Lives of a Bengal Lancer

This 1935 film is set in India's "North West Frontier" area in the early part of the 1900s, when India was a British colony.* It focuses on the lives of three men of the 41st Bengal Lancers; and while the film is loosely based on the autobiography of the same name by Francis Yeats-Brown, much of the film is fictional (Yeats-Brown did serve in India, but he did not serve in the 41st Bengal Lancers, for instance). Another interesting thing is, the film is about men of the British Indian Army, but it was an American production, and the three main roles were all played by American actors (Lieutenant Alan McGregor, a Canadian serving in India, played by Gary Cooper, Lieutenant John Forsythe played by Franchot Tone, Lieutenant Donald Stone, played by Richard Cromwell), but two of their superior officers are played by English actors: Colonel Stone, played by Guy Standing and Major Hamilton, played by C. Aubrey Smith. ** Further, the political feelings in more modern times would not likely accept a story of a colonial power fighting elements of the native population to keep control in the hands of colonialists. Further still, especially for Americans, who can't get out from under the burden of racism, but other countries too, the filming of dominant white colonialists doing battle with darker skinned Indians to retain that dominance would probably not even be filmed today; at least, not from that perspective, but rather if the Indians won a battle, or even a political battle. *** (NOTE: I will not put every little detail in this review and synopsis, but be aware, not all matters are quite what they seem to be in the film, as the director and script have us leaning one way, while the truth is in the other direction. A great device to keep us and the characters, too, off balance.)

The British are trying to keep down rebellion in northwestern India, as the tribes there periodically go into open revolt, so the 41st Bengal Lancers **** are in a dangerous region (which was very true historically). Lieutenant McGregor is a bit rebellious himself, and he receives Lieutenant Forsythe and Lieutenant Stone into the unit. Lieutenant Stone is the son of Colonel Stone, a British career officer to the core; "Ramrod," McGregor calls him, whose standoffish behavior toward his son, damages the young officer's spirit, as he thought his father wanted him in India, so they could serve together. His father, however, is trying not to show favoritism to his son, but he carries it too far ("there's no room for sentimentality in the army," he says a couple of times). The first real private meeting between the two is awkward and painful, as Colonel Stone can't stop being Colonel Stone for three seconds to give his son a kind word.  

The core of the film comes when a disguised British spy, Lieutenant Barrett, played by New Zealand born Colin Tapley, reports that Mohammed Khan, played by Canadian actor Douglass Dumbrille, is planning to unite the border tribes against the British by providing them with machine guns and ammunition. The British fear that one of the Indian emirs,***** played by Armenian, but Russian-born actor, Akim Tamiroff, who asks for, and gets, various munitions and supplies from the British, is then passing on those munitions to Khan. The 41st, led by Colonel Stone, goes to a meeting and  gathering (pig-sticking) with the emir, with Mohammed Khan in attendance, accompanied by Tania, played by American actress Kathleen Burke, whom Khan uses to seduce men to lure them into capture and to get information. In this case, young Lieutenant Stone becomes the target.

In the meantime, during the chase for pigs, the colonel had instructed those unfamiliar with such a chase to always remain mounted, as the pigs could be very dangerous with their sharp tusks. His son, however, disregards the order and dismounts to pursue a pig he has wounded. This prompts the old colonel to try to protect his son, but the pig goes after him instead, and he is saved by McGregor and Forsythe, although he had told them to remain mounted. Colonel Stone has humanity in him, but he has trouble letting go, even briefly, of his military protocol, or to showing any weakness. He orders his son from the hunt, because he disobeyed orders, and he struggles to thank McGregor and Forsythe for saving him, though he has to take the parting shot of telling them they disobeyed his orders to stay mounted. The two men see a flicker of the humanity in "Ramrod," especially when he thought his son was in danger.

Tania gives young Stone a note saying she wants to see him, and he is then captured by Khan's men. Khan has also found out about Lieutenant Barrett, the disguised spy, whom he has tortured and killed and then sends him back to the camp of the 41st. The British capture Khan's man who brings Barrett back and they get some information from him about Lt. Stone. McGregor and Forsythe think the unit will go into action to free the lieutenant, but Colonel Stone tells them, "This incident will not change our plans in any respect." Hotheaded McGregor spouts off to the colonel, who tells McGregor that Khan took his son for the very reason of trying to draw the British out to save him. The colonel places Forsythe in charge of McGregor, who is considered to be under arrest for insubordination. McGregor and Forsythe then slip out of camp to go after Lieutenant Stone. They disguise themselves as Indian merchants and cross the border into Afghanistan, which is where Khan holds Stone as prisoner. It isn't long, and McGregor and Forsythe become his prisoners, too. Khan wants information about the ammunition shipment and where the 41st will meet that shipment, but the men say nothing. He tells them, "We have ways of making men talk," and he has them taken to a room with a table with bamboo strips lying on top. He tells them the strips will be put under their fingernails and lighted. We see the beginning of the torture on McGregor,****** but we then see him locked in a dungeon, followed then by Forsythe, where they hear Stone screaming. Next, the door opens and Stone is led in, but he's not crumpled in agony, but rather he walks in under his own power.

Five days pass, and the men look out and see Khan and his men bringing in the machine guns and the ammunition from the captured shipment. Lieutenant Stone admits that he told Khan the info he wanted, because of anger toward his father. We see Colonel Stone leading his troops towards Khan's fortress in an effort to disrupt Khan from fulfilling his plan to arm other border tribes, which will be a disaster for the British. Mohammed Khan comes to the dungeon to tell the men that the 41st will be there soon, and that if Colonel Stone succeeds in getting away, he will let the men go free; otherwise, the colonel and the prisoners will all die. Forsythe tries to take take down Khan, but Khan's men surround him and knock him to the floor. Khan leaves, but what appeared to be Forsythe's foolish act was really a trick for Forsythe to get several bullets from the ammunition belt of one of Khan's men. The gunpowder from the these bullets can be used to blow the lock on the dungeon, which they do. They overpower the guard, but not before Stone is knocked unconscious (that's a change, a stone usually knocks others unconscious .... haha). McGregor and Forsythe capture a machine gun, and as the 41st proceeds to attack, Khan and his men now have an enemy behind them. McGregor takes a torch in an effort to blow up the gunpowder stocks of the fortress, and he is mortally wounded in doing so, but he throws in the torch and POW! Forsythe is pinned under some of the rubble. Lieutenant Stone now gains consciousness and makes his way outside, where Khan and his men have fallen back, as the troops of the 41st breach the fortress. Stone gets Forsythe from the rubble and he grabs a dagger. He gets to the wall above Khan, who is now on a horse, and he jumps and kills Khan. Seeing their leader dead, the resistance breaks and the battle ends.

Back at the post of the 41st Bengal Lancers, both Forsythe and Stone are awarded the Distinguished Service Order, and McGregor is posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his heroic action. The medal is fixed to the saddle of the dead soldier's horse. Tears stream down the face of Lt. Stone as he watches and "God Save the King" is played.        

* Both Pakistan and Bangladesh were still part of India back then, and indeed, the Indian North West Frontier was in what is now Pakistan. Across the border lies Afghanistan, and this border area is where the action takes place.

** You should easily recognize C. Aubrey Smith, as he was in many films of the 1930s and 40s, and the 1960s television cartoon character, "Commander McBragg," was based on the, by then, late actor.

*** I want to note that, when this film was made and released in the mid 1930s, Mohandas K. Gandhi (better known to some as Mahatma Gandhi), Mohammad Ali Jinnah and other Indian leaders were trying to free India of British colonialism and gain Indian independence.

**** The Bengal Lancers were from Bengal (hmm, imagine that!), way on the other side of India, the northeastern region. Today part of Bengal is in Bangladesh, and part is in India. The 41st was a battalion of the Bengal Lancers, which was the regimental name, but I don't know if, historically, the 41st served on the North West Frontier during the setting of the film in the early 1900s.

***** When India was a colony of Britain, local and regional "princes" helped them govern the immense country, while these Indian leaders kept power in their own regions, usually referred to as "princely states."

****** Even today, the full torture would not likely be shown in such films, but in the mid 1930s, that would never have been permitted.

Photo is from the 2015 Universal Studios Home Entertainment DVD

 WORD HISTORY:
Lance-The ultimate origin of this word is unknown, although from reading over the years, many linguists seem to believe it is Celtic; thus, Indo European, and that the meaning passed down through the centuries developed in Iberia, which was occupied by Celts in ancient times. If this is accurate, the word would have been borrowed by Latin as "lancea," which meant, "short, light spear." This passed into Latin-based Old French as "lance," meaning, "spear, lance." English borrowed the word from French in the second half of the 1200s. English cousin, German, also borrowed the word as, "Lanze," from which it spread into some other Germanic languages.