The Dusty Cap

Sean Connery and Michael Caine are the stars in an adventure film entitled “The Man Who Would Be King,” which is based on a story by Rudyard Kipling. Each plays the part of an ex-sergeant. Their love of adventure takes them on an arduous journey to the faraway mountain Kingdom of Kafiristan. There, the character Danny, played by Sean Connery, can fulfill his lifelong ambition. He has always wanted to be a king. All his life, he longed for the power, prestige, and pleasures that come with kingship. Consequently, through a combination of trickery and superior Western “know-how,” Danny becomes king and thoroughly enjoys it for a short time. However, the same drive that led him to want to be king soon proves his undoing, and Danny loses not only his kingdom but also his life. While the film was not award-worthy, the title comes back to haunt us today, as we read in our Gospel Lesson about the Man who would not be king.