Director/writer Jean-Jacques Annaud is not a newcomer, in fact, he's the director of such great films as 'The name of the Rose', 'Seven Years in Tibet' and 'Enemy at the Gates', to name a few; so the movie was well worth considering in my opinion. The movie is based the novel 'Arab' by Hans Ruesch, a born storyteller, according to The New York Times Book Review; looking up the life story of Ruesch, I was even more fascinated and thus chose to watch it. It did not hurt a bit that Mark Strong and Freida Pinto were starring in the flick; I like both of them. In the case of Antonio Banderas, he's in so many movies, some I don't care for but others I very much enjoyed (The Skin I live In, Haywire) lately, I don't tend to dismiss his participation as it may be too easy to do.
I was not familiar with the lead actor, Tahar Rahim, but if Annaud picked him, it was for good reason. He delivered a splendid performance of his character Prince Auda. That character is a much more likable one then that of Lawrence (in Lawrence of Arabia), both of whom are shown to be historical figures, one, a real person, the other a fictional one. I would not attempt to make comparisons between the two films, that would be ludicrous; but it does not take away the beauty I saw in 'Black Gold' a.k.a. 'Day of the Falcon'.
I won't, repeat or write up a new description of the story, as the IMDb full storyline is quite on point; so I refer you to it. I will, however, add that the lead character, Prince Auda is depicted as a unifying force, as was Lawrence, but in a diametrically different way, and that made the whole story stand on its own. Auda is the opposite of brutal, he is considerate, and it takes just as much will and courage to be one as it does the other.
Annaud does a fine job of conveying the harshness of the desert life, as well as David Lean did for the classic tale. Thankfully, in 'Black Gold' there is a female character of some significance, that of Princess Leyla, played by Freida Pinto, a stunningly beautiful and also wise princess, daughter of Emir Nesib, played by Antonio Banderas. Auda is one of Sultan Amar's two sons. Amar, played by Mark Strong, is arch-rival of Nesib, and also the smarter of the two, though not one with as much foresight as either his son Auda or Nesib himself. I was most pleased with the development of the story and the final outcome. I hope you too will be.
I was not familiar with the lead actor, Tahar Rahim, but if Annaud picked him, it was for good reason. He delivered a splendid performance of his character Prince Auda. That character is a much more likable one then that of Lawrence (in Lawrence of Arabia), both of whom are shown to be historical figures, one, a real person, the other a fictional one. I would not attempt to make comparisons between the two films, that would be ludicrous; but it does not take away the beauty I saw in 'Black Gold' a.k.a. 'Day of the Falcon'.
I won't, repeat or write up a new description of the story, as the IMDb full storyline is quite on point; so I refer you to it. I will, however, add that the lead character, Prince Auda is depicted as a unifying force, as was Lawrence, but in a diametrically different way, and that made the whole story stand on its own. Auda is the opposite of brutal, he is considerate, and it takes just as much will and courage to be one as it does the other.
Annaud does a fine job of conveying the harshness of the desert life, as well as David Lean did for the classic tale. Thankfully, in 'Black Gold' there is a female character of some significance, that of Princess Leyla, played by Freida Pinto, a stunningly beautiful and also wise princess, daughter of Emir Nesib, played by Antonio Banderas. Auda is one of Sultan Amar's two sons. Amar, played by Mark Strong, is arch-rival of Nesib, and also the smarter of the two, though not one with as much foresight as either his son Auda or Nesib himself. I was most pleased with the development of the story and the final outcome. I hope you too will be.