“Gunga Din” (1939) directed by George Stevens, starring Cary Grant, Joan Fontaine, Victor McLaglen, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Sam Jaffe / Z-View

Gunga Din (1939)

Director:  George Stevens

Screenplay:  Joel Sayre, Fred Guiol; story by Ben Hecht, Charles MacArthur; based on Gunga Din from BARRACK ROOM BALLADS by Rudyard Kipling

Stars: Cary Grant, Joan Fontaine, Victor McLaglen, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Sam Jaffe, Eduardo Ciannelli, Montagu Love, Robert Coote, Abner Biberman and Lumsden Hare.

Tagline:  Armies and elephants!…Love and laughter!…Breathless adventure inspired by Kipling’s heroic odyssey of fighting in India!…Astride its eye-staggering scenes, three lusty sons of the sword…reckless in love, ruthless in war and dauntless in peril!

The Plot…

In the 1880s, India’s Northwest frontier was dangerous in the best of times.  When all contact is lost with the Tantrapur British outpost, a squad of  25 soldiers is sent to investigate.  The colonel includes his three best men: Sergeant Archibald Cutter (Grant), Sergeant MacChesney (McLaglen) and Sergeant Ballantine (Fairbanks).  The three are cutups, and discipline problems, but veterans that can be counted on when things go sideways.  Also accompanying the squad is Gunga Din (Jaffe).  Din is of low status regulated to carrying water or other such menial tasks.  Din dreams of someday being a soldier.

The squad finds the outpost deserted.  Before they can fix the telegraph, they are attacked.  Although most of the team is wiped out, the three Sergeants, Gunga Din and a few others escape.  They are shocked to learn that a murderous cult known as the Thuggee have returned.  Thought to have been wiped out decades ago, the Thuggee have secretly been organizing.

The Thuggee plan to kill all nonbelievers.  They are on the move.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Only Gone with the Wind earned more at the box office in 1939 than Gunga Din.

The giant gong used in the opening sequence was the same gong used in King Kong.

Gunga Din was the most expensive film RKO had produced up to that point.  Even still it went over budget by a half a million dollars.

The Thuggees were an actual religious cult.  They would gain the confidence of travelers.  Later they would strangle the poor soul and steal their good. Thuggees were the inspiration for the word “thug”.

Gunga Din (1939) rates 5 of 5 stars.