Sandokan
A free prose adaptation by Renato Caporali based on the screenplay of the Italian mini-series Sandokan (1976, directed by Sergio Sollim, starring Kabir Bedi). It is based on the novel of the same name by Emilio Salgari (I pirati della Malesia, 1896).
The plot follows Sandokan (real name James Brooke), a Malay prince and pirate, who fights against British colonialism in 19th-century Borneo and the Malay Archipelago. After the British kill his family and capture Labuan, Sandokan becomes the "Tiger of Malaysia" – a fearsome figure for the English, the leader of the red corvette pirates. He falls in love with Marianna Guillonk (or Lady Marianna), the beautiful niece of the British Resident, Lord James Guillonk, who returns his love despite their hostility.
The story is full of adventure: naval battles, duels, betrayals, rescues, exotic islands, jungles, snakes, tigers and secret allies (e.g. Yanez de Gomera, a Portuguese and Sandokan's right-hand man). Sandokan wins Marianna, but the British kidnap her; he organizes an attack on Labuan, clashes with Lord James and the British navy.
The story culminates in dramatic skirmishes, sacrifices and a romantic happy ending (or tragic elements in some versions). Caporali turned the script into a fluid novel with an emphasis on action, exoticism and an anti-colonial charge, adapted to the TV audience of the 70s (Kabir Bedi as the charismatic Sandokan, Carole André as Marianna). The illustrations are stills from the series, which made the book a popular "TV tie-in" edition in Yugoslavia.
One copy is available
- Slight damage to the cover
