Farewell to the King

An American WWII deserter becomes the leader of a Borneo head-hunting tribe, leading them in battle against the invading Japanese and protecting them from the decietful British., Though officially based on Pierre Schoendoerffer’s novel L’Adieu au Roi, Farewell to the King also bears echoes of Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Lord Jim–with a lot of filmmaker John Milius’ own Hemingwayesque slant thrown in. During World War II, American POW Learoyd (Nick Nolte) escapes a Japanese firing squad. Hiding himself in the wilds of Borneo, Learoyd is adopted by a head-hunting tribe of Nyak Indians, who consider him “divine” because of his elaborate tattoos. Before long, Learoyd is the reigning king of the Nyaks. When British soldiers approach him to rejoin the war against the Japanese, Learoyd resists (in language so flowery that it could have been written by Sir Walter Scott). But when his own tribe is threatened by the invaders, the “king” deigns to fight for their rights. Farewell to the King is breathtakingly photographed and quite exciting at times., World War II adventure. A British officer parachutes into Borneo on a mission to mobilise resistance against the Japanese, only to discover that the king of the local tribesmen is an American deserter. Initial mistrust gradually gives way to mutual respect as the unlikely pair lead their men into battle., Wartime adventure starring Nick Nolte as an ex-US sergeant who turned his back on the war effort to become king of a tribe of natives in the wilds of Borneo. His idyllic lifestyle is soon to be shattered, however, when British officer Nigel Havers arrives and Nolte finds himself forced to lead his tribe against the Japanese., During World War II, American POW Learoyd escapes a Japanese firing squad. Hiding himself in the wilds of Borneo, Learoyd is adopted by a head-hunting tribe of Nyak Indians, who consider him “divine” because of his elaborate tattoos., World War II adventure about a British officer who parachutes into Borneo on a mission to mobilise resistance against the Japanese, only to discover that the king of the local tribesmen is an American deserter. Initial mistrust gradually gives way to mutual respect as the tribe is threatened and the unlikely pair lead their men into battle., During World War II, American POW Learoyd escapes a Japanese firing squad. Hiding himself in the wilds of Borneo, Learoyd is adopted by a head-hunting tribe of Nyak Indians, who consider him “divine” because of his elaborate tattoos. Before long, Learoyd is the reigning king of the Nyaks. When British soldiers approach him to rejoin the war against the Japanese, Learoyd resists. But when his own tribe is threatened by the invaders, the “king” deigns to fight for their rights., A World War II soldier deserts the army and becomes the leader of a tribe of headhunters., During World War II, American POW Learoyd escapes a Japanese firing squad. Hiding himself in the wilds of Borneo, Learoyd is adopted by a head-hunting tribe of Nyak Indians, who consider him divine because of his elaborate tattoos. Before long, Learoyd is the reigning king of the Nyaks. When British soldiers approach him to rejoin the war against the Japanese, Learoyd resists. But when his own tribe is threatened by the invaders, the king deigns to fight for their rights., An American POW escapes from a Japanese firing squad on the island of Borneo. The local tribesmen fully embrace the soldier, but Japanese troops are not too far away.