Angélica e o Sultão

Peyrac follows the vessel of the pirates who abducted his beloved Angélique, but finds that she is not board of that ship anymore. She is in the hands of the slave trader who had lost the auction for her, decided to steal her if he can't buy her, then the trader passes her on to the sultan's harem. Now Peyrac cannot openly sail into the port of Algiers with the whole crew, so he goes there alone, disguised as a galley slave, hoping to free Angélique somehow. But he finds that she is well guarded and already on her way across the desert... never to return?

Colorful oriental adventure, basically worth watching and a good final part of the series. But the problem is the second third of the movie. The first 30 minutes were exciting, but in the next 30 minutes nothing is happening. Angélique sits in the harem, waiting either for the sultan or Peyrac to appear. You have to sit through 30 minutes, too, until in the last half hour, the action starts to move again. I voted 8/6/7/6/6 for the 5 movies of the series. Actors Mercier and Hossein continued their co-operation with a western, 'Cemetary Without Crosses', but the Angélique series was finished, probably at the right time before it became tiresome.

Lots more getting capture and then escaping, and just yeah basically, the Sultan is in charge of some desert palace and pretty much just yeah. Careful of topless smut scene of Angelique getting whipped. The buildup to the Sultan meet is like a lot of talk about him that he is made to be a big deal, but his palace looks just kinda not different from like any other house and the outside, it is like one desert palace in the middle of a desert, seems like a governor level person. Algiers just gains their independence from France so this aftermath is definitely the reason for that setting.

This French somewhat historical drama is packed with adventure, romance, and those over-the-top costumes that are just so much fun to watch. The film once again follows Angélique, a bold and resourceful woman, who finds herself entangled in the exotic world of a sultan after being captured in a dramatic twist of fate. The chemistry between Angélique and the sultan is electric, and their love/hate dynamic kept me on the edge of my seat. Plus, the lush visuals of the landscapes and opulent settings really transport you to another time and place. The protagonist actively fights for her freedom and desires and the story has plenty of twists and turns, keeping you entertained throughout its runtime.

Of course many scenes haven't aged well and it's still a pretty cheesy story, but I enjoyed it.

In 1967,Michèle Mercier told the "Paris Match "journalists that there would be more Angéliques after this one.She said that ,at the end of this oriental saga,the heroine would be arrested by Desgrez,the King's favorite cop,and that poor Joffrey would have nothing to do but sail away...

But,it was not to be.Bernard Borderie filmed the last two episodes ("Indomptable Angélique and" Angélique et le sultan" which are actually adapted from the same book ,the title of which is that of the former)together ,then divided his footage into two parts,making the first film some kind of trailer for "Angélique et le sultan"which is not a good movie for all that.Far from Golon's brilliant depictions,it often gets ridiculous.French Jean-Claude Pascal as an educated eunuch is guaranteed to net nothing but horse-laugh.the dialogue follows suit:Angélique to the sultan during the fatal Night :"But,here,you do not want to rape me,do you?"

The Angelique film saga thus stopped here,whereas there are thirteen books in all.No actress tried to take on the character.They used to talk ,in the nineties,about a TV series.Then Robert Hossein took the first book to the stage in the mid-nineties,taking on his former part of Peyrac .But Angelique's fans (of the books!)are still waiting for a strong adaptation of Anne et Serge Golon"s magnificent books,easily the best historical adventures since Alexandre Dumas.In France,their names are slowly fading,but in Canada,they retain a cult of followers.More power to them.

NB:There is a Turkish version of the book:"Angelique in the Ottoman palaces".I've never seen it.

With Angelique (Michele Mercier) having been abducted by the very pirate who sold her as a slave in 'Untamable Angelique', Jeoffrey (Robert Hossein) sets sail to Algiers to rescue her. She has once again been sold as a slave - this time to the King of Meknes for his harem.

Osman Ferradji, who is in service of the King, prepares feisty Angelique to present her to the King. Angelique is as stubborn as ever and refuses to submit to the King. Colin Paturel (Helmuth Schneider) - one of the King's slaves - is the leader of the Christian slaves, and when Angelique saves his life, he makes it his mission to save hers. Colin makes a credible action hero. Meanwhile Jeoffrey is planning a daring rescue mission, and also vows to avenge the pirate who abducted her.

'Angelique and the Sultan' is the conclusion of a 5-film series, and is by far the most action-packed and adventurous film in the series. Back in the days before CGI, this film must have been a massive undertaking, with hundreds of extras and amazing sets and locations. What a great conclusion to a series I thoroughly enjoyed!