The Horsemen
The film is based on Joseph Kessel's 1967 novel, "Les Cavaliers" ("The Horsemen"). Kessel spent almost fifty years of his life roaming the world, and he was the witness or a protagonist in several of…
The Horsemen
The film is based on Joseph Kessel's 1967 novel, "Les Cavaliers" ("The Horsemen"). Kessel spent almost fifty years of his life roaming the world, and he was the witness or a protagonist in several of the great world events, which took place during that time. Kessel was, in the tradition of Saint-Exupery, Malraux, Pierre Mac Orlan, and Hemingway, an adventurer, journalist, globetrotter, and great writer, a man who tried to make the novel "the privileged expression of the experienced adventure." In 1967, on returning from Afghanistan where he had been on a mission for the World Health Organization, he wrote Les Cavaliers, which is dedicated to the Afghan horsemen of the steppes of Central Asia, exalting their wonderful and savage freedom in the game of "buzkashi." The buzkashi The Afghan national game of "buzkashi" dates back to the time of Genghis Khan. It is a fierce competition, played on the steppes of the northern provinces of Maimana, Mazar-i-Sharif, and Kataghan by expert horsemen called "chapendaz." The game is played on horseback. Two types of indigenous Afghan horses, known for their strength and endurance, are used. Each horse is one with its rider: should he dismount or be thrown, the horse will stand and defend him against the other chapendaz venturing too close. In the melee, at the games onset, or when the ball is dropped to the ground and the horsemen are competing to grab and carry it further, the horses will help their riders by kicking and biting the opponents. The horses are rumored to enjoy the game as much as the riders. The ball, called the "buz," is a beheaded calf, its four legs cut off at the knees, its insides emptied. The buz is then soaked in water for 24 hours before the game, so that it may be tough enough for the horsemen to handle. Sometimes, sand is packed inside for extra bulk. A goat may also be used if there is no calf available. The chapendaz are master horsemen who have undergone arduous training. They wear thick hats (traditionally made of fox or wolf skins), quilted jackets, high, stiff leather boots, and they wind strong scarves around their waists. They carry short whips made of a handle attached to a foot-long piece of braided leather. The rules of the game are simple. The headless carcass is placed on the ground in the center of a circle (the "hallal" or circle of justice in Turkomen). The players may consist of opposing teams, or of individuals playing singly. The riders surround the hallal, trying to grab the buz, after which they bring it to the scoring area. In order to reach this goal, anything goes. The chapendaz not only whip their horses, but the other riders, and especially the one who has the buz. In the past, the chapendaz carried chains and even knives, and sometimes stabbed an opponents horse or even its rider, in an attempt to steal the buz. These practices are now forbidden now that we are civilized. Broken limbs frequently occur, but those do not stop the game, and the bandaged chapendaz is soon back in the saddle. There are two types of buzkashi. The first is the "tudabarai," where in order to score, the rider must obtain possession of the buz and carry it away in any direction. The rider must stay free and clear of the other riders. In the second type, the "Qarajai," the rider must carry the buz around two poles placed approximately one mile apart, and bring it back to the hallal. In this film, both types of buzkashi are shown. Afghans remember the stories of famous horses, horsemen and the great battles in which they displayed their skill and courage. To many Afghans, the buzkashi is not a game, it is a way of life, and a chapendaz is regarded as an honored member of the society. The Film The action takes place on the vast plains around Maimana in the northwest of the country, across the forbidding Hindu Kush, and in Kabul. Although the scenery and characters are timeless, the sight of a high-flying jet during a scene subtly establishes the movie's time period. The drama revolves around the "mad horse," Jahil, with its almost human presence. The film opens with the movie credits rolling over the spectacular vista of the string of lapis lazuli blue lakes of Band-i-Amir. These lakes, a marvel of nature, are located at an altitude of seven thousand feet in the midst of a desert in Central Afghanistan. In the first scene, near the northern town of Maimana, we find Uraz (Omar Sharif) watching two Bactrian camels fight to the death in an enclosure. A crowd of excited aficionados and gamblers watches the duel's progress. Most Afghans are inveterate gamblers, betting on the outcomes of every type of arranged combats between animals: rams, dogs, partridges, crickets, you name it. They'll even bet on eggs (but this is not the place to explain how this works). A mysterious and likable character, Hayatal (Peter Jeffrey) appears next to Uraz and challenges him to bet on the outcome of the camel fight. An important trait of Urazs character is revealed as he permits the stranger to choose first. Obviously, Uraz cares more about the competition of betting than he does about winning. Before the camel fight ends, Uraz is summoned by his father, Tursen (Jack Palance), so he pays off Hayatal without waiting for the finish. Any other person interested in financial gain may have found this summons a good excuse for not paying, since Uraz's choice was obviously going to lose the fight. Earlier, when Hayatal asked an old lady in the bazaar about Uraz, she said, "If you wager him for glory, you will lose. If for money, you will win." In the village, Uraz meets his father, manager of the stables of the honorable Ozman Bay, a wealthy local land owner. Uraz is to ride Jahil, Tursen's latest prized white stallion, in the great buzkashi of the King, to be held in Kabul. If Uraz wins, Jahil is his to keep. How can he not win? "If you cannot win on Jahil, you cannot win on any horse," says Tursen sarcastically. Uraz, like his father before him, is now the most famous chapendaz in the "three provinces." Nevertheless, his quest for glory seems endless, as an inner demon keeps driving him to surpass both his father and himself. At the buzkashi in Kabul, Uraz will know defeat. He not only loses the game, but his leg is fractured. His life lesson about pain and hate begins as he returns to Maimana, vanquished, prouder, more resolute, and crazier than ever. Uraz has the choice of two roads to return to Maimana: the relatively easy road across the terrible Hindu Kush Range, through the Salang Pass, the world's highest pass at ten thousand feet, or the dreadful "ancient road," running through the Unai and Hajikak passes, both also near ten thousand feet, Bamiyan, followed by more high passes, before finally arriving on the northern steppes. Of course, Uraz chooses the "ancient road," challenging himself to the limit, in order to redeem himself in his own eyes, and also those of his father. For all his toughness, his father had never traveled that road. As if the "ancient road" were not challenge enough, Uraz, whose fractured leg is fast becoming gangrenous, tempts his "sais" (groom), Mokkhi (David de Keyser), with a pact that involves ownership of the magnificent Jahil. Along the way, they meet a beautiful "untouchable," Zareh (Leigh Taylor-Young). For her, it is love at first sight with the horse. She tags along the group in their journey to the north, determined to somehow take possession of Jahil. During this infernal trip, Mukkhi meets with love in the arms of Zareh, but also experiences greed, a taste for murder, and a pitiful downfall. Zareh, as beautiful as she is devious, inspires Mokkhi to murder and destruction. She is herself tormented by "the horse": "Do you know, great Prince (Uraz), what brought me to you that first night? It was the horse." Along this endless "ancient road," the trio each confronts the worst in themselves, and arrive at their destination perverted and lost. Following a hellish snow storm, Uraz is separated from his two companions. Totally unconscious, he is still riding Jahil who takes him to the safety of a shepherds camp. Uraz wakes up in the presence of Mizrar (George Murcell), the chief shepherd of the local lord, who tells him that "It must come off, son of Tursen." And Mizrar amputates the rotten leg, as he would have done to one of his sheep. Eventually, Uraz returns to his home. There is a poignant exchange between father and son, following which the judgment of Mukkih and of Zareh, who had been captured by Tursen's men, is pronounced by Uraz, and Tursen further humiliates Uraz, in a final twist involving Jahil, the horse. Finally, a great feast is given to honor the victory of Urazs team at the buzkashi of the King, won by his teammate Salih. Uraz appears unannounced on horseback at the celebration and give a virtuoso demonstrates of his horsemanship before the assembly. The next day, he and his new traveling companion, Hayatal, leave for an endless journey across the steppes, in search of glory in more buzkashi competitions. Uraz says, "The journey is from nowhere to nowhere. It suits me."
The Horsemen
Action,Adventure,Drama
Film Details
The film is based on Joseph Kessel's 1967 novel, "Les Cavaliers" ("The Horsemen"). Kessel spent almost fifty years of his life roaming the world, and he was the witness or a protagonist in several of the great world events, which took place during that time. Kessel was, in the tradition of Saint-Exupery, Malraux, Pierre Mac Orlan, and Hemingway, an adventurer, journalist, globetrotter, and great writer, a man who tried to make the novel "the privileged expression of the experienced adventure." In 1967, on returning from Afghanistan where he had been on a mission for the World Health Organization, he wrote Les Cavaliers, which is dedicated to the Afghan horsemen of the steppes of Central Asia, exalting their wonderful and savage freedom in the game of "buzkashi." The buzkashi The Afghan national game of "buzkashi" dates back to the time of Genghis Khan.
It is a fierce competition, played on the steppes of the northern provinces of Maimana, Mazar-i-Sharif, and Kataghan by expert horsemen called "chapendaz." The game is played on horseback. Two types of indigenous Afghan horses, known for their strength and endurance, are used. Each horse is one with its rider: should he dismount or be thrown, the horse will stand and defend him against the other chapendaz venturing too close.
In the melee, at the games onset, or when the ball is dropped to the ground and the horsemen are competing to grab and carry it further, the horses will help their riders by kicking and biting the opponents. The horses are rumored to enjoy the game as much as the riders. The ball, called the "buz," is a beheaded calf, its four legs cut off at the knees, its insides emptied.
The buz is then soaked in water for 24 hours before the game, so that it may be tough enough for the horsemen to handle. Sometimes, sand is packed inside for extra bulk. A goat may also be used if there is no calf available.
The chapendaz are master horsemen who have undergone arduous training. They wear thick hats (traditionally made of fox or wolf skins), quilted jackets, high, stiff leather boots, and they wind strong scarves around their waists. They carry short whips made of a handle attached to a foot-long piece of braided leather.
The rules of the game are simple. The headless carcass is placed on the ground in the center of a circle (the "hallal" or circle of justice in Turkomen). The players may consist of opposing teams, or of individuals playing singly.
The riders surround the hallal, trying to grab the buz, after which they bring it to the scoring area. In order to reach this goal, anything goes. The chapendaz not only whip their horses, but the other riders, and especially the one who has the buz.
In the past, the chapendaz carried chains and even knives, and sometimes stabbed an opponents horse or even its rider, in an attempt to steal the buz. These practices are now forbidden now that we are civilized. Broken limbs frequently occur, but those do not stop the game, and the bandaged chapendaz is soon back in the saddle.
There are two types of buzkashi. The first is the "tudabarai," where in order to score, the rider must obtain possession of the buz and carry it away in any direction. The rider must stay free and clear of the other riders.
In the second type, the "Qarajai," the rider must carry the buz around two poles placed approximately one mile apart, and bring it back to the hallal. In this film, both types of buzkashi are shown. Afghans remember the stories of famous horses, horsemen and the great battles in which they displayed their skill and courage.
To many Afghans, the buzkashi is not a game, it is a way of life, and a chapendaz is regarded as an honored member of the society. The Film The action takes place on the vast plains around Maimana in the northwest of the country, across the forbidding Hindu Kush, and in Kabul. Although the scenery and characters are timeless, the sight of a high-flying jet during a scene subtly establishes the movie's time period.
The drama revolves around the "mad horse," Jahil, with its almost human presence. The film opens with the movie credits rolling over the spectacular vista of the string of lapis lazuli blue lakes of Band-i-Amir. These lakes, a marvel of nature, are located at an altitude of seven thousand feet in the midst of a desert in Central Afghanistan.
In the first scene, near the northern town of Maimana, we find Uraz (Omar Sharif) watching two Bactrian camels fight to the death in an enclosure. A crowd of excited aficionados and gamblers watches the duel's progress. Most Afghans are inveterate gamblers, betting on the outcomes of every type of arranged combats between animals: rams, dogs, partridges, crickets, you name it.
They'll even bet on eggs (but this is not the place to explain how this works). A mysterious and likable character, Hayatal (Peter Jeffrey) appears next to Uraz and challenges him to bet on the outcome of the camel fight. An important trait of Urazs character is revealed as he permits the stranger to choose first.
Obviously, Uraz cares more about the competition of betting than he does about winning. Before the camel fight ends, Uraz is summoned by his father, Tursen (Jack Palance), so he pays off Hayatal without waiting for the finish. Any other person interested in financial gain may have found this summons a good excuse for not paying, since Uraz's choice was obviously going to lose the fight.
Earlier, when Hayatal asked an old lady in the bazaar about Uraz, she said, "If you wager him for glory, you will lose. If for money, you will win." In the village, Uraz meets his father, manager of the stables of the honorable Ozman Bay, a wealthy local land owner. Uraz is to ride Jahil, Tursen's latest prized white stallion, in the great buzkashi of the King, to be held in Kabul.
If Uraz wins, Jahil is his to keep. How can he not win? "If you cannot win on Jahil, you cannot win on any horse," says Tursen sarcastically. Uraz, like his father before him, is now the most famous chapendaz in the "three provinces." Nevertheless, his quest for glory seems endless, as an inner demon keeps driving him to surpass both his father and himself.
At the buzkashi in Kabul, Uraz will know defeat. He not only loses the game, but his leg is fractured. His life lesson about pain and hate begins as he returns to Maimana, vanquished, prouder, more resolute, and crazier than ever.
Uraz has the choice of two roads to return to Maimana: the relatively easy road across the terrible Hindu Kush Range, through the Salang Pass, the world's highest pass at ten thousand feet, or the dreadful "ancient road," running through the Unai and Hajikak passes, both also near ten thousand feet, Bamiyan, followed by more high passes, before finally arriving on the northern steppes. Of course, Uraz chooses the "ancient road," challenging himself to the limit, in order to redeem himself in his own eyes, and also those of his father. For all his toughness, his father had never traveled that road.
As if the "ancient road" were not challenge enough, Uraz, whose fractured leg is fast becoming gangrenous, tempts his "sais" (groom), Mokkhi (David de Keyser), with a pact that involves ownership of the magnificent Jahil. Along the way, they meet a beautiful "untouchable," Zareh (Leigh Taylor-Young). For her, it is love at first sight with the horse.
She tags along the group in their journey to the north, determined to somehow take possession of Jahil. During this infernal trip, Mukkhi meets with love in the arms of Zareh, but also experiences greed, a taste for murder, and a pitiful downfall. Zareh, as beautiful as she is devious, inspires Mokkhi to murder and destruction.
She is herself tormented by "the horse": "Do you know, great Prince (Uraz), what brought me to you that first night? It was the horse." Along this endless "ancient road," the trio each confronts the worst in themselves, and arrive at their destination perverted and lost. Following a hellish snow storm, Uraz is separated from his two companions. Totally unconscious, he is still riding Jahil who takes him to the safety of a shepherds camp.
Uraz wakes up in the presence of Mizrar (George Murcell), the chief shepherd of the local lord, who tells him that "It must come off, son of Tursen." And Mizrar amputates the rotten leg, as he would have done to one of his sheep. Eventually, Uraz returns to his home. There is a poignant exchange between father and son, following which the judgment of Mukkih and of Zareh, who had been captured by Tursen's men, is pronounced by Uraz, and Tursen further humiliates Uraz, in a final twist involving Jahil, the horse.
Finally, a great feast is given to honor the victory of Urazs team at the buzkashi of the King, won by his teammate Salih. Uraz appears unannounced on horseback at the celebration and give a virtuoso demonstrates of his horsemanship before the assembly. The next day, he and his new traveling companion, Hayatal, leave for an endless journey across the steppes, in search of glory in more buzkashi competitions.
Uraz says, "The journey is from nowhere to nowhere. It suits me.".