Gunga Din (1939)

An Exercise In Nonsense

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Here is another great one from the year 1939. I saw it growing up and loved it, and have seen it since several times and still am fascinated. Grant, Fairbanks Jr., and McLaglin, as sergeants Cutter, Balantine, and McChesney, provide all the necessary action and comedy needed to engross any viewer.To me, three outstanding comedic bits were trying to feed the reluctant elephant in the stall, the drunk scene between Grant and McLaglin when Grant is decked, and at the punch bowl where Robert Coote imbibes the potent stuff and drops like a rock. The efforts to prevent Fairbanks Jr. from resigning are also hilarious.I also remember the hideous pit of snakes that Sgt.McChesney (McLaglin) is almost cast into. Instead, the evil Eduardo Cianelli jumps in.Sam Jaffe (Gunga Din) steals the show at the end by his bugle call alerting the unsuspecting British column to the ambush. He gives a touching performance throughout.A battle at the beginning and a major one at the end, provide plenty of action. Even more excitement occurs when the three sergeants are captured by the Thugees.A classic that all adventure lovers should see.

" . . . of jeweled swords and mustache wax," the Thug guru informs the featured British sergeant trio of GUNGA DIN. The Guru's band of Thugs were the ISIS of their day in Victorian India. The British Empire used to be larger than Russia or China, but an over-abundance of mustache wax at the top has reduced it to a puny island tagging along today as a European afterthought. Though we humor the Brits by continuing to call the American language "English," GUNGA DIN illustrates how England historically launched one suicide attack after another (see THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE) unless there was a foreigner handy, such as Mr. Din, to save them from their own folly. GUNGA DIN was the original "Bhisti Boy," who saved thousands of Brits from going to their slaughter like bag-piping sheep, with his own timely bugling. (Of course, Mr. Din's tribute band modernized the spelling of his rank to "Beastie Boys.") The main lesson of GUNGA DIN--repeated again and again--is that, "Pride (and mustache wax) goes before the Fall."

In the frontiers of colonial India, British troops are attacked and a British outpost at Tantrapur is lost. British troops led by sergeants MacChesney (Victor McLaglen), Cutter (Cary Grant), and Ballantine (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.) are sent to investigate. They encounter an abandoned town except some of the rebels stay to ambush the troops. Gunga Din (Sam Jaffe) is the regimental water boy who wants to be a real soldier. Soon the men and their local troops are surrounded.It's an old fashion war movie akin to cowboys and indians movie. One guy can take out six with only fisticuffs. It's good ole blow-em-up action adventure. It's the kind of movie where Cary Grant can have a bit of fun in between some action scenes. It's rip roaring fun but a bit dated.

There is a lot to forgive in this hugely popular Movie, especially among those who saw it as young Boys. But it hardly stand up as a newly viewed Film today. It is another of those that has to be seen with blind reverence. British Colonialism was nothing more than an attempt at World domination while oppressing People and destroying cultures. So it is quite a stretch to view this all with a light Heart.But all that aside, as a Movie this has moments of grandeur but at times is quite a clumsy affair. With its unnecessary sped-up Action Scenes it detracts from some of the wide open wonder and immense battle set-ups.The ending does have quite an amount of Pathos. The final battle at the Temple is a reversal unlike the previous slapstick battles and is quite Dramatic. Overall this is overrated, and dated, but just entertaining enough as a throwback to an era of some pretty shallow renditions of some pretty deep subjects.