Ashanti (1979, Michael Caine, Beverly Johnson, Peter Ustinov, Kabir Bedi, Omar Sharif, Rex Harrison, William Holden) – Classic Movie Review 9547

Michael Caine’s career was in deepest doldrums with The Swarm, Beyond the Poseidon Adventure and then director Richard Fleischer’s terrible 1979 adventure drama Ashanti, in which he plays English born Dr David Linderby, a member of the World Health Organisation in West Africa, whose Afro-American doctor wife Anansa (Beverly Johnson) is abducted by Arab slave trader Suleiman (Peter Ustinov).

The star cameos (by Omar Sharif, Rex Harrison and William Holden) are supposed to make up for the absurdities and brutalities of the story.

It cost a lot and at least it looks good thanks to the high budget and Aldo Tonti’s Technicolor location cinematography. And probably it means well.

Caine recalled: ‘The worst, most wretched film I ever made.’

Also in the cast are Kabir Bedi, Beverly Johnson, Zia Mohyeddin, Winston Ntshona, Tyrone Jackson, Johnny Sekka, Tariq Yunus, Jean-Luc Bideau, Olu Jacobs, Marne Maitland, Eric Pohlmann and Akosua Busia.

The top eight worst Michael Caine movies? The Island, The Swarm, Beyond the Poseidon Adventure, The Hand, Jaws: The Revenge, The Holcroft Covenant, The Magus and Ashanti.

Ashanti [Ashanti: Land of No Mercy] is directed by Richard Fleischer, runs 118 minutes, is made by GAV, Beverly Films, Columbia Pictures and Warner Bros, is released by Warner Bros (1979) (US) and Warner-Columbia Films, is written by Stephen Geller, based on the novel Ebano by Alberto Vázquez Figueroa, is shot in Technicolor by Aldo Tonti, is produced by Luciano Sacripanti and Georges-Alain Vuille, is scored by Michael Melvoin and is designed by Aurelio Crugnola.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9547

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