Gunga Din (1939)
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Director: George Stevens
Honor:
Rudyard Kipling’s poem of a native water boy for British
soldiers in colonized India and his bravery in battle finds its way to a motion
picture adaption in RKO’s picture Gunga
Din. Despite its title and source material the film is more of a
war/adventure picture starring three well known actors using sarcasm and
cynicism to create a lighter edge to the movie that deals with battles and
prisoner torture. The film was one of the year’s most expensive endeavors,
which is clearly on exhibit on screen, but ultimately lost money, but leaves an
interesting inspiration for a movie very much beloved decades later by Steven
Spielberg, starring one of Hollywood’s most recognizable icons.
Gunga Din is an
adventure film about three British soldier in colonized India, battling hostile
natives of a deadly cult, and a loyal water boy that desperately wants to be a
soldier himself. Sergeants MacChesney (Victor McLaglen), Cutter (Cary Grant),
and Ballantine (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) of the British Indian Army have all
served long terms in the Asian colony, growing close enough to be considered
brothers. Along with their military prowess and brute fighting abilities, they
are known to get themselves into trouble as well, but nothing too bad that they
cannot handle. However, each man has their own goals in mind. Ballentine plans
on leaving the army and marrying his love, Emmy (Joan Fontaine), which visibly
upsets the other two, while Cutter is always on the search for treasure that
would allow him to retire comfortably.
With the aid of loyal water boy Gunga Din (Sam Jaffe), who
desperately wanted to be a soldier, in his pursuit of riches Cutter is captured
by deadly cult that has been known to harass the army. Din runs back to get
Ballentine and MacChesney who attempt to save their friend, but become trapped
in a standoff holding the cult’s guru (Eduardo Ciannelli) hostage with the
entire cult ready to strike. When all hope is lost its Din’s ability to send
the army that saves the three friends, even though it comes at the price of
Gunga Din losing him own life. In the end Din is remembered by his fellow
soldiers, immortalized in a poem, remembering the water boy more of a hero than
they are.
The picture is a rather entertaining story that centers
around the three soldiers and their antics. They have moments that are funny as
they jab fun at each other, their enemies, or just the army in general, all in
all having a good time as it they were just grown up boys having a rough, good
time playing soldiers. They are somewhat invincible, always seeming to make
their ways out of jams where the numbers are against them, but the film lends
to a lighthearted adventure romp. The real drama is between the three’s
friendship being possibly torn apart by future separation as Ballentine plans
of marrying and leaving the service. Of course the gang in held together for a
mission that lands them in a the middle of murderous cult, the Thuggee, a name
one might recognize for a film produced near five decades later, Indian Jones
and the Temple of Doom.
Gunga Din, despite
the move being named after the Kipling poem of a native water boy, the
character is reserved for a minor role. The film Gunga Din is only partially based off the poem of the same name,
taking the real main character story from other Kipling group of works entitled
Soldiers Three. The character of Din is a bit of a goofy individual with a good
heart, but makes minor mistakes, ultimately wanting to serve his master army of
British soldiers. Sam Jaffe is an odd looking fellow in the first place, and he
plays the role with a rather foolish smile much of the time, but you do not
become very attached to him as his story has no flesh to it like the three
soldiers. Gunga Din dies a hero and in grieved by the soldiers, giving nod to
the Kipling poem with a fictionalized Kipling character producing the rhyme in
scenes shortly after the battle, only stating lines that actually paralleled
the actions of the movie in the brief ending. Sadly Gunga Din as a character is
rather forgettable even though the film bares his name.
The appearance of the fictional Rudyard Kipling would not
make his estate happy, demanding that the scenes be removed. The scenes would
on a limited basis be removed after the demands of the Kipling family, in some
cases crudely matted over when other characters conversations are still
carrying out on screen, but the scene would survive intact within later copies
of Gunga Din, restoring it to its
original form.
The picture it well put together. Directed by George
Stevens, who came up working primarily with comedies for Hal Roach, he adds the
great comedic timing for the film and its main cast. In a film that ultimately
dealt with death, Stevens manages a perfect mix of humor from all three of its
main stars throughout the dramatic plot. Shot in majestic valleys within
California recreating northwest India along with some of the best visual
effects seen up to the time, primarily miniatures to create dramatic actions of
a collapsing bridge among others, the film would be nominated for best
cinematography for a black and white feature at that year’s Academy Awards.
The film’s main cast was highly recognizable names to major
motion pictures. Cary Grant was a large star that seemed to continue to rise.
Victor McLaglen was an Academy Award winner who was a big lovable character having
played tough men as well as in soft figures. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. was a
recognizable name from his father’s lrgscy, but was making his own acting skill
known throughout Hollywood. Sam Jaffe was a remarkable 47 years old when he
played the young title role. In a minor character as Fairbanks’ fiancée is Joan
Fontaine, the older sister of Olivia de Havilland, who was yet to find footing
and make a jump to major roles which she accomplish very soon.
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| The Thuggee cult, would inspire scenes of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom |
Gunga Din up to
its time of release was the most expensive picture ever produced by RKO, which aided
to its popularity, but would still fail to make a profit. Critics would mostly
give the film positive reviews, likening its adventure to films such as Lives of a Bengal Lancer and Charge of the Light Brigade, also taking
place in India. The humor likened to The
Front Page with its quick wit. Gunga
Din would go on to inspire Sergeants
3, a tongue-in-cheek picture in 1962 that takes place in the West starring
members of the infamous ratpack. The Thuggee cult’s representation in this film
would inspire Steven Spielberg in Indiana
Jones and the Temple of Doom with using similar mysterious, deadly actions
of this Indian cult that carried out mystic rituals.
The pictures lasting legacy in American cinema would allow
it to be honored in 1999 by being elected to the National Film Registry, as
well as being named to AFI’s list of top 100 inspiring American films list in
2005 at number 74. Contemporary audiences may not be as familiar to the
feature, but it lasting impact on Hollywood is seen. An adventure film that
pokes fun at itself and its stars makes for an entertaining picture that, though
unnoticed by later audiences, leaves lasting inspirations for films to come
decades later.
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| Fairbanks, McLagen, Ciannelli, Jaffe, and Fairbanks. |
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