1939 - GUNGA DIN, one of Hollywood's best adventure films.

This is director George Steven's really coming into his own as a filmmaker with this adventure film set in India during British rule.  The film has an outstanding cast with Victor McLaglen an actor usually associated with John Ford films playing Sgt MacChesney.  Douglas Fairbanks Jr is Sgt. Thomas Ballantine and Cary Grant is Sgt. Archibald Cutter.  Grant's casting is interesting in that he is actually playing himself for a change, a cockney Archibald Leech (his real name).  

The film was originally supposed to be directed by Howard Hawks but Stevens was brought in because it was felt Hawks was to slow a director, little did they know.  The methodical Stevens took his time, reworked the screenplay adding jokes from his silent film days (Stevens had worked with Laurel and Hardy) and opening up the action.

The result was a one of kind action/adventure film with lots of clever comedy bits added in throughout the film.  Even today the film is still influential.  Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom used the Thuggee murder cult from this film as their chief bad guys and the Star Wars film, The Last Jedi was apparently greatly influenced by Gunga Din as well.  If the film has any issues it's probably the patronizing attitude the film as to the Indian people.

 

 The film was written by Joel Sayre, Fred Guiol, Charles MacArthur and Ben Hecht.  The running time is 117 minutes.