In 19th century India, three British soldiers and a native waterbearer must stop a secret mass revival of the murderous Thuggee cult before it can rampage across the land.
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Title: Gunga Din (1939)
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Cary Grant | ... | Cutter | |
| Victor McLaglen | ... | MacChesney | |
| Douglas Fairbanks Jr. | ... | Ballantine | |
| Sam Jaffe | ... | Gunga Din | |
| Eduardo Ciannelli | ... | Guru | |
| Joan Fontaine | ... | Emmy | |
| Montagu Love | ... | Colonel Weed | |
| Robert Coote | ... | Higginbotham | |
| Abner Biberman | ... | Chota | |
| Lumsden Hare | ... | Major Mitchell | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Based loosely on the poem by Rudyard Kipling, this takes place in British India during the Thuggee uprising. Three fun loving sergeants are doing fine until one of them wants to get married and leave the service. The other two trick him into a final mission where they end up confronting the entire cult by themselves as the British Army is entering a trap. This is of the "War is fun" school of movie making. It has the flavour of watching Notre Dame play an inferior high school team. Written by John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>
Plot Keywords:
national film registry | male camaraderie | briton | riding an elephant | good versus evil |Taglines:
Thrills and romance for a thousand movies plundered for one mighty picture! See more »Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
17 February 1939 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Aufstand in Sidi Hakim See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$1,910,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
| (reissue)Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Victor System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
Edit
Sgt. Archibald Cutter: Well if it ain't young toadface. Fancy meeting you here.
Guru: Vile dog! For that insolence you shall grovel before my son. You shall grovel, I say!
Sgt. Archibald Cutter: Look here! I'm a soldier of her Majesty, the Queen. I don't grovel before any 'eathen.
Guru: Tabul, take him to the tower and teach him the error of false pride. Take him away!
See more »
Did You Know?
Goofs
All of the weapons used in the production were US Army issue, from the 1873 trapdoor Springfield seen in dozens of westerns in the hands of cavalry troopers to the more modern M1903 Springfield issued in 1903 and a staple of the US Army till 1942. See more »Quotes
[Sgt. Cutter confronts the Thugs in their stronghold]Sgt. Archibald Cutter: Well if it ain't young toadface. Fancy meeting you here.
Guru: Vile dog! For that insolence you shall grovel before my son. You shall grovel, I say!
Sgt. Archibald Cutter: Look here! I'm a soldier of her Majesty, the Queen. I don't grovel before any 'eathen.
Guru: Tabul, take him to the tower and teach him the error of false pride. Take him away!
See more »
Crazy Credits
The credits appear on a gong. Standing next to the gong is a Hindu man, and every time he strikes the gong, the credits change. See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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George Stevens' "Gunga Din", loosely based on the famous poem by Rudyard Kipling, tells the story of a trio of British soldiers in India along with the titular native water-bearer who yearns for the life of a soldier. When one of the three decides to leave the army and get married his buddies trick him into returning for one last mission which ends up leading to a stand-off with the murderous Thuggee cult.
The cast is expertly assembled. Cary Grant, Victor McLaglen & Douglas Fairbanks Jr. make a great team. Their characters are men of action but each of the actors also get a chance to inject some comedy into the proceedings from time to time. Sam Jaffe plays Gunga Din and he does a fine job as well.
The film benefits from the sure hand of director George Stevens and features a wealth of quality location work. The cinematography garnered the film's sole Oscar nomination but the film exhibits considerable technical appeal on the whole, including a stirring score from nine-time Oscar winner Alfred Newman.
"Gunga Din" mixes action, adventure, comedy and drama in a good old-fashioned adventure yarn the likes of which we rarely see these days. It's an obvious influence on "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and I also have to wonder if some of the characterization rubbed off on Lucas' "Star Wars" as well. It's a pity that the background of British imperialism spoils the film for some but I can't say that it did so for me.