Bhowani Junction (1956)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

George Cukor

Writers:

John Masters (novel)
Sonya Levien (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

1 May 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Adventure | Romance

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Train | India | Railroad | Terrorist | British Army

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 nomination

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	...	Ghan Shyam aka Davay
Edward Chapman	...	Thomas Jones
Freda Jackson	...	The Sandani
Lionel Jeffries	...	Lt. Graham McDaniel
Alan Tilvern	...	Ted Dunphy

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (f) | USA:Approved (PCA #17728) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Lahore & Northwestern Railway, Pakistan

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Edward Chapman was hired to play Jones after the scenes had been shot with another actor playing the role.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): 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.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

References China Seas (1935)

Incredible performance by Ava Gardner

This film could have been wonderful if some of the parts had been given to Indian actors. For instance, Hollywood and British studios make believe that Indians speak English in a sing-song manner. They might have heavy accents but few speak English that way. Freda Jackson's role as "the Sadani" (could it have been an ignorant variation of "Sardarni"?) was incredibly stupid casting in that she spoke impeccable English for a middle-class Sikh lady. This apart Jackson was able to dominate her screen time.

I would have liked to dismiss this film as a below average film but for the incredible performance of Ava Gardner who towers over all else in the movie. Take her accent--for an American, there was no trace of her origins when she spoke. She alone looked real with raven black hair in a sari draped in foppish manner--after all she was an Anglo-Indian. Had she worn well like an Aishwarya Rai, Cukor would have got it wrong.

Cukor deserves full credit for choosing Gardner for the role and for capturing the ambiance of romantic North Western Railways, its first class coaches, the engines and goods wagons. A keen observer will note that some of the shots of goods wagons showed vintage wagons, while others showed contemporary ones.

Though shot in Pakistan, the film caught the Indian ambiance perfectly, right up to the Railway quarters for its staff.

Ava Gardner, it is only too evident, performed well under the guidance of good directors as John Houston. This film and "Night of Iguana" are my personal favourites among her films.