The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Henry Hathaway

Writers:

Francis Yeats-Brown (novel)
Grover Jones (adaptation) ...

Release Date:

15 February 1935 (Austria)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama

Tagline:

1750 to 1! Always out-numbered! Never out-fought! These are the Bengal Lancers...heroes all...guarding each other's lives, sharing each other's tortures, fighting each other's battles...

Plot:

Three British soldiers on the Northwest Frontier of India struggle against invaders...and themselves.

Plot Keywords:

India | Lancer | British | Rescue | Fortress

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 6 nominations

Cast

Gary Cooper	...	Lieutenant Alan McGregor
Franchot Tone	...	Lieutenant Forsythe
Richard Cromwell	...	Lieutenant Donald Stone
Guy Standing	...	Colonel Tom Stone (as Sir Guy Standing)
C. Aubrey Smith	...	Major Hamilton
Kathleen Burke	...	Tania Volkanskaya
Douglass Dumbrille	...	Mohammed Khan (as Douglas Dumbrille)
Monte Blue	...	Hamzulla Khan
Colin Tapley	...	Lieutenant Barrett
Akim Tamiroff	...	Otamanu, emir of Gopal
J. Carrol Naish	...	Grand Vizier
Noble Johnson	...	Ram Singh
Lumsden Hare	...	Maj. Gen. Sir Thomas Woodley
Jameson Thomas	...	Hendrickson

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

Argentina:13 | USA:Approved (PCA #474)

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

One of over 700 Paramount Productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since.

Goofs:

Continuity: When McGregor falls with the torch, it is at first in front of him, but then behind.

Quotes:

Mohammed Khan: We have ways to make men talk.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Red Skelton Show: Lives of a Bungle Lancer (#13.19)" (1964)

Soundtrack:

(The Man on) The Flying Trapeze

Gary Cooper fans should know

For those of you young Gary Cooper fans out there, like myself, check out this great movie. It was filmed in the era of Gunga Din, Robin Hood, and They Died With Their Boots On and more than holds it's own with all of them. The Coop is at his best in this one, though for some reason this film is not touted as among his best. It doesn't receive the fanfare High Noon, Pride of the Yankees, or Sergeant York do, and that is a shame. This is a truly entertaining film for people of all ages---it has laughs, plenty of action, and surprising emotion. Check it out.