Farewell to the King (1989) on Netflix
In Borneo during World War II, an American deserter named Learoyd escapes a Japanese firing squad. A Dayak tribe of head-hunters takes him in and treats his blue eyes as divine.
- Netflix2.9/5
- IMDb6.2/103,379 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes55%
Trailer
Plot summary
During World War II, Japanese soldiers in Borneo execute the comrades of an American deserter named Learoyd. Learoyd escapes the firing squad and hides in the wilds of the island. A Dayak tribe of head-hunters takes him in, and because of his blue eyes the tribe considers him divine. Learoyd becomes king of the Dayaks. British soldiers ask him to rejoin the war against the Japanese, and he holds back.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Farewell to the King (1989)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The story behind the film had a basis in fact: Tom Harrisson's stay with the Dayaks during the Second World War inspired much of the novel, as did Operation Semut, the allied drop behind Japanese lines.
- The film was first set up in 1972, to be directed by novelist Pierre Schoendoerffer, produced by Robert Dorfman and starring Donald Sutherland, but that version was never made.
- Editor Anne Coates said John Milius would fall asleep in the jungle while directing and never controlled Nick Nolte, whom she called a very good actor who did need help from the director.
- Post-production was meant to happen in England, but the falling US dollar sent it to Los Angeles instead, and Anne Coates, who had done an initial rough cut, left the project at that stage.
- John Milius was unhappy that the studio's edit removed a subplot in which Learoyd unifies the Dyak tribes by getting the women to hold a sex strike.
- Nick Nolte said the film could have been shot in the Philippines for much less money, but it was made in Borneo because that is where the story happened and the Iban there were the real people.
Stills
Similar movies
