Sandokan, The Tiger of Malaysia

Sandokan "The Tiger of Malaysia" sprang from the pen of Italian adventure writer Emilio Salgari. In 2007, the pirate was named one of the 1001 greatest characters of the 20th century.

Orphaned when the British murdered his family and stole his throne, Sandokan gathered a legion of pirates and took to the sea to attain his vengeance. Under the command of Sandokan and his loyal friend Yanez de Gomera, the Tigers of Mompracem fight for the defense of tiny native kingdoms against the colonial powers of the Dutch and British empires.

The first Sandokan adventure appeared in serial form in the La Nuova Arena in 1883, and was published as Le tigri di Mompracem in 1900. The tale proved so popular, the characters so intriguing, that it spawned a legion of sequels, pitting Sandokan and Yanez against a variety of enemies: Rajah James Brooke, Governor of Sarawak, better known as The Exterminator for the merciless way he hunted down pirates; the Thugs of the Kali cult in the Indian Sunderbands, and a variety of petty dictators and colonial powers. Salgari's pen transformed the bloodthirsty pirate into a noble warrior, a kind of Malay Robin Hood, imbuing his characters with a strong sense of idealism, passion, and loyalty.

It wasn't long before Sandokan spread to other forms of media, from theater and music to television and film. Legendary Hollywood body builder, Steve Reeves gave North America its first glimpse of the Malay pirate in the 1963 MGM film Sandokan the Great, doing well enough at the box office to spawn a sequel the following year. Two more movies were made in the mid 60s starring Ray Danton.

However, it wasn't until 1976, when three European production houses united to create a TV miniseries based on Mr. Salgari's novels, that the quintessential Sandokan was found. Kabir Bedi rocked Europe with his portrayal of the Malayan pirate, bringing in 27 million weekly viewers in Italy alone. A sequel was made La tigre e ancora viva: Sandokan alla Riscossa! the following year which also proved popular. Bedi's Sandokan was the most marketed miniseries of its time and to this day his is the face of the Malay pirate.

The 90s saw Sandokan's adventures return to the small screen. BBI in Spain had Sandokan drawn as a tiger. The series was quite popular throughout Europe and is now available on DVD. RAI also produced an animated version with Italian production house Mondo TV, now in its third series. Both were very popular in Europe and generated a number of toys and video games. DVDs in English of the Spanish aniamted series are available online.