I'm not sure I ever saw this film before this past week (perhaps when I was a child, long forgotten) but, in a way, on viewing it I knew I'd seen it before a hundred times: such is the perfection of the narrative and way it's presented that elements from this film have been presented over and over again in subsequent projects. I'm not going to call those projects derivative, either, because it's more a case of later generations of screenwriters and directors knowing a good thing when they see it and many grew up with this film as a treasured part of their experience (in the extras that accompany this film on DVD, screen writing legend William Goldman claims that this film had more of an effect on him than any other, when he was growing up). The second Indiana Jones movie, of course, owes a huge chunk of its plot to this film and even the excellent 1968 Peter Sellers comedy, "The Party" included a reference so obvious that for me it acted as a spoiler in terms of knowing how the tide of war in the closing scenes of "Gunga Din" would be changed by the title character. It's an influential film, for sure, but it's also a ripping good yarn, expertly showcased in glorious monochrome. As for my seeing it now, better late than never.
I picked up the film because I've lately been exploring some of the older films that I hadn't paid much attention to in years (most of my movie viewing these past couple of decades has been devoted to films made since the '70s) and because I recently, after again viewing one of my favorite films ("North By Northwest"), started replaying some of Cary Grant's films, courtesy of my local library, including such brilliant outings as "Father Goose," "Suspicion," "Operation Petticoat," "Houseboat," and others. I happened to see this film and, knowing it was considered a Hollywood classic, decided to give it a try. Cary Grant was an old-school movie star, for certain, but he was also a gifted actor and pretty much everything he did, even when he played a bad guy (that he did, against type, so well), was imbued with a comedic sensibility. Sure, he was charming and debonair but, to me, of vastly greater appeal was that he mercilessly skewered that very image at every turn and seemed not to take it all too seriously, including his own leading-man image. His comic timing was impeccable and, not surprising if you consider his gymnastic background, he was very adept at strongly physical comedy. In some ways this is his film, but he is joined by some very fine players who solidly share the glory with him.
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr (contender for title of 'The Perfect Man' for his ability to swash the buckle and be a strong film actor as well as war hero, humanitarian, and all around cool guy who never let it go to his head, perhaps because he saw what happened around his wilder father) is excellent in this piece as basically the straight man of the film. He's a man of action but also of thought, and a good foil to Cary Grant's impish and headstrong Cockney. Victor McLaglen, an actor I was not immediately familiar with, is also perfect in his role. He's at turns jovial and threatening, and the face of British imperialism and racism is most apparent in this film in his relating to the locals, including water-bearer Gunga Din. That message is not one with which the film hits us over the head, but it's there.
The film's biggest surprise to me was the casting of Sam Jaffe, a New Yorker, as Gunga Din. At first I kind of winced at yet another darker-skinned role being co-opted by a white, American actor, but the man was perfect in the part. And, to the producers' credit, they DID try to find a suitable Indian actor for the part. Jaffe refrains from stereotype and makes Gunga Din and endearing and inspiring unlikely hero. The film's ending really is touching.
And yes, this is very much a man's film. Joan Fontaine isn't given too much to do and part of the film hinges around the machinations of her fiancé's two fellow sergeants to thwart matrimony, a fate they see as intolerably cruel. I hasten to add that the film isn't misogynistic, just that in this subculture settling down and becoming a -- gasp -- tea merchant is anathema to the minds of these career military reprobates.
Beautifully shot, mostly on location on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada range in California (even before I read or saw any back story on the film I recognized the setting as the Owens Valley around Lone Pine even though I hadn't been there since 1987; it's a very distinctive landscape, hard to forget, that also doubles extremely well for Indian's Northwest Frontier), this film deserves all the accolades it's received. Some of the acting is, of course, a little stylized as was current to the times, but the whole still holds up well today. The action scenes, too, really do have the feel of reality despite constraint with blood and guts in comparison to more recent films; George Stevens treated the mass battle sequences as large-scale improvisation and the apparent spontaneity of these scenes is a marked contrast to similar large-scale battle scene sin other movies that look more obviously choreographed.
A brilliant piece of work. One for the ages.
I picked up the film because I've lately been exploring some of the older films that I hadn't paid much attention to in years (most of my movie viewing these past couple of decades has been devoted to films made since the '70s) and because I recently, after again viewing one of my favorite films ("North By Northwest"), started replaying some of Cary Grant's films, courtesy of my local library, including such brilliant outings as "Father Goose," "Suspicion," "Operation Petticoat," "Houseboat," and others. I happened to see this film and, knowing it was considered a Hollywood classic, decided to give it a try. Cary Grant was an old-school movie star, for certain, but he was also a gifted actor and pretty much everything he did, even when he played a bad guy (that he did, against type, so well), was imbued with a comedic sensibility. Sure, he was charming and debonair but, to me, of vastly greater appeal was that he mercilessly skewered that very image at every turn and seemed not to take it all too seriously, including his own leading-man image. His comic timing was impeccable and, not surprising if you consider his gymnastic background, he was very adept at strongly physical comedy. In some ways this is his film, but he is joined by some very fine players who solidly share the glory with him.
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr (contender for title of 'The Perfect Man' for his ability to swash the buckle and be a strong film actor as well as war hero, humanitarian, and all around cool guy who never let it go to his head, perhaps because he saw what happened around his wilder father) is excellent in this piece as basically the straight man of the film. He's a man of action but also of thought, and a good foil to Cary Grant's impish and headstrong Cockney. Victor McLaglen, an actor I was not immediately familiar with, is also perfect in his role. He's at turns jovial and threatening, and the face of British imperialism and racism is most apparent in this film in his relating to the locals, including water-bearer Gunga Din. That message is not one with which the film hits us over the head, but it's there.
The film's biggest surprise to me was the casting of Sam Jaffe, a New Yorker, as Gunga Din. At first I kind of winced at yet another darker-skinned role being co-opted by a white, American actor, but the man was perfect in the part. And, to the producers' credit, they DID try to find a suitable Indian actor for the part. Jaffe refrains from stereotype and makes Gunga Din and endearing and inspiring unlikely hero. The film's ending really is touching.
And yes, this is very much a man's film. Joan Fontaine isn't given too much to do and part of the film hinges around the machinations of her fiancé's two fellow sergeants to thwart matrimony, a fate they see as intolerably cruel. I hasten to add that the film isn't misogynistic, just that in this subculture settling down and becoming a -- gasp -- tea merchant is anathema to the minds of these career military reprobates.
Beautifully shot, mostly on location on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada range in California (even before I read or saw any back story on the film I recognized the setting as the Owens Valley around Lone Pine even though I hadn't been there since 1987; it's a very distinctive landscape, hard to forget, that also doubles extremely well for Indian's Northwest Frontier), this film deserves all the accolades it's received. Some of the acting is, of course, a little stylized as was current to the times, but the whole still holds up well today. The action scenes, too, really do have the feel of reality despite constraint with blood and guts in comparison to more recent films; George Stevens treated the mass battle sequences as large-scale improvisation and the apparent spontaneity of these scenes is a marked contrast to similar large-scale battle scene sin other movies that look more obviously choreographed.
A brilliant piece of work. One for the ages.