In the 1830s a captain in the East India Company lobbies to investigate the criminal Thugee Cult of Kali, an organized crime group of stranglers and thieves.
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Title: The Stranglers of Bombay (1959)
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Guy Rolfe | ... |
Captain Harry Lewis
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| Allan Cuthbertson | ... |
Capt. Christopher Connaught-Smith
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Andrew Cruickshank | ... |
Colonel Henderson
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George Pastell | ... |
High Priest of Kali
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Marne Maitland | ... |
Patel Shari
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Jan Holden | ... |
Mary Lewis
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| Paul Stassino | ... |
Lt. Silver
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Tutte Lemkow | ... |
Ram Das
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
A murderous religious cult is way-laying travellers and stealing goods in nineteenth century India. As the disappearances mount and trade becomes difficult, the British East India Company is forced to act. But they give the job to an upper-class officer completely out-of-touch with the country rather than the obvious candidate who has been in India for years and well understands the people and culture. Written by Jeremy Perkins <jwp@aber.ac.uk>
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This is true! This is real! This actually happened! See more »Certificate:
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Details
Country:
UKLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
May 1960 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Die Würger von Bombay See more »Company Credits
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Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound Recording)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
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Did You Know?
Trivia
The fight between the snake and the mongoose wasn't in the original script. See more »Goofs
When Captain Lewis is tied to the ground, a reflection is visible between him and the cobra, revealing that a pane of glass separates them. See more »Quotes
Capt. Harry Lewis: [to Mary] This is some kind of organized conspiracy. I know it, and I'll find it out!See more »
Coming from many of the same team as Hammers dire 'The Terror of the Tongs' and bearing the same reputation for political incorrectness that has kept it out of distribution for years, you could be forgiven for expecting the worst. Thankfully, nothing could be further from the truth.
Directed by Terence Fisher at the peak of his powers, it's slightly more accurate than expected – some nominal research has been done into the Thugs, which is more than can be said for Gunga Din – but is still closer in tone to Victorian melodrama than history. Guy Rolfe is typically low key as the oft-ignored British officer trying to persuade the apathetic East India Company to investigate a series of disappearances only to be ignored and ultimately replaced by the a particularly idiotic candidate who went to the right school. Investigating on his own, he soon comes up against the followers of Kali, with results that should entertain anyone who likes Fu Manchu and his ilk. It's particularly interesting just how critical the film is of the British mismanagement of India – rather than agents of civilisation, their concern is purely with the bottom line.
It's a fast-paced 80 minutes with many of the usual 'British foreign stock company' suspects – George Pastell, Roger Delgado, Tutte Lemkow and Marne Maitland - in black face in the supporting cast, and better production values than you might expect from the obviously low budget. It's strange that the film is such a rarity since there are many more politically incorrect films still in circulation: maybe its down to the fierce controversy that greeted it on its first release. Nonetheless, well worth a look if it crosses your path.