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{{short description|Fictional 19th century pirate created by Italian author Emilio Salgari}}
{{About|the fictional pirate|the place in Malaysia|Sandakan|the Italian camorrista|Francesco Schiavone|the genus of harvestmen|Sandokanidae}}
{{More footnotes needed|date=April 2015}}
{{Infobox character
| name = Sandokan
| image = Tigri 1900.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| caption = Sandokan and Marianna "The Pearl of Labuan" on the cover of the novel ''The Tigers of Mompracem'', Alberto Della Valle 1900
| creator = [[Emilio Salgari]]
| portrayer = [[Kabir Bedi]], [[Steve Reeves]]
| alias = The Tiger of Malaysia
| occupation = Pirate, Warrior
| spouse = Marianna Guillonk
| gender = Male
| nationality = Bornean
}}

'''Sandokan ''' is a fictional late 19th-century [[pirate]] created by [[Italian people|Italian]] author [[Emilio Salgari]]. His adventures first appeared in publication in 1883. Sandokan is the hero of 11 adventure novels. Within the series, Sandokan is known throughout the [[South China Sea]] as the "Tiger of [[Peninsular Malaysia|Malaya]]".<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d9NcAgAAQBAJ&q=Sandokan+Emilio+Salgari.&pg=PA1654 |title=Encyclopedia of Italian Literary Studies - Google Books |date=2006-12-26 |access-date=2015-04-18|isbn=9781135455309 |last1=Marrone |first1=Gaetana |last2=Puppa |first2=Paolo |publisher=Routledge }}</ref>

==Sandokan series==
[[Emilio Salgari]] wrote several novels telling the adventures of Sandokan and Yanez, two of his most legendary creations. They are introduced in ''[[The Tigers of Mompracem]]'', which portrays their struggle against [[Dutch Empire|Dutch]] and [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|British]]. In many sequels, they fight against [[James Brooke]], a white-skin adventurer, self-appointed as [[White Rajahs|Rajah]] of [[Raj of Sarawak|Sarawak]]; they also move to [[British Raj|India]] to smash down the [[Thuggee|Thugs]], a notorious band of stranglers devoted to the goddess [[Kali]].

==The original series==
<!--  Commented out because image was deleted: [[Image:Salgari riscossa.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Sandokan Fights Back]] -->
* ''[[The Mystery of the Black Jungle]]'' (''I Misteri della Jungla Nera'', 1895)
* ''[[The Pirates of Malaysia]] ''(''I Pirati della Malesia'', 1896)
* ''[[The Tigers of Mompracem]] ''(''Le Tigri di Mompracem'', 1900)
* ''[[The Two Tigers]] ''(''Le due Tigri'', 1904)
* ''[[The King of the Sea]] ''(''Il Re del Mare'', 1906)
* ''[[Quest for a Throne]] ''(''Alla conquista di un impero'', 1907)
* ''[[Sandokan to the Rescue]]'' (''Sandokan alla riscossa'', 1907)
* ''Return to Mompracem ''(''La riconquista del Mompracem'', 1908)
* ''The Brahman'' (''Il Bramino dell'Assam'', 1911) 
* ''An Empire Crumbles'' (''La caduta di un impero'', 1911) (published posthumously)
* ''Yanez' Revenge ''(''La rivincita di Yanez'', 1913) (published posthumously)

==Follow-up works==
Other Sandokan adventures were written by Italian novelist Luigi Motta, Emilio Fancelli, and by Salgari's son, Omar.
[[Paco Ignacio Taibo II]] has published a recent "Sandokan" novel entitled ''The Return of the Tigers of Malaysia''.
[[Gianni Padoan]] has edited a series of novels that are declaredly a sci-fi reinterpretation of the Tigers of Malaysia series by Emilio Salgari: ''I misteri della stella nera'' (Mondadori 1978), ''I pirati della galassia'' (Mondadori 1978), ''Le tigri di Moonpracer'' (Mondadori 1979), ''Alla conquista di Rigel'' (Mondadori 1980).

==Fictional biography==
Sandokan is the son of Kaigadan, the last Prince of [[Borneo]], whose parents were killed by the [[East India Company]] in a bid to seize the throne. Having sworn revenge, Sandokan gathers a group of rebels and pirates, the Tigers of Mompracem (now [[Kuraman Island|Pulau Kuraman]]), to regain his Princedom, and adopts the nickname of "Tiger of Malaysia". Stranded in [[Labuan]], Sandokan is recovering of his wounds in the house of  Lord James Guillonk, where he meets Marianna, the Lord's niece, aka the "Pearl of Labuan", whom he falls in love with. Sandokan escapes, but reunites with Marianna, and later marries her. After his defeat, Sandokan set his men free from jail, and apparently gives up piracy, and escapes to [[Java]] with his wife. Actually, Sandokan and his friend, Yanez De Gomera, keep on help their friend Kammamuri to fight James Brooke, the "Exterminator", the White Rajah of Sarawak, and finally to free Tremal-Naik. Sandokan later has to help Tremal-Naik again, when his daughter is kidnapped by Thugs, Kali-yug's worshippers, a sect of killers commanded by Suyodhana, the "Tiger of India".

Following many battles over a period of years, Sandokan defeats all of his enemies and retires as [[Raja|rajah]] of Kini Balù ([[Kota_Belud_District#Mukim_in_Kota_Belud_District|Ambong]] and [[Kota Marudu District|Marudu]]). His friend Yanez is appointed rajah of [[Assam]].

== Characteristics ==
Sandokan character is inspired by the [[Spaniards|Spanish]] naval captain [[Carlos Cuarteron|Carlos Cuarteroni Fernández]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-08-03|title=Sandokán era de Cádiz|url=https://www.elmundo.es/cronica/2018/08/03/5b5b5197e2704eb34e8b45ad.html|access-date=2020-10-08|website=ELMUNDO|language=es}}</ref> He is depicted by Salgari as a gallant pirate. He is described as tall, charming, very muscular, slender, and attractive, with cold, black eyes, a fierce and severe look, and a big turban on his head. Unlike his troops, who are described as mostly half-naked, Sandokan always wears fine oriental clothes, generally red silk with embroidered gold, and long, red, leather boots.

Sandokan is a formidable fighter, brave, and ruthless with his enemies, but kind, generous, and faithful to his friends. He has absolute leadership over his men, and is often shown as having no fear, with Yanez playing as a sort of counterweight to his impulsive nature.

==Related characters==
* Sandokan, also known as the Tiger of Malaysia, a Bornean prince turned pirate
* Lady Marianna Guillonk, also known as the Pearl of Labuan, Sandokan's Italian-[[English people|English]] wife
* Yanez De Gomera: Sandokan's loyal friend and comrade, [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]], [[Goans|Goan]]
* James Brooke, the White Rajah of Sarawak, their worst enemy
* Lord James Guillonk, Marianna's uncle, eager to kill Sandokan
* Tremal-Naik, Indian from [[Bengal]]
* Kammamuri, Tremal-Naik's servant

==Films==
The first Sandokan films were made in 1941 in Italy with [[Luigi Pavese]] as Sandokan.

* ''[[Pirates of Malaya]]'' (''I pirati della Malesia'') (dir. [[Enrico Guazzoni]])
* ''[[The Two Tigers (film)|The Two Tigers]]'' (''Le due tigri'') (dir. [[Giorgio Simonelli]])

A series of Italian-made films with American leads were filmed in 1964 and released internationally.

* ''[[Sandokan the Great (film)|Sandokan the Great]]'' (''Sandokan, la tigre di Mompracem'') (1964),  starring Steve Reeves (dir. [[Umberto Lenzi]])
* ''[[Sandokan - The Pirate of Malaysia]]'' (''I pirati della Malesia'') (1964) {{aka}} ''Pirates of the Seven Seas'', starring Steve Reeves (dir. Umberto Lenzi)
* ''[[Sandokan to the Rescue (film)|Sandokan to the Rescue]]'' (''Sandokan alla riscossa'') (1964) {{aka}} ''Sandokan Fights Back'', starring Ray Danton (dir. [[Luigi Capuano]])
* ''[[Sandokan Against the Leopard of Sarawak]]'' (''Sandokan contro il leopardo di Sarawak'') (1964) {{aka}} ''Return of Sandokan'' , starring Ray Danton (dir. [[Luigi Capuano]])

A pair of Italian films featuring a character named "Sandok" were filmed based on the character by Salgari.

* ''[[Temple of the White Elephant]]'' ({{aka}} ''Sandok, il [[Maciste]] della giungla'') with [[Mimmo Palmara]] as Sandok (1964, dir. Umberto Lenzi)
* ''The Mountain of Light'', {{aka}} ''[[Jungle Adventurer]]'', with [[Richard Harrison (actor)|Richard Harrison]] (1965, dir. Umberto Lenzi)

A 1970 Italian-Spanish film ''[[The Tigers of Mompracem (film)|The Tigers of Mompracem]]'' was made with [[Ivan Rassimov]] as Sandokan

==TV miniseries==
{{main|Sandokan (TV series)}}
In 1976, Indian actor [[Kabir Bedi]] played the lead in ''[[Sandokan (TV series)|Sandokan]]'', a six-part miniseries for European television directed by [[Sergio Sollima]]. [[Carole André]] was cast as Lady Marianna Guillonk, [[Philippe Leroy]] played Sandokan's trusted friend and lieutenant Yanez De Gomera. The role of the main antagonist James Brooke was performed by [[Adolfo Celi]].

In 1977, [[Kabir Bedi]] reprised his role in the film ''[[La tigre è ancora viva: Sandokan alla riscossa!]]'' (''The Tiger Lives Again: Sandokan to the Rescue!''). The TV series theme song, "Sandokan", was composed by Oliver Onions (a pseudonym of [[Guido & Maurizio De Angelis|the De Angelis brothers]]), and made the top 10 in many European countries, albeit mostly in the translated English version.

A 2004 [[Documentary film|documentary]], ''Sandokan's Adventure'', detailed the making of the series.

Two further television series were made ''[[The Return of Sandokan]]'' in 1996 and ''[[The Son of Sandokan]]'' in 1998, with [[Kabir Bedi]] again reprising his role.

A new series is in the works at [[Lux Vide]] for [[Rai 1]] with [[Can Yaman]] in the role of Sandokan.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2024/06/sandokan-first-look-fremantle-lux-vide-emilio-salgari-1235960492|title='Sandokan': First-Look Images Unveiled Of Series Based On Emilio Salgari's Epic|first=Max|last=Goldbart|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=2024-06-06}}</ref>

==Animated series==
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Sandokan BBSseries.gif|thumb|right|150px|Sandokan from the Spanish animated series.]] -->
''Sandokan'' the animated series was released in 1992 by Spanish animation studio [[BRB International]], and broadcast in the [[United Kingdom]] on [[Channel 4]] and [[Republic of Ireland]] on [[RTE Two]]. It was later repeated in the UK on certain [[ITV1|ITV]] regions in 1996. This children's animated show, script written by [[Doug Stone (voice actor)|Doug Stone]] and [[Dave Mallow]], is loosely based on Salgari's novels. In the show, Sandokan (here an [[anthropomorphized]] tiger) is an usurped prince, who travels the seas as a pirate seeking to reclaim his rightful throne from the Rajah of Sarawak. The first nine episodes of the series are available in three [[DVD]] volumes in the United Kingdom. A condensed version of the series was released as an animated movie, ''The Princess and the Pirate'', in 1995. The swashbuckling story concerns the tale of the deposed prince turned pirate, Sandokan, as he battles the evil maharajah, who killed his parents. In the midst of this local struggle, Sandokan falls in love with Mariana (here an [[anthropomorphized]] deer), who is the daughter of a European power, who has naval influence over the area.

Another animated series was released in 1998 from a coproduction among [[RAI]] on 1993−94, [[SEK Studio]], and [[Mondo TV]] and broadcast in Italy on [[Rai 1]]. This series was composed into three parts: {{lang|it|Sandokan, la tigre della Malesia}} (''Sandokan, the Tiger of Malaysia'', produced in 1998);  {{lang|it|Sandokan, la tigre ruggisce ancora}} (''Sandokan, the Tiger roars again'', 2000); and  {{lang|it|Sandokan, le due tigri}} (''Sandokan, The Two Tigers'', 2004). The adventures of this 26-episode cartoon series are based on the stories of  Emilio Salgari. The story takes place in the second half of the 19th century, and is situated in the Malaysian archipelago, Borneo, and India.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Italy}}
*[http://www.rohpress.com/animation.html Watch some episodes of the Sandokan animated series on Roh Press]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080526021821/http://www.europeanfilmreview.co.uk/euromiscellanea/sandokan_strikes_back.htm Read a review of the 1960s Sandokan films]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927094013/http://www.rohpress.com/Sandokan_Tigers_of_Mompracem.pdf Read the first three chapters of Sandokan: The Tigers of Mompracem]
*[http://www.barganews.com/2013/10/30/%EF%BF%BC%EF%BF%BC%EF%BF%BC%EF%BF%BCthe-tiger-of-malaysia-francis-pettitt/ The Tiger of Malaysia, Barga News]
*[http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2016/09/guest-squee-tigers-mompracem-emilio-salgari/ Read a review of Sandokan: The Tigers of Mompracem at SBTB.com.]
*[https://esfconnected.org/2022/10/31/sandokan-tiger-mompracem/ Sandokan, the Tiger of Mompracem. Article by Alessandra Madella]

{{Sandokan}}
{{Emilio Salgari}}
{{Pirates}}

[[Category:Sandokan| ]]
[[Category:Literary characters introduced in 1883]]
[[Category:Fictional characters from the 19th century]]
[[Category:Novels by Emilio Salgari]]
[[Category:Italian novels adapted into television shows]]
[[Category:Television shows based on Italian novels]]
[[Category:Fictional sea pirates]]
[[Category:Adventure film characters]]
[[Category:Italian children's animated television series]]
[[Category:Spanish children's animated television series]]
[[Category:Fictional tigers]]
[[Category:Anthropomorphic tigers]]
[[Category:Fictional princes]]
[[Category:Works about rajas]]
[[Category:Fictional Malaysian people]]
[[Category:Channel 4 animated television series]]
[[Category:Italian adventure novels]]
[[Category:Characters in Italian novels]]
[[category:Adventure characters]]
[[Category:Male characters in literature]]
[[Category:Epic novels]]
[[Category:Piracy in the South China Sea]]