Caravans

Caravans is a 1978 Iranian-American adventure drama film directed by James Fargo based on the 1963 novel by James A. Michener. Nancy Voyles Crawford wrote the screenplay. This film represents people of Afghanistan and their tradition in Qandahar, Badakhshan cities in that time and the Kochi people of Afghanistan. The film was shot in Afghanistan and Iran and starred Anthony Quinn, Jennifer O'Neill, and Michael Sarrazin. Plot The story is set in the fictional Middle Eastern country of Zadestan in 1948. Mark Miller is stationed at the American Embassy in the fictional city of Kashkhan and is assigned to investigate the disappearance of a young woman, Ellen Jasper, the daughter of a United States senator, who vanished after her marriage to Colonel Nazrullah several months previously. Nazrullah is desperate to find her and becomes defensive when Miller asks about her. By law, Ellen has given up her rights as a US citizen by becoming his wife. Miller traces her to a band of nomads led by Zulffiqar who are illegal gun-runners. She doesn't want to leave, being estranged from both her parents and her husband. Miller doesn't want to return without proof she's alive and well, which she refuses to give. Nazrullah lures the gun-runners into a trap. He separates Miller from the nomads and asks his wife to return to him but she refuses. Ellen at last gives Miller a note for her family. As the nomads leave, Nazrullah orders his troops to fire on them and Ellen is killed trying to rescue a child. A heartbroken Nazrullah carries away the body of his dead wife. Cast Anthony Quinn as Zulffiqar Michael Sarrazin as Mark Miller Christopher Lee as Sardar Khan Jennifer O'Neill as Ellen Jasper Behrouz Vossoughi as Colonel Nazrullah Joseph Cotten as Crandall Barry Sullivan as Richardson Jeremy Kemp as Dr. Smythe Duncan Quinn as Moheb Behrouz Gramian as Peasant Boy (Behrooz Gueramian) Mohammad-Ali Keshavarz as Shakkur Parviz Gharib-Afshar as Nur Mohammad Fahimeh Amouzandeh as Mira Mohammad Kahnemoui as Maftoon (Mohammad Taghi Kahnemoui) Khosrow Tabatabai as Dancing Boy Production In the MGM Lionpower featurette in 1967 it was advertised as one of many coming attractions in development at the time. MGM later dropped out of the film's distribution. The film later was distributed by Universal.