Taglines: When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
The Jewel of the Nile movie storyline. This is the sequel to “Romancing the Stone” where Jack and Joan have their yacht and easy life, but are gradually getting bored with each other and this way of life. Joan accepts an invitation to go to some middle eastern country as a guest of the sheik, but there she is abducted and finds her- self involved with the “jewel”. Jack decides to rescue her with his new partner Ralph. They all go from one adventure to another… What is the story of this “jewel”?
The Jewel of the Nile is a 1985 action-adventure romantic comedy and a sequel to the 1984 film Romancing the Stone, directed by Lewis Teague and produced by one of its stars, Michael Douglas. The film reunites Douglas with Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito, all reprising their roles.
Like Romancing the Stone, the opening scene takes place in one of Joan’s novels. This time, instead of Jesse and Angelina in Joan’s wild-west scenario, Joan and Jack are about to be married when pirates attack their ship. The Jewel of the Nile sends its characters off on a new adventure in a fictional African desert, in an effort to find the fabled “Jewel of the Nile.” The Jewel of the Nile is notable for its top 40 theme song performed by Billy Ocean, “When the Going gets Tough, The Tough Get Going.”
About the Story
While moored at a port in the South of France, Joan Wilder’s (Kathleen Turner) and Jack Colton’s (Michael Douglas) romance has grown stale. Joan, suffering writer’s block, wants to return to New York, while Jack prefers aimlessly sailing the world on his boat, the Angelina. At a book signing engagement, Joan meets Omar (Spiros Focás), a charming Arab ruler who wants Joan to write his biography.
Joan accepts and leaves with Omar over Jack’s protests. Jack later runs into Ralph (Danny DeVito), the swindler from Jack and Joan’s previous adventure in Colombia who demands Jack turn over the gem Jack and Joan found. Shortly after, an Arab, Tarak (Paul David Magid), informs Jack about Omar’s true intentions and claims that Omar has the “Jewel of the Nile”. Meanwhile, the Angelina mysteriously explodes. Ralph and Jack team up to find Joan and the fabled jewel.
Joan soon discovers that Omar is a brutal dictator rather than the enlightened ruler he claimed will unite the Arab world. In the palace jail, Joan encounters Al-Julhara (Avner Eisenberg), a holy man who is the “Jewel of the Nile” and who Omar fears. [Note 1] The pair escape and find Jack. They flee into the desert in Omar’s hi-jacked F-16 fighter aircraft. Ralph is captured by Tarak’s rebel Sufi tribe who are sworn to protect the Jewel so he can fulfill his people’s destiny.
After encountering a Nubian mountain African tribe, Joan and Jack’s romance is rekindled. Joan tells Jack that the jewel is Al-Julhara and not a gem stone. In Kadir, Omar intends to use a smoke-and-mirror-special effect to convince onlookers that he is the prophet who will unite the Arab world. Jack, Joan, and Al-Julhara arrive to expose Omar but are captured. Omar suspends Jack and Joan with ropes over a deep pit while Al-Julhara is in a stockade; Ralph, along with the Sufi tribe arrive in time to rescue the three prisoners.
As Omar takes center stage to address the Arab people, Jack and Joan disrupt the ceremony while the Sufi battle Omar’s guards. A fire breaks out, engulfing Omar’s stage. Jack and Joan are separated and Omar corners Joan atop the burning scaffolding. Jack knocks Omar over the side, killing him. Al-Julhara rises and safely walks through the flames, fulling the prophecy that he is the true spiritual leader.
The Jewel of the Nile (1985)
Directed by: Lewis Teague
Starring: Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito, Spiros Focás, Avner Eisenberg, Paul David Magid, Howard Jay Patterson, Holland Taylor
Screenplay by: Mark Rosenthal, Lawrence Konner
Production Design by: Richard Dawking, Terry Knight
Cinematography by: Jan de Bont
Film Editing by: Peter Boita, Michael Ellis
Costume Design by: Emma Porteous
Set Decoration by: Simon Wakefield
Art Direction by: Damien Lanfranchi, Leslie Tomkins
Music by: Jack Nitzsche
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: December 11, 1985
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