The God King is a 1974

1974 in film

The year 1974 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 7 - Blazing Saddles is released in the USA.*August 7 - Peter Wolf, lead singer of The J...

 British

Cinema of the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom has had a major influence on modern cinema. The first moving pictures developed on celluloid film were made in Hyde Park, London in 1889 by William Friese Greene, a British inventor, who patented the process in 1890. It is generally regarded that the British film industry...

-Sri Lankan

Cinema of Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan cinema encompasses the films made in Sri Lanka. It is a fledgling industry that has struggled to find a footing since its inauguration in 1947 with Kadawunu Poronduwa produced by S.M.Nayagam of Chitra Kala Movietone.Sri Lankan films are usually made in the Sinhalese language, the...

 historical film directed by Lester James Peries

Lester James Peries

Sri Lankabhimanya Lester James Peries is an internationally acclaimed Sri Lankan film director, screenwriter, and film producer. An active filmmaker since 1949, Peries has been involved in over 28 films, including shorts and documentaries...

. The film is based on the historical clash between brothers Kasyapa and Moggalana on Sigiriya

Sigiriya

Sigiriya is a large stone and ancient rock fortress and palace ruin in the central Matale District of Sri Lanka, surrounded by the remains of an extensive network of gardens, reservoirs, and other structures...

 Rock.

Jewish producer Dimitri de Grunwald financed the epic film as a dual project between England and Sri Lanka. He provided the three main actors, the script, the assistant director, the production Manager, makeup artist and money while the task of making the film was given to the Sri Lankans.

Plot

King Kasyapa (Leigh Lawson

Leigh Lawson

Leigh Lawson is a film and stage actor, director, and writer.-Career:Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Lawson has acted in film and television since the early 1970s, directed plays in the West End and on Broadway...

) is the son of King Dhatusena (Geoffrey Russell

Geoffrey Russell

Geoffrey Russell was a British actor. Russell appeared in a number of films and television dramas, including the 1990 BBC adaptation of The Silver Chair, when he appeared as King Caspian.-External links:**...

). Kasyapa murdered his father by walling him alive and then usurping the throne which rightfully belonged to his brother Mogallana (Ravindra Randeniya

Ravindra Randeniya

Ravindra Randeniya is a Sri Lankan actor and politician. He rose to fame in Lester James Peries's film Desa Nisa in 1972, and was a popular actor during the 1970s and 1980s; He won the Sarasaviya Best Actor Award in 1984 , 1985 , 1989 , and 1990 .-Early life:Randeniya was born in Dalugama, Kelaniya...

), Dhatusena's son by the true queen. Mogallana fled to India to escape being assassinated by Kasyapa but vowed revenge. In India he raised an army with the intention of returning and retaking the throne of Sri Lanka which was rightfully his. Knowing the inevitable return of Mogallana, Kasyapa is said to have built his palace on the summit of Sigiriya as a fortress and pleasure palace.

Mogallana finally arrived and declared war. During the battle Kasyapa's armies abandoned him and he committed suicide by falling on his sword.

Cast

Actor	Role
Leigh Lawson Leigh Lawson Leigh Lawson is a film and stage actor, director, and writer.-Career:Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Lawson has acted in film and television since the early 1970s, directed plays in the West End and on Broadway...	Kasyapa, the God King
Oliver Tobias Oliver Tobias Oliver Tobias is a UK-based film, stage, and television actor and directorBorn Oliver Tobias Freitag in Zürich, Switzerland, he is the son of Austrian-Swiss actor Robert Freitag and German actress Maria Becker. He came to the United Kingdom at the age of eight and trained at East 15 Acting School,...	Migara
Geoffrey Russell Geoffrey Russell Geoffrey Russell was a British actor. Russell appeared in a number of films and television dramas, including the 1990 BBC adaptation of The Silver Chair, when he appeared as King Caspian.-External links:**...	King Dhatusena
Ravindra Randeniya Ravindra Randeniya Ravindra Randeniya is a Sri Lankan actor and politician. He rose to fame in Lester James Peries's film Desa Nisa in 1972, and was a popular actor during the 1970s and 1980s; He won the Sarasaviya Best Actor Award in 1984 , 1985 , 1989 , and 1990 .-Early life:Randeniya was born in Dalugama, Kelaniya...	Moggallana
Iranganie Serasinghe Iranganie Serasinghe Iranganie Roxanna Serasinghe is a Sri Lankan actress. Since her debut in Rekava, Serasinghe has become recognized for playing motherly figures in various films and television serials.- Early life and education :...	Varuni
Joe Abeywickrema	Swami
Anne Loos	Leila
Vijaya Kumaranatunga	Lalith
Douglas Wickremasinghe	Council Leader
Mano Breckenridge	Opposition Leader