mohammed II Saadi and his ally, King Sebastian of Portugal, was defeated by the army of the new Moroccan sultan from the same Saadi dynasty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capture of Fez (1576)</span> 1576 battle in Morocco

The Capture of Fez occurred in 1576 at the Moroccan city of Fez, when an Ottoman force from Algiers supported the prince Abd al-Malik in gaining the throne of the Saadi Sultanate against his nephew and rival claimant Mulay Muhammed al-Mutawakkil in exchange for making the Sultanate an Ottoman vassal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moroccan–Portuguese conflicts</span> Conflicts between Morocco and Portugal

Moroccan–Portuguese conflicts refer to a series of battles between Morocco and Portugal throughout history including Battle of Tangier, Fall of Agadir and other battles and sieges in the Moroccan coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morocco–Turkey relations</span> Bilateral relations

Turkey–Morocco relations are the foreign relations between Morocco and Turkey, and spanned a period of several centuries, from the early 16th century when the Ottoman Empire neighbored Morocco and had an expedition there until modern times.

Abdul Malik is a given name.

Muley Xeque was a Moroccan prince, born in Marrakech in 1566 and died in Vigevano in 1621. Exiled in Spain, he converted to Catholicism in Madrid and was known as Felipe de África, Philip of Africa or Philip of Austria, in addition to the nickname of The Black Prince.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ottoman wars in Africa</span> Series of military conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and various African states

The Ottoman Empire was founded at the beginning of the 14th century. Beginning in the 16th century, it also began acquiring possessions following series of wars in coastal North Africa.

The Conquest of Fez or Capture of Fez took place in 1554 between the Algerian forces of Salah Rais and the ruler of the Saadi Sultanate, Mohammed ash-Sheikh. The battle took place on 7 January at Qudyat-al-Mahali, a suburb near Fez and occurred after Salah Reis’ two previous victories against the Saadians, one at Taza and another at the Sebou river. One of the objectives of the expedition is to restore Ali Abu Hassun, a Wattassid pretender, to the throne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ottoman expeditions to Morocco</span>

In the 16th century the Ottomans undertook several expeditions to Saadi Sultanate

Sahaba el-Rehmania was the wife of the Moroccan sultan of the Saadian dynasty Mohammed al-Shaykh and the mother of Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik. Gifted in diplomacy, she held a leading political role throughout her life. She was ambassador to the Ottoman Empire at the court of Sultan Murad III.

References

  1. Khalid Khodari. Guide des réalisateurs marocains. El Maarif Al Jadida, 2000.
  2. Association des trois mondes. Les cinémas d'Afrique: dictionnaire. KARTHALA Editions, 2000.
  3. Anna Maria Mori (9 November 1989). "Kolossal nel deserto". La Repubblica . Retrieved 7 July 2015.