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The first Sandokan adventure appeared in serial form in the La Nuova Arena in 1883, and was published as Le tigri di Mompracem in 1900. The tale proved so popular, the characters so intriguing, that it spawned a legion of sequels, pitting Sandokan and Yanez against a variety of enemies: Rajah James Brooke, Governor of Sarawak, better known as The Exterminator for the merciless way he hunted down pirates; the Thugs of the Kali cult in the Indian Sunderbands, and a variety of petty dictators and colonial powers. Salgari's pen transformed the bloodthirsty pirate into a noble warrior, a kind of Malay Robin Hood, imbuing his characters with a strong sense of idealism, passion, and loyalty.
Sandokan was also the subject of several action-adventure films of the 1960s and 1970s. Few of these efforts were completely faithful to their source, Emilio Salgari's novel Le Tigri di Mompracem, but all were eagerly received by European film fans. In 1976, a TV-series version of the Sandokan legend emerged on the Continent. Kabir Bedi played the title role in this lavishly appointed effort, which enjoyed wide distribution (except in English-speaking countries). A feature-film version of the TV Sandokan was prepared late in 1976, then released to American television.
Publicity/Hype:
The Tigers of Mompracem are a band of rebel pirates fighting against the colonial power of the Dutch and British empires. They are lead by Sandokan, the indomitable Tiger of Malaysia, and his loyal friend Yanez de Gomera, a Portuguese wanderer and adventurer. After twelve years of spilling blood and spreading terror throughout Malaysia, Sandokan has reached the height of his power, but when the pirate learns of the existence of the Pearl of Labuan, his fortunes begin to change…
Travel, adventure, romance, capture, rescue, betrayal, battles on land, battles at sea, hurricanes, an exotic Malaysian backdrop, and an irony loving sidekick are but a few of the elements that have made this novel a classic.
Titles in series:
The Mystery of the Black Jungle (I Misteri della Jungla Nera) (1895)
The Tigers of Mompracem (Le Tigri di Mompracem) (1900)
The Pirates of Malaysia (I Pirati della Malesia) (1896)
The Two Tigers (Le due Tigri) (1904)
King of the Sea (Il Re del Mare) (1906)
Quest for a Throne (Alla conquista di un impero) (1907)
Sandokan Fights Back (Sandokan alla riscossa) (1907)
Return to Mompracem (La riconquista del Mompracem) (1908)
The False Brahman (Il Bramino dell'Assam) (1911)
An Empire Crumbles (La caduta di un impero) (1911)
Yanez' Revenge (La rivincita di Yanez) (1913)
The last two tiles were published posthumously.
Red heads ROCK. Blondes do not rock. Nuff said.
