Description: THE ADVENTURERS is an irresistible mega-movie loaded with all the trappings and treacheries, power plays and passions, intrigues and in-fighting of the world's super-rich. At the center of the jet-setting story is troubled playboy Dax, raised far from his South American homeland of Corteguay. Amid the high society and political intrigue of Italy, Dax uses romance as a stepping stone to success... and all the while schemes to bring vengeance on those who once wronged him and his family.
Amazon.com: Despite the tumultuous events in this sleek, handsome 1970 adaptation of Harold Robbins' bestselling novel, The Adventurers is arresting entertainment from the constantly inventive director of the original Alfie, Lewis Gilbert. Smoldering Yugoslavian actor Bekim Fehmiu stars as Dax Xenos, son of a revolutionary hero in an unnamed South American nation. As a child (played by Loris Loddi), Dax witnessed the murder of his mother and sisters by government goons, and he helped insurgent leader Rojo (Alan Badel) execute those responsible. As Dax grows up, his destiny is inexorably tied to the fate of his country and the whims of an increasingly despotic Rojo. But before he realizes that, the hunky gadabout chases women and races in the streets of Rome, spends some time as a gigolo (romancing a wealthy, heartbreakingly sympathetic Olivia de Havilland), marries and separates from a lovely heiress (Candice Bergen), and becomes a pawn in a terrible plot by Rojo to consolidate his power. The outstanding cast in this nearly three-hour film includes Fernando Rey, Charles Aznavour, Leigh Taylor-Young, and Ernest Borgnine. Gilbert's production is endlessly imaginative and exciting. Long before crowd scenes in movies could be computer-generated, directors such as Gilbert really did have to assemble thousands of extras for moments as spectacular as the battle sequences in The Adventurers. --Tom Keogh
LIKED THE BOOK Liked the book. The movie kinda left me cold. Though I can watch Ernest Borgnine in any part even Gato Gorde.
A Delightful Bad Movie Smorgasbord! This Harold Robbins smorgasbord offers kicks for everyone: Orgies! Drugs! Bloodbaths! Miscarriages! Lesbianism! High fashion! Satyrism! Thinly disguised characters based on real celebrities! A private torture chamber!
The fun begins in flashback, when a boy in revolution-torn "Corteguay" shoots the soldiers who raped and killed his loved ones. All this sex and violence must have screwed up "Dax" royally because, when he and his adopted kid sister happen upon a naked couple frolicking in the woods, he observes, "He's raping her." When the girl suggest, "Let's do it," he refuses. "No, you are too young, and I think I have to kill you afterwards."
We next meet "Dax" grown into Bekim Fehmiu. (Think how many stars must have turned down the role before the producers landed this Yugoslav unknown to play this filthy rich, world-class legend in the sack.) Before anyone can say "Porfirio Rubirosa," Fehmiu is screwing some starlet by Rossano Brazzi's swimming pool. Apparently desperate to justify the lofty screen credit "A Lewis Gilbert Film," the director's camera zooms in and out on the amorous couple, accelerating the tempo as their excitement peaks, all the while intercutting -- and here comes the artsy part -- flashbacks of rape and murder. (Auteur! Auteur!)
Fehmiu returns home, rekindles his relationship with Leigh Taylor-Young -- the Latina who wanted him to "rape" her when they were children -- then goes back to Europe and teams with Thommy Berggren (anyone remember Elvira Madigan?) In the rag trade. "We'll start with a fabulous show," Berggren enthuses, but all that glitz takes moolah, so Fehmiu sells his bod to rich American Olivia de Havilland (in a career-ender of a role).
Soon Fehmiu finds a younger fish in Barbara Huttonesque Candice Bergen, "the richest girl in the world" who, at the finale of the boys' first fashion show (a kitschfest of horse-drawn chariots and beefy centurions), ogles Fehmiu and says she'll buy "Everything - and the collection." They marry, she gets pregnant, then one day she goes hurtling off a swing and miscarries. "We'll try again," she promises, "I won't even sit on a swing." But the spark is gone, so, for lack of anything better to do, she marries Berggren.
Fehmiu returns home and, visiting his old flame Taylor-Young in the local nunnery, finds that she has borne him a son. Still, he won't commit. For filler, there's the party where Berggren intrudes on Bergen and another woman making love on the couch; for laughs, it's hard to top Fehmiu's and Bergen's finding out that Aristotle Onassisish Charles Aznavour has betrayed them by using their money to ship weapons to "Corteguay," so they tie him up in his very own private S&M torture chamber.
With Fernando Rey, Ernest Borgnine, Jaclyn Smith (as the Teen magazine reporter who asks Fehmiu, "Is it true you've made love to every woman in this room?").
a stylish guilty pleasure My vague memory of THE ADVENTURERS was that it was a campily bad studio flick--one I'd never bothered to see when it came out in 1970. Nearly 40 years later, it turns out to be extremely entertaining as a DVD experience. On the big screen during the era of EASY RIDER and M*A*S*H, it's easy to see that this would be considered an overproduced, overblown bore. But with a pre-CGI cast of thousands and extravagant sets, it's now truly impressive.
I haven't been a reader of Harold Robbins, but this film explains his popularity. The fantasy elegance of the rich and ambitious is tremendous fun, and he crams more plot into his story that a whole shelf of Galsworthy. Except for a 4-yr-old in the second part of the movie (yes, there's actually an intermission!), even the kid actors are good in their roles.
I'd expected VALLEY OF THE DOLLS and instead found the epic sweep and sturdy dialogue of the Taylor-Burton CLEOPATRA. True, a number of the sex scenes look like PLAYBOY (not PENTHOUSE) layouts from the '60s (James Bondy but even more lavish), and a couple of daringly camp touches after the intermission are a hoot: a VALLEY OF THE DOLLS fashion show, and an UNDER THE YUM YUM TREE lothario's lair.
All in all, however, this DVD is a good investment and, of course, after large portions of such rich scenes and scenery, one can turn off the DVD for a while to recupe before plunging again into its fabulous excess!
Worth while watching. This is a good movie even tho' it's old. However the story is set in a time that makes the movie quite enjoyable and South America "seems" to be set in the past anyway. Worth viewing.
Violence, Intrigue, Sex and the Music of Antonio Carlos Jobim Despite being a famous novel by Harold Robbins, despite being a tutorial doc about how to do politics in South America, what really matters is the wonderful music by Antonio Carlos Jobim, his only one collaboration for movie soundtracks in America.
Sorry that the original soundtrack album is a long time out-of-print item, a big object of desire though part of it has been re-recorded in Mr.Jobim's album 'Stone Flower' for CTi Records, available here @Amazon.
It is also interesting to watch singer and composer Charles Aznavour acting as an actor. It is also good to see beautiful actress Candice Bergen in action.
By the way, the film tells the story of bloody power dispute in a south american republic called 'Corteguay'(a direct or subtle mention to Paraguay ou Uruguay?!).
For romantic audiences, I warn that the hero dies at the end. Sorry.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
