I love this movie so much

Nice effects though.

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

In the 1930s, there were many films that glorified the British Colonial army of the 1800s (such as THE FOUR FEATHERS, GUNGA DIN, and CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE, among others). Because so many were done in such a short span of time, to me they tend to blend together in my mind. This is probably the biggest problem I had with this film--while very, very well-made, it also seemed too familiar and, as a result, predictable. If you had to choose only one of these films to watch, I would definitely watch THE FOUR FEATHERS, as it is the best--though this film is nearly as good.Gary Cooper and Franchot Tone do a good job of playing British officers serving in what today would be the region of Pakistan and Afghanistan where Al qaeda has been hiding in recent years (ironic, isn't it?). Not surprisingly, the film portrays the British very sympathetically, as in the 1930s, Colonialism was glorified and all the inherent ill in it was pretty much ignored. My advice is just ignore this and enjoy the film.The plot involves the son of the company's commander being assigned to the unit and Tone and Cooper watching over him. It seems that the little beggar has a tough time living up to his father's expectations, plus he is a pretty terrible soldier. So, his new mentors spend much of the movie keeping him out of trouble--or at least trying.The acting, direction and especially the action are superb. This is a fun film--the sort of adventure film that the 1930s did so well. Other than the familiarness of the plot, there really isn't anything negative to say about this excellent and engaging film.

The epic scope of the film is particularly impressive considering it's release in 1935, and without the complexity of today's computer generated effects. Director Henry Hathaway relocates his experiences with the American Wild West to the more exotic locales of northwest India above the Khyber Pass. There he focuses on the good natured rivalry between Lieutenant Alan McGregor (Gary Cooper) and two newly assigned junior officers, Forsythe (Franchot Tone) and Stone (Richard Cromwell), members of the 41st Bengal Lancers. The plot is thickened by the authority of Colonel Tom Stone (Guy Standing), father of Mr. Stone from Sandhurst, immediately creating a dynamic tension between familial and military concerns.There's a bit more to it than that as well, weighing on the Colonel's mind are an impending retirement and the responsibility of his assignment to protect the Indian Emir from a coalition of hostile tribes led by Mohammed Khan (Douglas Dumbrille). His 'service comes first' mentality is repeatedly tested by Cooper's character, who refers to the Colonel as 'old ramrod'; in fact, McGregor is probably one of the most insubordinate officers in film history if you count the number of times he disobeys orders.The younger Stone is at odds throughout the story as to how to impress his overbearing father. The boar hunt goes badly, and later he falls victim to the Khan's kidnap plot, utilizing the wiles of the sultry Tania (Kathleen Burke). Ultimately he earns his redemption, but at a high price, as the officer trio reunites to destroy Khan's stolen ammunition supply. That he didn't have the courage to resist torture like his comrades is inexorably relived during the presentation of the Distinguished Service Order, when he has all he can do to hold back his welling tears.Any story set in India probably wouldn't be complete without the obligatory dancing cobra scene. Here it's done to somewhat comic effect when the bantering Forsythe finally receives his comeuppance from the older officer McGregor. Of course as with most films, this one doesn't get it scientifically accurate either. Cobras are not enchanted by the music they can't hear, but the swaying motion of the player and his instrument; for his part, Forsythe looked a bit too terrified to sway.Curiously, Canadian born Douglass Dumbrille has just the right look to be plausible as a foreigner. His character here exudes both charm and malice, and he would go on to portray a varied assemblage of international characters in film. One that immediately comes to mind was a comic turn in the 1950 team-up with "Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion".As a fan of the classics, I have a preferred taste for black and white films, but every once in a while there's a scene that simply begs for the color treatment. As guests of the Emir, the Lancers are shown in full ceremonial regalia which look quite stunning. Kind of makes you wish for a modern day remake, if only they would stay away from the CGI.

Was there ever a better actor on film than Gary Cooper? In "Lives of a Bengal Lancer" he shows the natural talent, the effortless pretense, that few others could match..... well Sean Penn or Ingrid Bergman maybe. Franchot Tone plays the best friend part to a tee, both infuriating and endearing himself to Cooper's character.... always makes me laugh when he plays "Mother MacCree" on the pipe, needling Coop at first, but then begging for help when a cobra is attracted to the sound.This is where they got the material for flicks like "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." This film was made in Hollywood's golden era, when movies were fantastic adventures to be treasured, not necessarily believed. This is a very grim tale of war and sacrifice, but fun nonetheless. That the imperialists are the good guys is just a sign of the time when it was made. I wonder how bigoted the movies being made today will look to audiences 70 years from now? The sets were, of course, very well done and the photography was superb. During the mid to late thirties the art of the film reached it's zenith.Before then such spectacle was rare, but by 1939 it had become common. A very enjoyable combination of comedy and adventure makes this film one of the true classics.

I picked this little beauty up simply because of Gary Cooper and the subject matter. Having loved Gunga Din, this seemed like a good choice. Cooper as Macgregor, the top billed hero of the piece gives a strong, warm and wry performance. The stand-out surprise of the piece though, is that he is up-staged at nearly every turn by Franchot Tone. The banter between the two is great and takes full advantage of the witty and cynical dialogue. Young Richard Cromwell on the other hand makes very little impression until the final scenes of the picture. The British institution that is C. Aubrey Smith, makes a wonderful patriotic speech from under his formidably bristling eyebrows that brings the house down.The story-line is pretty standard stuff, three heroes in the face of overwhelming odds fight to uphold British dominance on the Indian Frontier. The strength of the film lies in the characterizations of the leads and the incredible settings and action sequences. A good deal of first rate horsemanship is also in evidence as we are treated to a full Lancer charge and scenes of tent pegging and pig sticking. The final battle is a glorious and exciting sequence that modern film makers would learn a great deal from. The script does have its goofy moments in the later torture sequences as we are treated to lines like "We have ways of making men talk" and are shown the old bamboo under the fingernails bit, but even the cliches seem fitting.If grand adventure with an emphasis on style is your idea of a good time, you'd be hard put to find a better example than this film!