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Gunga Din Reviews
Take Indiana Jones, mix in a little Zulu, and add a splash of The Man Who Would be King. Replace Michael Cain and Harrison Ford with Cary Grant, and what do you get? Answer - A film that stands the test of time. Grants comedic performance is totally on point, the punch bowl scene in particular having me in stitches. Based of various poems by Radyard Kiplin, this movie tells the story of three British army officers against a cult of indian strangler assassins. The eponymous Gunga Din being their water carrier (spoiler alert) who saves the day. Certainly Lucas and Spielberg deserve some plagerism claims. Temple of Doom being very near the knuckle on a few scenes!
I wasn’t sold on Gunga Din when it started. The tone of this movie felt inconsistent. It felt like the main three characters were in a comedy whereas the rest of the film was a drama. However, as the story progressed, I became more invested in the relationship between Cutter, MacChesney & Ballantine. And I thought the ending was tense and well done. It’s entertaining to see Cary Grant play a character that isn’t as polished as his later roles. Having never read the poem on which this film is loosely based, I wasn’t sure why this film was called Gunga Din. Now I know. And I appreciate that choice.
It's a trek, if you're watching just to understand Olivia Soprano's reference to her neighbor, which I was.
For fans of old fashion adventures, Cary Grant and Rudyard Kipling, it doesn't get any better. It's sad there are some reviews that found the movie wanting, even rated it poorly. I suspect that's the effect of contemporary culture. In the history of movies, Gunga Din deserves to always be ranked at the top.
While it is fashionable in too many circles to condemn anything which portrays European colonialism generally, and the British Empire specifically, in a favorable light, a little historical knowledge will show that Kipling's story, as well as this superb film, are hardly the reactionary racist screed some would like to demote them to. Gunga Din is a regimental bhisti - a water carrier - and in 19th century India that meant that he had a job which guaranteed a place to sleep and food in a very brutal society. Considering that he was also an "untouchable" - a member of India's lowest caste - this was something. Colonel Weed is correct in saying "he had no official status as a soldier" - bhistis were non-military auxiliaries. As for his loyalty to the British, there were many Indians who clearly preferred British rule to that of their fellows - and not just the maharajas and princes. If you read the story - and watch the movie with an objective eye - at the end, all the major characters have nothing but respect for Gunga Din. Sergeant MacChesney (Victor McLaglen) is clearly shamed by the fact that Din, in the end, was not only the better soldier but the better man - he sacrificed himself to prevent the ambush and massacre of the British column. The most telling example that the movie doesn't "put down" Gunga Din is at the end when Colonel Weed posthumously appoints the former regimental bhisti as a Corporal in the regiment. Corporal was a BRITISH rank - the equivalent Indian rank was Havildar. So, he was appointed as a BRITISH non-commissioned officer who could command British troops - hardly an example of political incorrectness. Yes, this is "men-as-buddies" flick. However, this movie has a special appeal to anyone who has actually served in the military - those are the types of friendships you make (you'll share your last drop of water with your mess mate) and keep for the rest of your days. It acknowledges that. So enjoy it - it is a rousing tale - and keep the PC-nonsense out of it. The bad guys lose in the end while the best man is recognized for his virtues - you don't even get that it in real life.
Quite possibly my age influences my assessment of this flick but I loved it…saw it maybe five to ten times in my lifetime. I've always liked everything that Cary Grant was in….also Ben Jaffe, Douglas Fairbanks and Victor McLaughlin. Once when my family was getting ready to watch Peter Sellers in The Party, I made everyone watch Gunga Din beforehand so they would get the joke at the beginning of Blake Edwards' The Party.
If you consider Gunga Din from a modern perspective, with its dated racial politics, questionable character motivations, and very jagged shifts in tone, you're going to wind up disappointed. As a stepping stone in the history of popular action film though, it is a thundering triumph, incorporating leads that were something more entertaining than the simplistically pure Erroll Flynn-type, exotic locales, and humorous subplots to support the main adventure narrative. Grant explores territory that is nearly against type, adopting a foolishness that contrasts his typical leading-man confidence and wry humor, but it's a role he's surprisingly suited to. Still, watching it today, it can't help but feel like a poor man's version of Temple of Doom, (which is mathematically the worst of the original Indiana Jones movies), fighting a sect of the Thuggee cult and featuring a pursuit of treasure, some screwball moments, a high-minded cause to supplant the main adventure, and both a snake pit scene and a cut rope bridge. The tone is probably one of the most rough-cut elements of the film, with the opening seizure of the town being a perfect example, jumping back and forth between a carefully laid ambush with mortal consequences and a series of borderline slapstick boxing bouts. Its considerable influence can be felt decades down the line, but with this influence comes inevitable comparison to decades of successors, to which it is more of a predecessor work exclusively. (2.5/5)
it's funny, action packed, male bonding, friends forever. it has some cheesy filming techniques which i am sure was state of the art for 1938/39. i am 53 growing up it was on every few weeks and i watched it every time. as an adult i own it and watch it every few years. i love it.
It hasn't aged well.
The actors pull you in as if you are part of the movie.
Go watch this movie right now. Tons of fun. It has everything, laughs, action, and tear jerking moments. Holds up incredibly well. No joke is overdone, a lot of variety. I can see that films like Indianan Jones and The Man who would be King be inspired by this film. I can't praise it enough. Check it out. NOW!
Action and Adventure. Influential but of another era.
Though the cast appears to be having a grand time, the cultural stereotypes and long length of Gunga Din makes it a bit tiring to watch.
Since my age was a single digit, I've watched this film more times than I can count. Simply a great story with excitement, humour, top quality acting and a timeless soundtrack.
The blackface in the film is so unrealistic it detracts from the film, and there is nothing within the film that is laudable, other than the praise of a fictional Indian's courage in a world where only white achievements were generally acknowledged. None of the performances stood out, not even Cary Grant's. Long-winded with no entertainment to show for it.
One of The Best Action Movies Ever Made.
So as much as I dislike the culture of my maternal ancestors, WHY are the rebels against British Imperialism always dark skinned, dumb and kinda wimpy? Oh and treacherous. However, I can't think of ANYTHING more gorgeous than Cary Grant. I admit I was oddly into the scene where he had his hands tied up. I mean the man torso was just beautiful and those biceps and deltoids. And the chin, mein gott that CHIN!!!! And his hair...it was just begging for some good tugs.....Oh Cary....