Bhowani Junction (1956)

Anglo-Indian Victoria Jones seeks her true identity amid the chaos of the British withdrawal from India.

Director:

George Cukor

Writers:

Sonya Levien (screenplay), Ivan Moffat (screenplay),

Stars:

Ava Gardner, Stewart Granger, Bill Travers

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ava Gardner	...	Victoria Jones
Stewart Granger	...	Col. Rodney Savage
Bill Travers	...	Patrick Taylor
Abraham Sofaer	...	Surabhai
Francis Matthews	...	Ranjit Kasel
Marne Maitland	...	Govindaswami
Peter Illing	...	Ghanshyam
Edward Chapman	...	Thomas Jones
Freda Jackson	...	The Sandani
Lionel Jeffries	...	Lt. Graham McDaniel
Alan Tilvern	...	Ted Dunphy

Storyline

The year is 1947, the British are on the verge of finally leaving India. Amongst the few who are sorry to see the British leave are the Anglo-Indians, half British and half Indian, for they are going to miss the patronage of their white cousins, the job reservations, and the important status and positions they currently hold. The British, quite frankly, do not think well of Anglo-Indians, nor do the Indians. Victoria Jones is one such Anglo-Indian, a WAC in the British Army, her father a railway engine driver, and her mom a housewife. She is close to another Anglo-Indian, Patrick Taylor, but changes her mind about him as he harbors deep hatred for the Indians. She witnesses Col. Rodney Savage instruct his soldiers to pour filthy water and garbage at the hands of untouchables on high-caste men and women who are protesting by laying down on the railway tracks to prevent trains from moving. Repulsed and shocked at this, she turns to Ranjit Singh Kassi, a Sikh, and longs to be Indian. She...

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Plot Keywords:

train | india | independence | british army | colonel | 

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Taglines:

M-G-M's Drama Aflame With Love And Revolt!

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Genres:

Drama | Adventure | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 May 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Encruzilhada dos Destinos

Filming Locations:

Lahore & Northwestern Railway, Pakistan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Eastman Color)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Ava Gardner came to Lahore, there was only one reasonable hotel i.e. Falletis Hotel. The suite in which Ava stayed has been named as "The Ava Gardner suite". In its lounge one could see a beautiful large size, black & white portrait of Ava Gardner smiling.

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Goofs

When Savage is first in Taylor's office giving him orders about the trains, he says, "One of you will have to be in close touch with me at all times so that my trolley patrols do not run into unscheduled trains." He says the word "unscheduled" using the American "sk" pronunciation, but as an Englishman he would have pronounced it using the British "sh" sound.

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Quotes

Col. Rodney Savage: The only people who face reality are too dumb to duck when they see it coming.

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Connections

Edited into Histoire(s) du cinéma: Une histoire seule (1989)

User Reviews

A beautiful movie

This is a beautifully shot, and well acted movie. It is almost faithful to the book and a good portrait of the chaos at the end of the second world war. Ava Gardner is luminous as always, and Stewart Granger a good foil for her.