Gunga Din

George Stevens, 1939

From the first few frames, Gunga Din sets itself up as a rollicking adventure, complete with the star billing and the orchestral fanfare that signify it as a film of near epic caliber. Inspired by a poem from Rudyard Kipling, this RKO Studios picture features Cary Grant, Victor McLagen, and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr, who serve as our guides through the pomp and flair of the British occupation of colonial India in the late 19th Century. Reminiscent of classic buddy flicks, one can easily imagine a modern remake where big-name actors such as George Clooney, Mickey Rourke, and Hugh Jackman would occupy the roles of three rebelliously swarthy soldiers, who lead us on an exotic adventure complete with fistfights, epic stunts and just the right amount of comedic camaraderie to keep it all together.

Grant, McLagen, and Fairbanks have a great chemistry together onscreen, which becomes apparent from the start. As a telegraph is cut short by a raid upon a colonial outpost, the boys’ commanding officer elects them as the frustratingly perfect team to lead a pack of troops to the outpost and reestablish the telegraph wire communications. As they’re trying to fix the wire towers, a team of hostile Thuggee rebels attacks the soldiers, and our stars barely escape with their lives. Upon their return to camp, Fairbanks’ character, Ballantine, declares that he’s leaving the service to be married to his beautiful fiancée (Joan Fontaine) and to start a new future in the tea business. Considering this a fate worse than death, his pals become starved for one last adventure, and Grant’s limey Cutter forms a scheme to raid a mysterious golden temple, with help and guidance from the battalion’s trusty water-bearer, Gunga Din. He wants nothing more than a chance to honorably serve the Queen, and when they discover the temple overrun by rebels, and Cutter gets himself kidnapped, the noble Din risks his life to bring back a rescue team. Storming in alone, Ballantine and MacChesney (McLagen) become trapped, holding the Thuggee guru hostage for protection. The guru accuses the brave, British braggarts of falling victim to their excessive pride, and reveals that he’s set a trap for the remaining British troops, who will be pinned down by an ambush. After a final fight leaves him and Cutter wounded, Gunga Din sacrifices his last breath to signal the approaching British troops, allowing them to avoid the trap and rescue their men. Din is posthumously honored and given the rank of Corporal, and the film ends with Kipling “himself” presiding over a reading of the honorific poem at Din’s burial.

What’s immediately striking about this film is its scale; with its cast and crew of hundreds, and a range of lavish sets and detailed costumes, the scope of the picture truly befits the imperial spirit of the British colonials. This film is remarkably fun, and the production value is outstandingly high, even when compared to other films of the time. The camera makes effective use of onscreen space, as much of the film is shot using cranes and wide shots, allowing for a depth of field that often seems to span all of the Indian countryside. The sets themselves are intricately designed, allowing for rebels and soldiers to climb and scurry across rooftops during battle scenes, and the special effects are both explosive and impressive, even from a modern perspective. The sheer cost of this film seems outstanding, as a cast of over a hundred extras (many on horseback) fill the screen during the wide battle shots, as clouds of dust and gunfire fill the air with a dangerous, mystic quality. All told, Gunga Din is an exotic, star-studded adventure (complete with elephants!) that is funny, but never lacks the right amount of heart.

Jeff Candela