The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935)
I was anxious to watch The Lives of a Bengal Lancer because, although the plot didn’t appeal to me, I love Franchot Tone and enjoy watching his earlier movies. Gary Cooper greatly admired his costar, repeatedly saying he could have been the best in the business, if his personal life wasn’t ruined by a certain famous actress. “You could take me right out of [the picture] . . . But it couldn’t be much without Tone,” he said.
While I do agree with his quote, even Franchot Tone can’t save this picture. Yes, he plays a flute and unexpectedly charms a cobra. Yes, he plays dead, only to wink at Cooper before waiting for the right moment for a surprise attack. But this movie still isn’t any good. Gary Cooper is a soldier in British-occupied India, and he begrudgingly has to accept two new additions to his unit: Franchot and Richard Cromwell. He smugly assumes Franchot is a spoiled, rich brat with no business being in a war. Richard is young and inexperienced, and he was only summoned because he’s the commander’s nephew. Sir Guy Standing, the epitome of stiff upper lip, is extremely cold towards the young boy, and Gary and Franchot often have to play nursemaid to him. C. Aubrey Smith adds some class to the movie, but his part isn’t very important.
Even though this is supposed to be a war movie, there aren’t very many battle scenes in it. It’s mostly about the growing friendship between the three men. Unfortunately, the situations they find themselves in aren’t very suspenseful or interesting. If you liked Gunga Din you could give it a try. But I like Beau Geste better, for desert fighting and male friendships among soldiers.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "Classic Movies Kristine Rose" for posting!
More Gary Cooper movies here!
While I do agree with his quote, even Franchot Tone can’t save this picture. Yes, he plays a flute and unexpectedly charms a cobra. Yes, he plays dead, only to wink at Cooper before waiting for the right moment for a surprise attack. But this movie still isn’t any good. Gary Cooper is a soldier in British-occupied India, and he begrudgingly has to accept two new additions to his unit: Franchot and Richard Cromwell. He smugly assumes Franchot is a spoiled, rich brat with no business being in a war. Richard is young and inexperienced, and he was only summoned because he’s the commander’s nephew. Sir Guy Standing, the epitome of stiff upper lip, is extremely cold towards the young boy, and Gary and Franchot often have to play nursemaid to him. C. Aubrey Smith adds some class to the movie, but his part isn’t very important.
Even though this is supposed to be a war movie, there aren’t very many battle scenes in it. It’s mostly about the growing friendship between the three men. Unfortunately, the situations they find themselves in aren’t very suspenseful or interesting. If you liked Gunga Din you could give it a try. But I like Beau Geste better, for desert fighting and male friendships among soldiers.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "Classic Movies Kristine Rose" for posting!
More Gary Cooper movies here!