As a child in the sixties, I remember being enthralled by adventures of the 1930's--the plots seemed to move at a fevered pace, and the action riveted me to the TV screen. But when I return to such films now, I must remind myself that times have changed: the fevered pace of the 30's plods like a moribund snail in the 90's, where the quick-cut editing of MTV is now the standard for all "action" films.
If, however, you can abandon all your adventurous expectations, you can enjoy the daring deeds of these 30's heroes. "Gunga Din" is not a bad place to start, for it is certainly one of the best (and best known) in the genre.
"Gunga Din," based distantly on Kipling's poem, takes place in British colonial India, a standard setting for a number of films in the 30's adventure genre. Although less crisp in writing and acting then "Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935)," the film faithfully recreates the ambiance of a British Indian regiment. Even the Hindi phrases heard in the film are not half bad, and the final battle scenes were clearly executed under the careful eyes of British military advisors--look out for the rousing shot of a Sikh officer brandishing his sabre as he leads his disciplined lancers in their thunderous, galloping charge against the thugee hordes.
The film's sincere attempt at realism is one of the things that make it a curious artifact, for it embodies that (somewhat crude) realism in the two-dimensional attitudes of wholly unreal characters. Add to this another curio: the film combines romantic attitudes about the Raj with the ambiguous need to elevate a "simple" Indian to the level of inspirational hero. Gunga Din, the lowly bisti (water-bearer), must remain the childish idiot that authorizes British rule (they're too childish to take care of themselves, you see); but at the same time, the plot demands that he display the courage and ingenuity to warrant our admiration. In this sense, the film captures Kipling's own ambivalent attitudes about India. And as with Kipling's poem, the movie might prompt you to ask whether our hero, Gunga Din, could ever be anything more than a hell-bound heathen in the eyes of his British companions. But what, then, does it mean to say, "You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din"?
If, however, you can abandon all your adventurous expectations, you can enjoy the daring deeds of these 30's heroes. "Gunga Din" is not a bad place to start, for it is certainly one of the best (and best known) in the genre.
"Gunga Din," based distantly on Kipling's poem, takes place in British colonial India, a standard setting for a number of films in the 30's adventure genre. Although less crisp in writing and acting then "Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935)," the film faithfully recreates the ambiance of a British Indian regiment. Even the Hindi phrases heard in the film are not half bad, and the final battle scenes were clearly executed under the careful eyes of British military advisors--look out for the rousing shot of a Sikh officer brandishing his sabre as he leads his disciplined lancers in their thunderous, galloping charge against the thugee hordes.
The film's sincere attempt at realism is one of the things that make it a curious artifact, for it embodies that (somewhat crude) realism in the two-dimensional attitudes of wholly unreal characters. Add to this another curio: the film combines romantic attitudes about the Raj with the ambiguous need to elevate a "simple" Indian to the level of inspirational hero. Gunga Din, the lowly bisti (water-bearer), must remain the childish idiot that authorizes British rule (they're too childish to take care of themselves, you see); but at the same time, the plot demands that he display the courage and ingenuity to warrant our admiration. In this sense, the film captures Kipling's own ambivalent attitudes about India. And as with Kipling's poem, the movie might prompt you to ask whether our hero, Gunga Din, could ever be anything more than a hell-bound heathen in the eyes of his British companions. But what, then, does it mean to say, "You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din"?