Don't you think the most important part of a meal is the wine?
Everything must follow the wine.
And in this case, I could favor a red Bordeaux.
A red Bordeaux at lunch?
Your late husband would never have approved.
William!
William, stay away from the edge! The edge is no place to play!
Yes, ma'am.
What is it, William?
I don't know.
He's got a knife in his back.
William!
Run, William! William!
- Joseph, over there! - Get down, Eden!
Damn.
Joseph!
Leave us alone. You hear?
Get back! Leave us alone!
Come, girl.
Come on.
I am the Raisuli.
Do not laugh at me again.
Secretary of state to the president.
I regret to inform you that I have received the following dispatch...
...from Samuel Gummere, United States general consul, Tangier, Morocco.
On October 15, Mrs. Eden Pedecaris and her children...
...were kidnapped from their residence in Tangier...
...after the brutal murder of her servants and a guest...
...Sir Joshua Kenyon-Smith, a British subject.
The act of barbarous criminality appears perpetrated by Mulay el-Raisuli...
...sharif of the Rifian Berbers and the last of the Barbary pirates.
The British minister and myself concur there exists...
...alarming prospects of danger for all foreigners in Morocco.
Request warships.
Gentlemen, the presidency was never won by a vice president...
...filling out his fallen predecessor's term of office.
That may not be in this instance...
The only thing people will remember about McKinley...
...is he got himself shot.
Teddy's the most popular president since Washington.
Why drag in Washington?
You know it and I know it, but that damn cowboy doesn't know it.
What he wants is some issue to hang his campaign on...
...something to arouse the populace.
- A cavalry charge? - So to speak.
Morocco?
You know as well as I do we can't have Arab desperadoes...
...running around kidnapping American citizens.
If I had my way, I'd go in with Winchesters...
...a battalion of Marines...
- I can't do that. Can I? - No.
- Has this Raspuli? - Raisuli.
Raspuli, Raisuli, whatever.
You should never have moved that bishop or kidnapped me.
Both will see you undone.
It is not I who decides the outcome of these events.
It is the will of Allah. I am but an instrument of that will.
It is the wind that passes, but the sea remains.
A stitch in time saves nine. Make your move.
What do you intend to do with us?
It is my intention to embarrass Mulay Abd al-Aziz, the sultan to Morocco.
The tribesmen will see that he is the bought dog of the European armies...
...a slave to French and German masters.
The tribesmen will join me in a jihad to abolish this foreign pestilence.
And this is your way, abducting women and children, killing unarmed servants?
I prefer to fight the European armies, but they do not fight as men.
They fight as dogs.
Men prefer to fight with swords so they can see each other's eyes.
Sometimes this is not possible.
Then they fight with rifles.
The Europeans have guns that fire many times promiscuously and rend the earth.
There is no honor in this. Nothing is decided from this.
Therefore, I shall take women and children when it pleases me.
What have you demanded for our return?
Gold...
...rifles...
...the head of the bashaw in a basket of melons...
...the sovereignty of my people.
The English have paid very well in the past.
You'll not have your way with the Americans.
President Roosevelt will have your head for this!
This President Roosevelt, he would try and take it himself?
He certainly would. He is a man of grit and strong moral fiber.
He does not kidnap women and children!
- What kind of rifle does he use? - A Winchester.
Winchester?
- I have no knowledge of this rifle. - You will.
Sharif of Wazan, lord of the desert.
- Mrs. Pedecaris. - The pleasure is mine.
Charmed.
The sherif has honored me by carrying my entreaties to the Europeans.
What is that?
That is a tongue.
Well, why would anyone want to cut out a man's tongue?
Perhaps the previous owner had nothing pleasant to say.
I believe I'm about to be sick.
Must be the heat.
- What is it? - Some kind of tongue.
Children, get up from that tongue! Good God!
The reply from the American bashaw.
- Speaking for the lord of the Americans. - President Roosevelt?
"Pedecaris alive or Raisuli dead"?
You are not in a position to laugh.
Do not laugh at the Raisuli!
Go to Zinat.
Cut the small finger from a woman, take it to these Americans...
...tell them it is a finger of the woman Pedecaris...
...and that the Raisuli is a man of patience, but not unending.
Does this president, this Roosevelt?
Does he have no respect for human life?
Hey, what'd you bring in, colonel?
Got some venison and a cougar.
- Heard about the bear, have you? - Big one, I heard.
Coffee, Mr. President?
Is that the bear?
Yes, this is the bear that attacked the horse camp at dawn.
He knew that men would be asleep or at their worst at dawn.
He injured one of the Indians severely. Killed several of the horses too.
Did you participate in stopping the bear, Mr. President?
Yes, I regret to say.
- Why do you regret, Mr. President? - Because he's a fine creature.
This is his valley.
This valley belonged to the bear, and we're the intruders here.
We're accustomed to wild animals taking flight at the sight of men with guns.
The American grizzly fears nothing...
...not man, not guns, not death.
Do you intend to have this bear as a rug in the White House?
Rug? No.
No, I intend to have him stuffed and placed on exhibit.
The Smithsonian Institute.
The American grizzly bear is a symbol of the American character.
Strength. Intelligence. Ferocity.
A little blind and reckless at times...
...but courageous beyond all doubt.
And one other trait that goes with all previous.
- And that, Mr. President? - Loneliness.
A bear lives out his life alone...
...indomitable, unconquered, but always alone.
He has no real allies, only enemies, but none of them are as great as he.
Do you feel this might be an American trait?
Certainly. The world will never love us.
It may respect us...
...they may even grow to fear us, but they will never love us.
For we have too much audacity...
...and we're a bit blind and reckless at times too.
Are you perhaps referring to the Panama Canal and the situation in Morocco?
If you say so.
The American grizzly embodies the spirit of America.
He should be our symbol, not that ridiculous eagle.
He's no more than a dandified vulture.
Dandified.
- Do you speak English? - Yes, sire.
Tell me, why doesn't the sultan build the road to Fez?
I had to bring these lions by camel.
- Do you know what that's like? - No, sire.
It wasn't easy.
The ease of others is not the concern of the sultan.
- We'll build a road someday. - A road? Here?
Foolish. The desert is like the sea.
You cannot build a road in the sea.
We will.
We have men that can do anything.
Absolutely anything.
- We have men that can fly. - Fly?
Fly.
Watch the goal. Watch the goal. Watch the goal.
Say, haven't I seen you somewhere before?
Perhaps Your Highness would care to fire the Maxim gun?
Herr Sultan is displeased?
This is broken. Mend it!
The ambassador of the American, your exultancy.
I am Mulay Abd al-Aziz, sultan to Morocco.
It has been said that you have brought me lions.
Yes, sir, two of them.
It's out of bounds.
It would please me to take the pleasure of this meeting in my carriage of state.
You will come.
- Beautiful! - It is quite extraordinary.
You may sit.
- You wish to discuss the Raisuli? - Yes.
Have you made any contact with his people?
He wishes for the return of the woman Pedecaris...
...that he be granted the lands of the Rif by formal decree...
...and that the bashaw of Tangier's head be presented in a golden jar.
- He didn't ask for money? - Yes, but that is honorable.
- You have offered to pay it? - Do not distress me by such a question.
See here, we will have our people back and right quick...
...or we will do something about it! - I will not endure this treatment!
Have you ever heard of the big stick, sultan?
There are squadrons of warships in your coastal waters.
In days there will be Marines, cavalry and artillery to enforce my demands.
Now, my country wants the woman Pedecaris alive or Raisuli dead!
You cannot talk to the defender of the faithful in this manner!
You do not understand it!
It is so difficult to be sultan. You do not understand.
What do you know of this Raisuli?
He is a wonderful man, a servant of God.
But he is a brigand and a criminal as well.
He taught me to shoot a rifle when I was 5 years old.
- You know him? - He is my uncle.
But the bashaw in Tangier is your uncle.
They are both my uncles. They are brothers.
It is so difficult to be sultan.
You foreigners do not understand.
These are my true riches.
A man's worth is counted in the number of his rifles.
Does this Roosevelt? Does he have such men?
Probably not.
Well, with such men, who needs guns that fire many times promiscuously?
- Machine guns? - Yes. Who needs such guns?
Well, maybe I don't believe it either.
Look at this.
Where'd you get it, William? Did you steal it?
No, he gave it to me.
Gayaan the Terrible.
He's a brigand who's killed over 30 men.
Did he kill any with that?
Certainly.
- What will they do with us, William? - Keep us.
Teach us to ride...
...shoot...
...cut men's throats...
...and be brigands.
- Even girls? - Yes, but you'll have to wear a veil.
For he's a jolly good fellow For he's a jolly good fellow
That nobody can deny
For he's a jolly good fellow For he's a jolly good fellow
That nobody can deny
- Happy birthday, Father! - Happy birthday!
- Blow out the candles, Father! - Takes a big wind, lots of hot air.
Then I'll need help from you, Mr. Hay.
I propose a toast.
To the Panama Canal.
Yes, and Jupiter Pierpont Morgan.
Likie knifie? You likie forkie? Splendid.
And now, Mr. President, blow.
May the breath of Theodore Roosevelt be like the wind...
...that he has sent across the Pacific.
Wind that bends the trees of aggression and injustice.
But a true wind, marked also for its warmth.
An American wind.
You likie speechie?
Well, I suppose I should make the first cut here.
See? Nothing to it. There you are.
See how easy that was? Now you all go on and finish it.
- Not having any, Mr. President? - Oh, no. No cake for me, John...
...birthday or no.
I have to remain fit and trim, vigorous and active.
After all, this Raisuli fellow is said to be over 50 and still a formidable brigand.
You may well make a formidable brigand yourself.
You've made a good start in life...
...and we all have high hopes for you when you grow up.
Now I shall have some of your cake. Let them eat cake, huh, kid?
Not good for you, John. Neither are those cigars.
I assure you, I can afford it.
Let me see that.
Take a note to the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, New Haven.
Dear Sirs, I have received my improved model 1895 Winchester in.405 caliber.
As you and I both know, this is a very fine rifle.
However, once again, you have blundered...
...both in regard to the stock dimensions and the recoil pad.
How long will these mistakes be repeated?
I am the president of the United States.
I see no reason why an American president can't get satisfaction...
...from an American gun maker!
What must I do for a proper fitting? Go to England?
- I should hope not. - No, sir.
Why are you standing there like that, young man?
Speak up. This is a government, not a rest home.
- What is it? - Your bear, sir.
- My bear? What bear? - Your grizzly bear, sir.
Oh, the Smithsonian! Yes, you have the sketches. Thank you. Let's see.
Let's see these. Oh, I'm sorry. That won't do.
No, that's... No, that's all wrong. That's terrible. And that one...
You see, what's wrong here, young man, is the position.
You've made this fine specimen of a grizzly look like a hairy cow.
Now, would you like to be portrayed as a hairy cow if you were a grizzly bear?
Perhaps the president had a position in mind.
Certainly. There you are. Now watch.
The American grizzly must always be portrayed in a fighting stance.
That's the sort of animal he is, upright, rampant, on his two hind feet.
His great forepaws extended like that. Teeth bared, clawing, growling.
Understand? Would you like to sketch that?
- Take a photograph. - Good. Ready?
- Growl again, Father. - You like that?
See that he gets a copy.
Now, where was I with Winchester?
"What must I do for a proper fitting? Need I go to England?"
Oh, that's all right the way it is. Send it out.
What must a man do, anyway, to get a proper-fitting rifle?
You can bet that Raisuli fellow's got a rifle that fits him.
Those people know the value of a good weapon.
- The rifle is the very soul of the Arab. - Raisuli's a Berber, Mr. President.
Well, it goes double for Berbers.
- What sort of rifle does he use? - I 608
A barrel of laughs.
Have you any idea of the risk you're running?
Have you any idea of the territory I'd be gaining?
Theodore.
You're dangerous.
You might even shoot somebody.
Accidentally, I mean.
John, I'd never shoot anyone accidentally. I need their votes.
Madness.
- Madness. - Sir?
Utter madness.
Why are you closing your left eye? You told us to shoot with both eyes open.
The light bothers me. I can't see out of that eye anymore.
- What do you mean? - I'm blind in my left eye.
- Since when? - Saturday. Boxing.
Now don't say anything to Edith about it. Do you hear?
Maybe it'll go away.
And don't let anyone come up on my left side either.
Father, is Raisuli a real pirate?
Yes, Quentin, he's the last of the Barbary pirates.
Why do you say that?
Well, the world is fast outgrowing pirates, of that sort anyway.
Do you know any others?
Yes, J.P. Morgan. He's the only other real pirate I know.
I hope you have him brought before you in chains.
- J.P. Morgan? I should hardly think so. - No, have Raisuli brought before you.
I should like to see that.
Oh, I should like to see him too, but not in chains.
Let's have the Winchester, Alice.
You like him. Don't you, Father?
You like J.P. Morgan too. Don't you?
Of course I do, Alice.
But they're your enemies.
Well, sometimes one finds that your enemies...
...are a lot more admirable than your friends.
You pick the road to greatness, and you'll have that choice someday.
You come to realize that the road traveled by great men...
...is dark and lonely and lit only at intervals by other great men.
And sometimes they're your enemies.
But they're the only true luxury you have.
Yes, it's a dark and difficult road...
...and I do not look down upon anyone who has the good sense not to take it.
I was young and full of the sayings of young men.
I did not yet understand the ways of the prophet, the will of God.
I thought that men could oppose such will. I was very foolish.
A man can trust no one, yet often trusts women.
I trusted my brother and openly opposed the old sultan at Fez.
He let the Europeans give him money...
...and money is always followed by more Europeans.
My brother betrayed me, and I was sent to Mogador.
Mogador?
It is a dungeon on the edge of the sea.
I was sent there to die, but I was young and strong.
My brain was as agile as my fingers.
The confinement, speak of the confinement.
It was the intention of my brother to let the flies and the ants consume me.
But as the years passed...
...and the chains were replaced many times...
...it was always I who remained.
It was then that the guards saw that the Baraka was with me.
They arranged my escape.
I thanked them for the years of wisdom they had given me.
And I wandered into the mountains.
- Are you asleep? - No, did I look like it?
No, but you made no noise, and others have fallen asleep while I speak.
The wandering, Raisuli.
Yeah. I wandered into the mountains.
I wished only to hear the voices of women...
...babbling about common things.
You permit me to say, the conversation of women does not interest me much.
But when one is in prison...
...one is inclined to have a different sense of disposition.
The Rifians found me.
I learned to read and to speak again.
The women aided me in this because of my lineage...
...but the men...
...they wanted to sell my head to the old sultan at Fez for rifles and gold.
There was but one thing to do, challenge Abdel Malak the Cruel.
We fought with swords on horseback.
And the Baraka was with me.
I cut off his arm.
And he wounded me...
...many times.
The tribesmen judged him, and every voice was against him.
And his eyes, which had witnessed much injustice...
...were burned out with heated copper coins.
And today he wanders the land a blind beggar.
Thus I became the true defender of the faithful...
...for the blood of the prophet runs in me, and I am but an instrument of his will.
Raisuli, lord of the Rif, Salaam. Salaam.
I have never seen such fierce retainers.
Well, these are my immortals.
- They have... - Put that down!
Let it be!
They are feared in hell...
...and their courage is such that golden thrones await them in paradise.
You are pleased, sherif?
I am pleased the Raisuli will be pleased.
The bashaw offers this: 70,000 pieces of Spanish gold.
All foreign soldiers to be removed from the Rif...
...and the Raisuli and his followers are to be granted the freedom...
...to travel in the cities and marketplaces.
And last, all those held in the dungeons of Mogador...
...who swear fealty to Raisuli shall be placed under Raisuli's care.
This in return for the American woman and her children.
It is the word of the American sultan Roosevelt, and his honor.
Even with treachery, such an offer is impressive.
The American bashaw wished that the Raisuli act in haste...
...as the Europeans aren't pleased. - You must take their offer!
Each day you keep us here...
...the Europeans use as an excuse to land more troops.
Everything that you have fought for is wasted!
They are using you, Raisuli!
- You are becoming a dupe to them. - Do not call the Raisuli a dupe!
- I do not need the counsel of women. - The American woman is true.
Every day more Germans travel to Fez.
They have guns that need wheels to carry them.
What is stopping you? Can't you see?
It is no longer our concern.
The great powers want this land, and they will fight for it.
When they're done there'll be nothing...
...not your mountains, nor your palace, not pride, nor honor!
It is a wind so strong no tree can stand in it!
And where there are no trees, there is no shade from the sun.
And what is land without shade from the sun?
Desert.
The desert I know very well.
Mrs. Pedecaris, you speak like a Berber.
It must be the heat.
Why do you do this?
I do not ordinarily ask the counsel of any man...
...let alone the counsel of women.
You're not even one of my wives!
I should certainly say not.
I am not!
Children, come here.
We have no more business here.
Let these brigands decide what they shall do with us.
Mrs. Pedecaris, I have decided it would please me...
...to return you to President Roosevelt...
...because you're a lot of trouble!
Perhaps he will know what to do with you. It is not my fate to find out.
- Even you laugh at the Raisuli. - This woman has taken the Raisuli.
You say such things in front of my men.
What has become of honor, respect?
Everything is changing, drifting away on the wind.
It's been a bad year.
The next one will probably be worse.
Where do we take them to get our gold?
I will take them. Do not risk your life.
What does my life matter? I've nothing else to do.
Prepare to ride.
I do not understand this woman.
My entire education has been horses and the Koran.
What have I learned? Look what I've become.
You are lord of the Rif.
Yes, and you would think I would understand this woman.
Where exactly are we going?
To a small village east of Rabat at the foot of the mountains.
- It is good. - What is good?
It is good to know where we are going.
What are they singing?
They are singing songs to God.
Why are you not singing?
I am the sultan. They do the singing.
That is ridiculous!
It is customary.
There is just one thing I'd like to ask you.
Yes, what is it?
What is your first name?
- My first name? - Yes, your Christian name.
I mean, what is the name that precedes all your other names?
My first name? My Christian name?
I am Mulay Achmed Mohammed Raisuli the Magnificent, lord of the Rif.
Mulay. Mulay, that is a nice name.
Yes.
Mulay. I am Eden, Mulay.
Eden. Of course.
You need not go any further.
My retainers will bring back the gold.
What good is the word of the Roosevelt...
...if it is not met by the word of the Raisuli?
My brother knows this.
I do not fear treachery or fate. I fear only God.
It is foolish and silly to talk as such.
These Europeans are not men.
They do not respect the laws of men. Let me take the woman.
He is right. It is no longer your concern.
No longer my concern?
It is I who took you.
It pleased me to do so. It pleases me now to bring you back.
No longer my concern.
Sharif, bring your retainers.
The woman, Pedecaris, must not be endangered.
She must return to President Roosevelt.
If there is to be treachery, Allah will not leave my side, but you must.
Ride back, lead the mahalla, let there be jihad.
Let the swords run with the blood of the infidels.
We will all eat lamb in paradise.
Throw down your arms!
They obey only my will, and I am the Raisuli.
I am Mrs. Pedecaris. I do not want my family endangered any further.
Mrs. Pedecaris. Capt. Jerome, U.S. Marine Corps.
- Help the children. - Yes, ma'am.
Better take cover inside, ma'am.
Inside. Inside.
I am the sherif of Wazan. These are my retainers.
They do not ride with this brigand.
Take him if you want!
What will they do to him?
That can't be our concern, ma'am. We're quite outnumbered here.
Let's go inside.
I expect gold and rifles for his head.
I do not do this for a lackey's wages!
- Can't we get out of here? - Not until it's light, ma'am.
I wouldn't trust these sorts in the dark.
Mother. Mother, aren't you going to do anything about the Raisuli?
William, the Raisuli is not our concern.
Aren't you gonna do anything?
Go to sleep, William.
Mother.
William!
William.
William, have you got your dagger?
Captain.
Captain, could you bring us some water, please?
Of course, ma'am.
Here we go.
For the boy first, captain, he has a fever.
Here, son, hold your head up. There we go.
Oh, man!
Don't any of you move!
I shall cut this man's throat if you do not do as I say.
I am not fooling! Now, drop those weapons!
- You could hurt somebody... - Don't touch that!
William, get them. Jennifer, help him. Get the pistols too.
William, give me the short one.
Get up.
Easy with that thing, ma'am.
I have shot grouse in Scotland and quail in North Carolina.
Believe me, I know how to use this thing.
What are you doing? What are you trying to get across?
President Roosevelt made an agreement with that man there...
...and President Roosevelt keeps agreements!
Now, there's no need to do this. We're all Americans here.
- What exactly did you have in mind? - I intend to free the Raisuli.
- Alone, I suppose. - With my children.
Well, I wish you'd said that in the first place.
If you're gonna try it alone, with your children, you haven't got a chance.
What do you suggest I do then, captain?
I'd like to throw in with you.
And God help us.
Draw your weapons from the boy here.
Check for a full load.
My pistol, please.
Halt!
We want to see your prisoner.
I said we want to see your prisoner.
We want to see the Raisuli. President Roosevelt negotiated in good faith!
What are you doing?
Let's go! Hurry up! Cover us!
- Oh, my God! - Mrs. Pedecaris.
The Baraka has not deserted me.
Cut me down quick, before it does.
The sword, woman! The sword!
Better.
Oh, my... Are you hurt?
Mrs. Pedecaris, you're a lot of trouble.
I'll see you again, Mrs. Pedecaris...
...when we're both like golden clouds on the wind.
There was nothing to worry about, John.
All I have to do is go to Oyster Bay for the week end...
...and the government of Morocco falls.
- By the way, how is Mrs. Pedecaris? - In fine health, sir.
Quite a remarkable woman.
Capt. Jerome said during the fighting she displayed commendable courage.
That Jerome, I want him decorated with something.
Whatever you think is appropriate.
And Gummere and... What's his name? Decorate the outfit, all of them.
I say, Theodore, you should thank your lucky stars.
Luck had nothing to do with it. I had God on my side.
Maybe Allah.
- What's that? - That's your bear. Your grizzly bear, sir.
First reports are we can get anything we want in Morocco, sir.
Coaling rights. We can put anybody on the throne.
Their camps were divided.
At this moment, Theodore is the most popular president in history.
- Take that cover off. - What, sir?
Take the cover off. I wanna see my bear.
- Later perhaps, Theodore. - No, I want to see him now.
A good speech would be appropriate soon. Even the papers are cheering you.
There's no doubt about the outcome of the election.
Gentlemen, nothing in this world is certain, absolutely nothing.
The fate of the nation will be decided by the people in November.
And the fate of Morocco will be decided tomorrow by me.
Now, gentlemen, if you don't mind, I'd just like to be alone with my bear.
I trust he was a Democrat.
To Theodore Roosevelt.
You are like the wind, and I like the lion.
You form the tempest.
The sand stings my eyes and the ground is parched.
I roar in defiance, but you do not hear.
But between us there is a difference.
I, like the lion, must remain in my place.
While you, like the wind, will never know yours.
Mulay Achmed Mohammed el-Raisuli the Magnificent...
...lord of the Rif, sultan to the Berbers.
Great Raisuli, we have lost everything.
All is drifting on the wind, just as you said.
We have lost everything!
Sharif, is there not one thing in your life that was worth losing everything for?