Review of Gunga Din (1939) by Christian Z — 01 Mar 2010

This adventurous frontier swashbuckler, based rather loosely on Rudyard Kipling's memorable1892 poem as well as his 1895 novel "Soldiers Three," qualifies as perfect escapist entertaniment about the British Army in India in the 1880s.

Essentially, what we have here is the equivalent of the U.S. Cavalry versus the Indians in westerns. The uniforms and the headgear differed as well as the enemy. Cary Grant delivers more knock-about blows with his knuckled-up fists than he did in all of his movies put together.

Set in faraway India, the six-fisted yarn dwells on the exploits of three rugged British sergeants and their native water bearer Gunga Din (Sam Jaffe) who contend with a bloodthirsty cult of murderous Indians called the Thuggee.

These Thuggees are a criminal sect devoted to the Hindustani goddess of destruction Kali, and British CO Colonel Weed (Montagu Love of "Vanity Fair") recognizes them from the pickaxe that our heroes bring back from an expedition sent to investigation the destruction of an outpost only ten miles from an encampment of Her Majesty's Lancers.

Sergeant Archibald Cutter (Cary Grant of "The Last Outpost"), Sergeant MacChesney (Oscar-winner Victor McLaglen of "The Informer"), and Sergeant Ballantine (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. of "The Dawn Patrol"), are a competitive trio of hard-drinking, hard-brawling, and fun-loving Alpha males whose years of frolic are about to become history because Ballantine plans to marry Emmy Stebbins (Joan Fontaine) and enter the tea business.

Naturally, Cutter and MacChesney drum up assorted schemes to derail Ballentine's plans. When their superiors order them back into action with Sgt. Bertie Higginbotham (Robert Coote of "The Sheik Steps Out"), Cutter and MacChesney drug Higginbotham so that he cannot accompany them and Ballantine has to replace him.

The gold crazed Cutter convinces Din to engineer his escape from the stockade after MacChesney has confined him. Initially, Din offers Cutter a diner fork, but later he brings Annie, MacChesney's elephant, and she slams her considerable bulk into the walls and collapses the building.

Cutter and Din light out on Annie, leave her at a swinging rope bridge, and go to the fabled palace of the Guru. No sooner have Cutter and Din arrived than an army of Thuggees arrive. Cutter creates a disturbance so Din can escape unnoticed and warn MacChesney.

Initially, MacChesney refuses to believe Din and even threatens to have him shot by firing squad. By this time, Emmy has arrived with Ballantine's discharge papers. Sgt. Bertie Higginbotham has accompanied her and will replace Ballentine again.

Of course, Ballentine refuses to leave Cutter in a clutch, but evil MacChesney refuses to let Ballentine go with him to rescue Cutter unless he ink reenlistment papers. Mind you, MacChesney promises to rip them up once they have saved Cutter.

Half of the fun here is watching the principals trying to outwit each other without hating themselves. Director George Stevens celebrates the spirit of adventure in grand style and scope as our heroes tangle with an army of Thuggees.

Lenser Joseph H. August received an Oscar nomination for his outstanding black & white cinematography.