Sandokan

This series appeared on TV in the early 80s. A mania erupted here in the Czech Republic, thanks to the mixture of exotic scenery, captivating eyes of Kabir Bedi, charms of Carole André, and motifs from bad soap operas and adventurous sixpenny stories set in a pristine but thirstier Czech environment, and it was just right. It came at just the right time, and it felt like a revelation. Years later, out of curiosity, I watched an episode on YouTube and I have to say, no matter how I remembered Sandokan as a naive and undemanding film, I was horrified by how incredibly stupid it actually is. The character of James Brooke portrayed with irony by Adolfo Celi had potential, but the script and execution would have had to have been completely different. Essentially, the only thing that still works after all these years is the musical component. Because of it and also out of nostalgia, I am giving it a single star. Overall impression: 20%. (2018-02-17)

Sandokan is a classic hero from adventure novels of the swashbuckler genre by Emilio Salgari. This father of Italian pop culture practically covered everything that can be imagined under the concept of adventure. From antiquity, through pirates to his colonial present. The series of eleven novels with Sandokan in the lead role were published between 1895-1913, the last three parts after the author's death. Sandokan appeared in film and television adaptations since the 1940s, so it is no wonder that his name is still alive. However, memories of the reception of the series in the Czechoslovak Republic at that time seem quite anachronistic. Perhaps because of a lack of understanding that the series was created as a tribute to old stories, not as something truly modern. And of course, series from the 1970s cannot be compared to anything that was created later. Certainly, the pace is awfully slow. But in any case, the whole thing honors the original and offers a romanticized memory of the times of British colonialism. Kabir Bedi even found himself at a crossroads between Hollywood and Bollywood thanks to Sandokan, but time has shown that it was better to play leading roles in India than stereotypical villains in America. (2022-11-19)

Do you know which two things most influenced Czech society in the 2nd half of the 1980s? Perestroika and Sandokan. You walked down the street and every other person was wearing a t-shirt with the bearded guy, and if you didn't know him, it was as if you didn't live. Nowadays, with the passage of time, I can hardly explain this phenomenon and I must say that i find it  rather funny. (2003-03-22)