Photos by Philippe and Regula Kradolfer
I’ve loved horses since I was a little child. While my cousins lived on farms and ranches, my family had become “city-slickers.” But I’ve managed to go on horse pack trips, work with horses during summers away from college, and feed them apples every chance I get.
Imagine my thrill when I got to be on set of The Ten Virgins with horses thundering out of the King’s palace. It’s a small but epic part of the movie when the king’s army marches to rid the village of its evil doings.
Our production partner, Said Andam, captured a beautiful video of one such scene (see link). The horses and soldiers race around the cameramen capturing the scene. Peter, the Lord’s senior servant, played by Tarrick Beenham from the UK, leads the way on the white horse.
Tarrick Benham (UK), rides the white horse as Peter, the Senior Servant. Benham took riding lessons a few days before the filming.
“When Peter is riding out of the palace, his objective is to serve the king,” said Benham. “It’s to police the chaos which erupted within the market and to serve the community.”
Stewart Scudamore (UK), plays the role of the King, here overlooking the departure of his horses and soldiers.
Benham likens Peter’s actions to the socio-political problems in the world today.
“I think the message is about patience, integrity, love, gratitude, kindness, commitment, and friendship. I think it’s thought provoking, testing our values and our principles. I believe audiences will leave the cinema thinking ‘how can I be a better person and serve my community [and ask], What’s my relationship with wider society. What could I do within my family? Lots of small people making lots of small actions can lead to a great outcome.”
Benham believes the cast itself is achieving such an outcome.
“People from all over the world have come together to work collectively on this project. They believe in this project. It is just such a positive example of how regardless of our background and our place in society that we can work together effectively in harmony.
The king’s solders are played by background extras who live in Ouarzazate and nearby areas. Many work as extras in major motion picture productions filmed here each year.
Perhaps all the king’s horses and all the king’s men can put the world together again.
